Seismic anisotropy beneath east Greenland revealed by shear wave splitting.

Ucisik, N. and Gudmundsson, O. and Priestley, K. F. and Larsen, T. B. (2005) Seismic anisotropy beneath east Greenland revealed by shear wave splitting. Geophysical Research Letters, 32 (8). L08315; doi.org/10.1029/2004GL021875. DOI 10.1029/2004GL021875

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Abstract

Seismic anisotropy was investigated by measuring shear wave splitting at 7 broadband stations in eastern Greenland. Splitting parameters (fast polarization and time delay) were determined for SKS and SKKS phases. Fast polarizations are oriented roughly parallel to the east Greenland coast at 5 stations, while for two they are nearly perpendicular to the coast. The anisotropy at 5 is unrelated to the spreading direction of the North Atlantic or absolute plate motion. The fast polarization direction can be related to tectonic fabric in the Caledonides in the north, suggesting that anisotropy is frozen in the lithosphere, deformed coherently with depth. Another explanation of the coast parallel fast polarization is asthenospheric flow along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at the time of opening of the ocean inducing fabric in the thickened lithosphere. The time delays (0.5–1.3 s) do, however, require that fabric to be strong or distributed over a substantial depth range.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	2005 AREP 2005 P IA48
Subjects:	02 - Geodynamics, Geophysics and Tectonics
Divisions:	02 - Geodynamics, Geophysics and Tectonics
Journal or Publication Title:	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume:	32
Page Range:	L08315; doi.org/10.1029/2004GL021875
Identification Number:	10.1029/2004GL021875
Depositing User:	Sarah Humbert
Date Deposited:	13 Aug 2010 11:01
Last Modified:	23 Jul 2013 09:59
URI:	http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/id/eprint/1858

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