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1. 3D Seismic Velocity Models for Alaska from Joint Tomographic Inversion of Body-Wave and Surface-Wave Data

   https://doi.org/10.1785/0220200214  

   Nayak, Avinash ; Eberhart-Phillips, Donna ; Ruppert, Natalia A. ; Fang, Hongjian ; Moore, Melissa M. ; Tape, Carl ; Christensen, Douglas H. ; Abers, Geoffrey A. ; Thurber, Clifford H. ( September 2020 , Seismological Research Letters)

   Abstract We present two new seismic velocity models for Alaska from joint inversions of body-wave and ambient-noise-derived surface-wave data, using two different methods. Our work takes advantage of data from many recent temporary seismic networks, including the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Alaska Transportable Array, Southern Alaska Lithosphere and Mantle Observation Network, and onshore stations of the Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment. The first model primarily covers south-central Alaska and uses body-wave arrival times with Rayleigh-wave group-velocity maps accounting for their period-dependent lateral sensitivity. The second model results from direct inversion of body-wave arrival times and surface-wave phase travel times, and covers the entire state of Alaska. The two models provide 3D compressional- (VP) and shear-wave velocity (VS) information at depths ∼0–100  km. There are many similarities as well as differences between the two models. The first model provides a clear image of the high-velocity subducting plate and the low-velocity mantle wedge, in terms of the seismic velocities and the VP/VS ratio. The statewide model provides clearer images of many features such as sedimentary basins, a high-velocity anomaly in the mantle wedge under the Denali volcanic gap, low VP in the lower crust under Brooks Range, and low velocities at themore »eastern edge of Yakutat terrane under the Wrangell volcanic field. From simultaneously relocated earthquakes, we also find that the depth to the subducting Pacific plate beneath southern Alaska appears to be deeper than previous models.« less
2. Shallow Crustal Shear Velocity and Vp/Vs Across Southern California: Joint Inversion of Short‐Period Rayleigh Wave Ellipticity, Phase Velocity, and Teleseismic Receiver Functions

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL092626  

   Berg, Elizabeth M. ; Lin, Fan‐Chi ; Schulte‐Pelkum, Vera ; Allam, Amir ; Qiu, Hongrui ; Gkogkas, Konstantinos ( July 2021 , Geophysical Research Letters)

   Near‐surface seismic velocity structure plays a critical role in ground motion amplification during large earthquakes. In particular, the local Vp/Vs ratio strongly influences the amplitude of Rayleigh waves. Previous studies have separately imaged 3D seismic velocity and Vp/Vs ratio at seismogenic depth, but lack regional coverage and/or fail to constrain the shallowest structure. Here, we combine three datasets with complementary sensitivity in a Bayesian joint inversion for shallow crustal shear velocity and near‐surface Vp/Vs ratio across Southern California. Receiver functions–including with an apparent delayed initial peak in sedimentary basins, and long considered a nuisance in receiver function imaging studies–highly correlate with short‐period Rayleigh wave ellipticity measurements and require the inclusion of a Vp/Vs parameter. The updated model includes near‐surface low shear velocity more in line with geotechnical layer estimates, and generally lower than expected Vp/Vs outside the basins suggesting widespread shallow fracturing and/or groundwater undersaturation.
3. Lithospheric Signature of Late Cenozoic Extension in Electrical Resistivity Structure of the Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico, USA

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JB016242  

   Feucht, D. W. ; Bedrosian, P. A. ; Sheehan, A. F. ( March 2019 , Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth)

   We present electrical resistivity models of the crust and upper mantle from two‐dimensional (2‐D) inversion of magnetotelluric (MT) data collected in the Rio Grande rift, New Mexico, USA. Previous geophysical studies of the lithosphere beneath the rift identified a low‐velocity zone several hundred kilometers wide, suggesting that the upper mantle is characterized by a very broad zone of modified lithosphere. In contrast, the surface expression of the rift (e.g., high‐angle normal faults and synrift sedimentary units) is confined to a narrow region a few tens of kilometers wide about the rift axis. MT data are uniquely suited to probing the depths of the lithosphere that fill the gap between surface geology and body wave seismic tomography, namely the middle to lower crust and uppermost mantle. We model the electrical resistivity structure of the lithosphere along two east‐west trending profiles straddling the rift axis at the latitudes of 36.2 and 32.0°N. We present results from both isotropic and anisotropic 2‐D inversions of MT data along these profiles, with a strong preference for the latter in our interpretation. A key feature of the anisotropic resistivity modeling is a broad (~200‐km wide) zone of enhanced conductivity (<20 Ωm) in the middle tomore »lower crust imaged beneath both profiles. We attribute this lower crustal conductor to the accumulation of free saline fluids and partial melt, a direct result of magmatic activity along the rift. High‐conductivity anomalies in the midcrust and upper mantle are interpreted as fault zone alteration and partial melt, respectively.

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4. Joint inversion for 1-D crustal seismic S - and P -wave velocity structures with interfaces and its application to the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone

   https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggab092  

   Liu, Yuchen ; Zhu, Lupei ( March 2021 , Geophysical Journal International)

   SUMMARY Interfaces are important part of Earth’s layering structure. Here, we developed a new model parametrization and iterative linearized inversion method that determines 1-D crustal velocity structure using surface wave dispersion, teleseismic P-wave receiver functions and Ps and PmP traveltimes. Unlike previous joint inversion methods, the new model parametrization includes interface depths and layer Vp/Vs ratios so that smoothness constraint can be conveniently applied to velocities of individual layers without affecting the velocity discontinuity across the interfaces. It also allows adding interface-related observation such as traveltimes of Ps and PmP in the joint inversion to eliminate the trade-off between interface depth and Vp/Vs ratio and therefore to reduce the uncertainties of results. Numerical tests show that the method is computationally efficient and the inversion results are robust and independent of the initial model. Application of the method to a dense linear array across the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone (WVSZ) produced a high-resolution crustal image in this seismically active region. The results show a 51–55-km-thick crust with a mid-crustal interface at 14–17 km. The crustal Vp/Vs ratio varies from 1.69 to 1.90. There are three pillow-like, ∼100 km apart high-velocity bodies sitting at the base of the crust and directly above each ofmore »them are a low-velocity anomaly in the middle crust and a high-velocity anomaly in the upper crust. They are interpreted to be produced by mantle magmatic intrusions and remelting during rifting events in the end of the Precambrian. The current diffuse seismicity in the WVSZ might be rooted in this ancient distributed rifting structure.« less
5. Permafrost Mapping with Electrical Resistivity Tomography: A Case Study in Two Wetland Systems in Interior Alaska

   https://doi.org/10.2113/JEEG19-091  

   Conaway, Christopher H. ; Johnson, Cordell D. ; Lorenson, Thomas D. ; Turetsky, Merritt ; Euskirchen, Eugénie ; Waldrop, Mark P. ; Swarzenski, Peter W. ( June 2020 , Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics)

   Surface-based 2D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys were used to characterize permafrost distribution at wetland sites on the alluvial plain north of the Tanana River, 20 km southwest of Fairbanks, Alaska, in June and September 2014. The sites were part of an ecologically-sensitive research area characterizing biogeochemical response of this region to warming and permafrost thaw, and the site contained landscape features characteristic of interior Alaska, including thermokarst bog, forested permafrost plateau, and a rich fen. The results show how vegetation reflects shallow (0–10 m depth) permafrost distribution. Additionally, we saw shallow (0–3 m depth) low resistivity areas in forested permafrost plateau potentially indicating the presence of increased unfrozen water content as a precursor to ground instability and thaw. Time-lapse study from June to September suggested a depth of seasonal influence extending several meters below the active layer, potentially as a result of changes in unfrozen water content. A comparison of several electrode geometries (dipole-dipole, extended dipole-dipole, Wenner-Schlumberger) showed that for depths of interest to our study (0–10 m) results were similar, but data acquisition time with dipole-dipole was the shortest, making it our preferred geometry. The results show the utility of ERT surveys to characterize permafrost distribution at thesemore »sites, and how vegetation reflects shallow permafrost distribution. These results are valuable information for ecologically sensitive areas where ground-truthing can cause excessive disturbance. ERT data can be used to characterize the exact subsurface geometry of permafrost such that over time an understanding of changing permafrost conditions can be made in great detail. Characterizing the depth of thaw and thermal influence from the surface in these areas also provides important information as an indication of the depth to which carbon storage and microbially-mediated carbon processing may be affected.« less