Seismogenic Processes In slowly DEforming Regions

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The role of the seismically slow Central-East Atlantic anomaly in the genesis of the Canary and Madeira volcanic provinces

Publication . Civiero, Chiara; Custodio, Susana; Neres, Marta; Schlaphorst, David; Mata, João; Silveira, Graça

The Canary and Madeira provinces in the Central-East Atlantic Ocean are characterized by an irregular spatio-temporal distribution of volcanism along the hotspot tracks, and several alternative scenarios have been suggested to explain it. Here, we combine results from seismic tomography, shear-wave splitting and gravity along with plate reconstruction constraints to investigate the mantle structure and dynamics beneath those provinces. We find that the Central-East Atlantic Anomaly (CEAA), which rises from the core-mantle boundary and stalls in the topmost lower mantle, is the deep source of distinct upper-mantle upwellings beneath the region. The upwellings detach intermittently from the top of the CEAA and appear to be at different evolutionary stages. We argue that the accumulation of plume material in the topmost lower mantle can play a key role in governing the first-order spatio-temporal irregularities in the distribution of hotspot volcanism.

2021-07-16Journal article

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A common deep source for upper-mantle upwellings below the Ibero-western Maghreb region from teleseismic P-wave travel-time tomography

Publication . Civiero, Chiara; Strak, Vincent; Custodio, Susana; Silveira, Graça; Rawlinson, Nicholas; Arroucau, Pierre; Corela, Carlos

Upper-mantle upwellings are often invoked as the cause of Cenozoic volcanism in the Ibero-western Maghreb region. However, their nature, geometry and origin are unclear. This study takes advantage of dense seismic networks, which cover an area extending from the Pyrenees in the north to the Canaries in the south, to provide a new high-resolution P-wave velocity model of the upper-mantle and topmost lower-mantle structure. Our images show three subvertical upper-mantle upwellings below the Canaries, the Atlas Ranges and the Gibraltar Arc, which appear to be rooted beneath the upper-mantle transition zone (MTZ). Two other mantle upwellings beneath the eastern Rif and eastern Betics surround the Gibraltar subduction zone. We propose a new geodynamic model in which narrow upper-mantle upwellings below the Canaries, the Atlas Ranges and the Gibraltar Arc rise from a laterally-propagating layer of material below the MTZ, which in turn is fed by a common deep source below the Canaries. In the Gibraltar region, the deeply rooted upwelling interacts with the Gibraltar slab. Quasi-toroidal flow driven by slab rollback induces the hot mantle material to flow around the slab, creating the two low-velocity anomalies below the eastern Betics and eastern Rif. Our results suggest that the Central Atlantic plume is a likely source of hot mantle material for upper-mantle upwellings in the Ibero-western Maghreb region.

2018-10-01Journal article

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Imaging the crust and uppermost mantle structure of Portugal (West Iberia) with seismic ambient noise

Publication . Silveira, Graça; Dias, Nuno; Kiselev, Sergey; Stutzmann, Eleonore; Custodio, Susana; Schimmel, Martin

We present a new high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) shear wave velocity (Vs) model of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath Portugal, inferred from ambient seismic noise tomography. We use broadband seismic data from a dense temporary deployment covering the entire Portuguese mainland between 2010 and 2012 in the scope of the WILAS project. Vertical component data are processed using phase correlation and phase weighted stack to obtain Empirical Green functions (EGF) for 3900 station pairs. Further, we use a random sampling and subset stacking strategy to measure robust Rayleigh wave group velocities in the period range 7-30 s and associated uncertainties. The tomographic inversion is performed in 2 steps: First, we determine group velocity lateral variations for each period. Next, we invert them at each grid point using a new trans-dimensional inversion scheme to obtain the 3D shear wave velocity model. The final 3D model extends from the upper crust (5 km) down to the uppermost mantle (60 km) and has a lateral resolution of similar to 50 km. In the upper and middle crust, the Vs anomaly pattern matches the tectonic units of the variscan massif and alpine basins. The transition between the Lusitanian Basin and the Ossa Morena Zone is marked by a contrast between moderate and high velocity anomalies, in addition to two arched earthquake lineations. Some faults, namely the Manteigas-Vilarica-Braganca fault and the Porto-Tomar-Ferreira do Alentejo fault, have a clear signature from the upper crust down to the uppermost mantle (60 km). Our 3D shear wave velocity model offers new insights into the continuation of the main tectonic units at depth and contributes to better understanding the seismicity of Portugal.

2022-04-22Journal article

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