Reflection Character of the Continental Lithosphere and Crustal Evolution

Abstract:

Reflection images represent the high-frequency end member of the suite of seismological tools commonly used to probe the lithosphere. The global inventory of deep reflection profiles has documented reflection characters as varied as the surface geology that provides the primary boundary condition for the interpretation of reflection images. Past reviews of reflection results have stressed similarities in reflection patterns between various geographic regions and attempted to associate these patterns with specific tectonic processes. Examples include: laminated sequences (shear fabrics formed during extension or collision), reflective Mohos (mafic underplating), bright spots (contemporary and fossil magma bodies), dipping mantle reflections rooted in the lower crust (fossil subduction zones) and subhorizontal mantle reflections (phase changes in the lower lithosphere). Here I focus on relating reflection character to the inversion and/or interpretation of results from broadband techniques such as receiver functions, body wave and surface wave tomography. Among the underappreciated aspects of reflectivity are its dependence upon density as well as velocity, and the limitations of 2D images in a 3D world. A core consideration is the need to meaningfully relate integrated physical properties (e.g. velocity inferred from refraction and surface wave measurements) with the differential physical properties (e.g. reflection coefficients) to which reflection images are primarily sensitive. Examples from Tibet and Eurasia are used to illustrate examples of successful integration of controlled (active) and natural (passive) source observations to constrain models of crustal evolution.