3-D Crustal Velocity Structure of Central Idaho/ Eastern Oregon from Joint Inversion of Rayleigh Wave Group and Phase Velocities Derived from Ambient Seismic Noise: Newest Results from the IDOR Project

Abstract:

We present the latest 3-D isotropic crustal velocity model beneath central Idaho and eastern Oregon. We produced the velocity model from vertical component Rayleigh wave group and phase velocity measurements on data from the IDaho/ORegon (IDOR) Passive seismic network, 86 broadband seismic stations, using ambient noise tomography and the methods of Gallego et. al (2010) and Lin et. al (2008). We calculated inter-station group/phase velocities in narrow frequency bands from travel-time measurements of the stacked cross-correlations (bandpass filtered between 2 and 30 seconds), which we used to invert for velocity structure beneath the network. Goals of our work include refining models of crustal structure in the accreted Blue Mountain terranes in the western study area; determining the depth extent of the Salmon River Suture/West Idaho Shear Zone (WISZ), which crosses north-south through the middle of the network; determining the architecture of the Idaho batholith, an extensive largely crustal-derived pluton; and examining the nature of the autochthonous (?) North American crust and lithosphere beneath and east of the batholith.

We derived Rayleigh wave group and phase velocity maps for each frequency band using the damped least-squares inversion method of Tarantola (2005), and then jointly inverted for velocity with depth. Moho depths are prescribed in the joint inversions based on receiver functions, also from the IDOR seismic data, and provides a starting crustal velocity model. 3-D checkerboard resolution tests indicate lateral resolution of better than 40 km.

Preliminary results show higher S wave velocities in the western study area, and lower velocities in the lower crust on the east side of the network, consistent with Basin-and-Range style extension there. A tabular velocity anomaly juxtaposing higher above lower seismic velocities dips shallow west in the midcrust on the west side of the network.