Testing geodynamic models of lowermost mantle flow with a regional shear wave splitting data set

Abstract:

Global flow models rely on a number of assumptions, including composition, temperature, viscosity, and deformation mechanism. In the upper mantle, flow models and their associated assumptions can be tested and refined with observations of seismic anisotropy, which is treated as a proxy for flow direction. Beneath the transition zone, direct observations of seismic anisotropy are scarce, except for in the lowermost ~250 km of the mantle. In this study, we utilize a comprehensive, previously published (Ford et al., 2015) shear wave splitting study in order to test a three-dimensional global geodynamic flow model (Walker et al., 2011). Our study focuses on a region of the lowermost mantle along the eastern edge of the African Superplume beneath the Afar region. We find that our observations are fit by a model which invokes slip along the (010) plane of post-perovskite with flow directed down and to the southwest. Critically, we demonstrate the ability of a regional data set to interrogate models of lower mantle flow.