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Summary For a weakly anisotropic medium, Rayleigh and Love wave phase speeds at angular frequency ω and propagation azimuth ψ are given approximately by V(ω, ψ) = A0 + A2ccos 2ψ + A2ssin 2ψ + A4ccos 4ψ + A4ssin 4ψ. Earlier theories of the propagation of surface waves in anisotropic media based on non-degenerate perturbation theory predict that the dominant components are expected to be 2ψ for Rayleigh waves and 4ψ for Love waves. This paper is motivated by recent observations of the the 2ψ component for Love waves and 4ψ for Rayleigh waves, referred to here as “unexpected anisotropy”. To explain these observations, we present a quasi-degenerate theory of Rayleigh-Love coupling in a weakly anisotropic medium based on Hamilton’s Principle in Cartesian coordinates, benchmarking this theory with numerical results based on SPECFEM3D. We show that unexpected anisotropy is expected to be present when Rayleigh-Love coupling is strong and recent observations of Rayleigh and Love wave 2ψ and 4ψ anisotropy can be fit successfully with physically plausible models of a depth-dependent tilted transversely isotropic (TTI) medium. In addition, when observations of the 2ψ and 4ψ components of Rayleigh and Love anisotropy are used in the inversion, the ellipticity parameter ηX, introduced here, is better constrained, we can constrain the absolute dip direction based on polarization measurements, and we provide evidence that the mantle should be modeled as a tilted orthorhombic medium rather than a TTI medium. Ignoring observations of unexpected anisotropy may bias the estimated seismic model significantly. We also provide information about the polarization of the quasi-Love waves and coupling between fundamental mode Love and overtone Rayleigh waves in both continental and oceanic settings. The theory of SV-SH coupling for horizontally propagating body waves is presented for comparison with the surface wave theory, with emphasis on results for a TTI medium. 

We estimate seismic azimuthal anisotropy for the Juan de Fuca ‐ Gorda plates from inversion of a new 10–80 s period Rayleigh wave dataset, resulting in a two‐layer model to 80 km depth. In the lithosphere, most anisotropy patterns reflect the kinematics of plate formation, as approximated from seafloor‐age‐based paleo‐spreading, except for regions close to propagator wakes and near plate boundaries. In the asthenosphere, the fast propagation orientations align with convective shear as inferred from the NUVEL1A plate motion model, which is indicative of a ∼3 Myr average, rather than with the more recent, ∼0.8 Myr, motions inferred from MORVEL. Regional anisotropy of this young plate system thus records convection like older plates such as the Pacific. On smaller scales, anisotropy imaging provides insights into dynamics of plate generation and can further elucidate plate reorganizations and changes in boundary loading. 

SUMMARY Geothermal heat flow beneath the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets is an important boundary condition for ice sheet dynamics, but is rarely measured directly and therefore is inferred indirectly from proxies (e.g. seismic structure, magnetic Curie depth, surface topography). We seek to improve the understanding of the relationship between heat flow and one such proxy—seismic structure—and determine how well heat flow data can be predicted from the structure (the characterization problem). We also seek to quantify the extent to which this relationship can be extrapolated from one continent to another (the transportability problem). To address these problems, we use direct heat flow observations and new seismic structural information in the contiguous United States and Europe, and construct three Machine Learning models of the relationship with different levels of complexity (Linear Regression, Decision Tree and Random Forest). We compare these models in terms of their interpretability, the predicted heat flow accuracy within a continent and the accuracy of the extrapolation between Europe and the United States. The Random Forest and Decision Tree models are the most accurate within a continent, while the Linear Regression and Decision Tree models are the most accurate upon extrapolation between continents. The Decision Tree model uniquely illuminates the regional variations of the relationship between heat flow and seismic structure. From the Decision Tree model, uppermost mantle shear wave speed, crustal shear wave speed and Moho depth together explain more than half of the observed heat flow variations in both the United States [$$r^2 \approx 0.6$$ (coefficient of determination), $$\mathrm{RMSE} \approx 8\, {\rm mW}\,{\rm m}^{-2}$$ (Root Mean Squared Error)] and Europe ($$r^2 \approx 0.5, \mathrm{RMSE} \approx 13\, {\rm mW}\,{\rm m}^{-2}$$), such that uppermost mantle shear wave speed is the most important. Extrapolating the U.S.-trained models to Europe reasonably predicts the geographical distribution of heat flow [$$\rho = 0.48$$ (correlation coefficient)], but not the absolute amplitude of the variations ($r^2 = 0.17$), similarly from Europe to the United States ($$\rho = 0.66, r^2 = 0.24$$). The deterioration of accuracy upon extrapolation is caused by differences between the continents in how seismic structure is imaged, the heat flow data and intrinsic crustal radiogenic heat production. Our methods have the potential to improve the reliability and resolution of heat flow inferences across Antarctica and the validation and cross-validation procedures we present can be applied to heat flow proxies other than seismic structure, which may help resolve inconsistencies between existing subglacial heat flow values inferred using different proxies. 

Abstract A shallow sub‐seafloor seismic model that includes well‐determined seismic velocities and clarifies sediment‐crust discontinuities is needed to characterize the physical properties of marine sediments and the oceanic crust and to serve as a reference for deeper seismic modeling endeavors. This study estimates the seismic structure of marine sediments and the shallow oceanic crust of the Alaska‐Aleutian subduction zone at the Alaska Peninsula, using data from the Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE). We measure seafloor compliance and Ps converted wave delays from AACSE ocean‐bottom seismometers (OBS) and seafloor pressure data and interpret these measurements using a joint Bayesian Monte Carlo inversion to produce a sub‐seafloor S‐wave velocity model beneath each available OBS station. The sediment thickness across the array varies considerably, ranging from about 50 m to 2.80 km, with the thickest sediment located in the continental slope. Lithological composition plays an important role in shaping the seismic properties of seafloor sediment. Deep‐sea deposits on the incoming plate, which contain biogenic materials, tend to have reduced S‐wave velocities, contrasting with the clay‐rich sediments in the shallow continental shelf and continental slope. A difference in S‐wave velocities is observed for upper oceanic crust formed at fast‐rate (Shumagin) and intermediate‐rate (Semidi) spreading centers. The reduced S‐wave velocities in the Semidi crust may be caused by increased faulting and possible lithological variations, related to a previous period of intermediate‐rate spreading. 

Abstract We estimate depth‐dependent azimuthal anisotropy and shear wave velocity structure beneath the Alaska subduction zone by the inversion of a new Rayleigh wave dispersion dataset from 8 to 85 s period. We present a layered azimuthal anisotropy model from the forearc region offshore to the subduction zone onshore. In the forearc crust, we find a trench‐parallel pattern in the Semidi and Kodiak segments, while a trench‐oblique pattern is observed in the Shumagins segment. These fast directions agree well with the orientations of local faults. Within the subducted slab, a dichotomous pattern of anisotropy fast axes is observed along the trench, which is consistent with the orientation of fossil anisotropy generated at the mid‐ocean ridges of the Pacific‐Vancouver and Kula‐Pacific plates that is preserved during subduction. Beneath the subducted slab, a trench‐parallel pattern is observed near the trench, which may indicate the direction of mantle flow. 

SUMMARY Traditional two-station ambient noise interferometry estimates the Green’s function between a pair of synchronously deployed seismic stations. Three-station interferometry considers records observed three stations at a time, where two of the stations are considered receiver–stations and the third is a source–station. Cross-correlations between records at the source–station with each of the receiver–stations are correlated or convolved again to estimate the Green’s function between the receiver–stations, which may be deployed asynchronously. We use data from the EarthScope USArray in the western United States to compare Rayleigh wave dispersion obtained from two-station and three-station interferometry. Three three-station interferometric methods are distinguished by the data segment utilized (coda-wave or direct-wave) and whether the source–stations are constrained to lie in stationary phase zones approximately inline with the receiver–stations. The primary finding is that the three-station direct wave methods perform considerably better than the three-station coda-wave method and two-station ambient noise interferometry for obtaining surface wave dispersion measurements in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, bandwidth, and the number of measurements obtained, but possess small biases relative to two-station interferometry. We present a ray-theoretic correction method that largely removes the bias below 40 s period and reduces it at longer periods. Three-station direct-wave interferometry provides substantial value for imaging the crust and uppermost mantle, and its ability to bridge asynchronously deployed stations may impact the design of seismic networks in the future. 

Two types of surface wave anisotropy are observed regularly by seismologists but are only rarely interpreted jointly: apparent radial anisotropy, which is the difference in propagation speed between horizontally and vertically polarized waves inferred from Love and Rayleigh waves, and apparent azimuthal anisotropy, which is the directional dependence of surface wave speeds (usually Rayleigh waves). We show that a new data set of Love and Rayleigh wave isotropic phase speeds and Rayleigh wave azimuthal anisotropy observed within and surrounding eastern Tibet can be explained simultaneously by modeling the crust as a depth-dependent tilted hexagonally symmetric (THS) medium. We specify the THS medium with depth-dependent hexagonally symmetric elastic tensors tilted and rotated through dip and strike angles and estimate these quantities using a Bayesian Monte Carlo inversion to produce a 3-D model of the crust and uppermost mantle on a 0.5° × 0.5° spatial grid. In the interior of eastern Tibet and in the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau, we infer a steeply dipping THS upper crustal medium overlying a shallowly dipping THS medium in the middle-to-lower crust. Such vertical stratification of anisotropy may reflect a brittle to ductile transition in which shallow fractures and faults control upper crustal anisotropy and the crystal-preferred orientation of anisotropic (perhaps micaceous) minerals governs the anisotropy of the deeper crust. In contrast, near the periphery of the Tibetan Plateau the anisotropic medium is steeply dipping throughout the entire crust, which may be caused by the reorientation of the symmetry axes of deeper crustal anisotropic minerals as crustal flows are rotated near the borders of Tibet.