Gaherty
James B.
Gaherty
James B.
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ArticleAzimuthal seismic anisotropy of 70-ma Pacific-plate upper mantle.(American Geophysical Union, 2019-01-28) Mark, Hannah ; Lizarralde, Daniel ; Collins, John ; Miller, Nathaniel C. ; Hirth, Greg ; Gaherty, James B. ; Evans, Rob L.Plate formation and evolution processes are predicted to generate upper mantle seismic anisotropy and negative vertical velocity gradients in oceanic lithosphere. However, predictions for upper mantle seismic velocity structure do not fully agree with the results of seismic experiments. The strength of anisotropy observed in the upper mantle varies widely. Further, many refraction studies observe a fast direction of anisotropy rotated several degrees with respect to the paleospreading direction, suggesting that upper mantle anisotropy records processes other than 2‐D corner flow and plate‐driven shear near mid‐ocean ridges. We measure 6.0 ± 0.3% anisotropy at the Moho in 70‐Ma lithosphere in the central Pacific with a fast direction parallel to paleospreading, consistent with mineral alignment by 2‐D mantle flow near a mid‐ocean ridge. We also find an increase in the strength of anisotropy with depth, with vertical velocity gradients estimated at 0.02 km/s/km in the fast direction and 0 km/s/km in the slow direction. The increase in anisotropy with depth can be explained by mechanisms for producing anisotropy other than intrinsic effects from mineral fabric, such as aligned cracks or other structures. This measurement of seismic anisotropy and gradients reflects the effects of both plate formation and evolution processes on seismic velocity structure in mature oceanic lithosphere, and can serve as a reference for future studies to investigate the processes involved in lithospheric formation and evolution.
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ArticleSeismological evidence for girdled olivine lattice‐preferred orientation in oceanic lithosphere and implications for mantle deformation processes during seafloor spreading(American Geophysical Union, 2022-10-03) Russell, Joshua B. ; Gaherty, James B. ; Mark, Hannah F. ; Hirth, Greg ; Hansen, Lars N. ; Lizarralde, Daniel ; Collins, John A. ; Evans, Rob L.Seismic anisotropy produced by aligned olivine in oceanic lithosphere offers a window into mid‐ocean ridge (MOR) dynamics. Yet, interpreting anisotropy in the context of grain‐scale deformation processes and strain observed in laboratory experiments and natural olivine samples has proven challenging due to incomplete seismological constraints and length scale differences spanning orders of magnitude. To bridge this observational gap, we estimate an in situ elastic tensor for oceanic lithosphere using co‐located compressional‐ and shear‐wavespeed anisotropy observations at the NoMelt experiment located on ∼70 Ma seafloor. The elastic model for the upper 7 km of the mantle, NoMelt_SPani7, is characterized by a fast azimuth parallel to the fossil‐spreading direction, consistent with corner‐flow deformation fabric. We compare this model with a database of 123 petrofabrics from the literature to infer olivine crystallographic orientations and shear strain accumulated within the lithosphere. Direct comparison to olivine deformation experiments indicates strain accumulation of 250%–400% in the shallow mantle. We find evidence for D‐type olivine lattice‐preferred orientation (LPO) with fast [100] parallel to the shear direction and girdled [010] and [001] crystallographic axes perpendicular to shear. D‐type LPO implies similar amounts of slip on the (010)[100] and (001)[100] easy slip systems during MOR spreading; we hypothesize that grain‐boundary sliding during dislocation creep relaxes strain compatibility, allowing D‐type LPO to develop in the shallow lithosphere. Deformation dominated by dislocation‐accommodated grain‐boundary sliding (disGBS) has implications for in situ stress and grain size during MOR spreading and implies grain‐size dependent deformation, in contrast to pure dislocation creep.
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ArticleAn attenuation study of body waves in the south‐central region of the Gulf of California, México(Seismological Society of America, 2014-07) Vidales‐Basurto, Claudia A. ; Castro, Raul R. ; Huerta, Carlos I. ; Sumy, Danielle F. ; Gaherty, James B. ; Collins, John A.We studied the seismic attenuation of body waves in the south‐central region of the Gulf of California (GoC) with records from the Network of Autonomously Recording Seismographs of Baja California (NARS‐Baja), from the Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada’s Broadband Seismological Network of the GoC (RESBAN), and from the ocean‐bottom seismographs (OBS) deployed as part of the Sea of Cortez Ocean Bottom Array experiment (SCOOBA). We examine 27 well‐located earthquakes reported in Sumy et al. (2013) that occurred from October 2005 to October 2006 with magnitudes (Mw) between 3.5 and 4.8. We estimated S‐wave site effects by calculating horizontal‐to‐vertical spectral ratios and determined attenuation functions with a nonparametric model by inverting the observed spectral amplitudes of 21 frequencies between 0.13 and 12.59 Hz for the SCOOBA (OBS) stations and 19 frequencies between 0.16 and 7.94 Hz for NARS‐Baja and RESBAN stations. We calculated the geometrical spreading and the attenuation (1/Q) factors for two distance intervals (10–120 and 120–220 km, respectively) for each frequency considered. The estimates of Q obtained with the SCOOBA (OBS) records for the interval 10–120 km indicate that the P waves attenuate more than S waves (QP=34±1.2f 0.82±0.10, QS=59±1.1f 0.90±0.03) for frequencies between 0.6 and 12.6 Hz; whereas for the 120–220 km interval, where ray paths travel deeper, S waves attenuate more than P waves (QP=117±1.3f 0.44±0.19, QS=51±1.2f 1.12±0.11). The estimates of Q obtained using NARS‐Baja and RESBAN records, within 10–120 km, indicate that P waves attenuate more than S waves (QP=69±1.2f 0.87±0.16, QS=176±1.4f 0.61±0.26) at frequencies between 0.3 and 6.3 Hz; whereas at the 120–220 km distance interval S waves attenuate slightly more than P waves (QP=39±1.1f 0.64±0.06, QS=48±1.1f 0.37±0.07) at high frequencies (f>3 Hz). These results, based on a unique OBS dataset, provide an indirect mean to constrain future models of the thermal structure beneath the GoC.
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ArticleHigh-resolution constraints on pacific upper mantle petrofabric inferred from surface-wave anisotropy.(American Geophysical Union, 2018-12-26) Russell, Joshua B. ; Gaherty, James B. ; Lin, Pei-Ying Patty ; Lizarralde, Daniel ; Collins, John A. ; Hirth, Greg ; Evans, Rob L.Lithospheric seismic anisotropy illuminates mid‐ocean ridge dynamics and the thermal evolution of oceanic plates. We utilize short‐period (5–7.5 s) ambient‐noise surface waves and 15‐ to 150‐s Rayleigh waves measured across the NoMelt ocean‐bottom array to invert for the complete radial and azimuthal anisotropy in the upper ∼35 km of ∼70‐Ma Pacific lithospheric mantle, and azimuthal anisotropy through the underlying asthenosphere. Strong azimuthal variations in Rayleigh‐ and Love‐wave velocity are observed, including the first clearly measured Love‐wave 2θ and 4θ variations. Inversion of averaged dispersion requires radial anisotropy in the shallow mantle (2‐3%) and the lower crust (4‐5%), with horizontal velocities (VSH) faster than vertical velocities (VSV). Azimuthal anisotropy is strong in the mantle, with 4.5–6% 2θ variation in VSV with fast propagation parallel to the fossil‐spreading direction (FSD), and 2–2.5% 4θ variation in VSH with a fast direction 45° from FSD. The relative behavior of 2θ, 4θ, and radial anisotropy in the mantle are consistent with ophiolite petrofabrics, linking outcrop and surface‐wave length scales. VSV remains fast parallel to FSD to ∼80 km depth where the direction changes, suggesting spreading‐dominated deformation at the ridge. The transition at ∼80 km perhaps marks the dehydration boundary and base of the lithosphere. Azimuthal anisotropy strength increases from the Moho to ∼30 km depth, consistent with flow models of passive upwelling at the ridge. Strong azimuthal anisotropy suggests extremely coherent olivine fabric. Weaker radial anisotropy implies slightly nonhorizontal fabric or the presence of alternative (so‐called E‐type) peridotite fabric. Presence of radial anisotropy in the crust suggests subhorizontal layering and/or shearing during crustal accretion.
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ArticleConstraints on the depth, thickness, and strength of the G Discontinuity in the Central Pacific from S Receiver Functions(American Geophysical Union, 2021-03-09) Mark, Hannah F. ; Collins, John A. ; Lizarralde, Daniel ; Hirth, Greg ; Gaherty, James B. ; Evans, Rob L. ; Behn, Mark D.The relative motion of the lithosphere with respect to the asthenosphere implies the existence of a boundary zone that accommodates shear between the rigid plates and flowing mantle. This shear zone is typically referred to as the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB). The width of this zone and the mechanisms accommodating shear across it have important implications for coupling between mantle convection and surface plate motion. Seismic observations have provided evidence for several physical mechanisms that might help enable relative plate motion, but how these mechanisms each contribute to the overall accommodation of shear remains unclear. Here we present receiver function constraints on the discontinuity structure of the oceanic upper mantle at the NoMelt site in the central Pacific, where local constraints on shear velocity, anisotropy, conductivity, and attenuation down to ∼300 km depth provide a comprehensive picture of upper mantle structure. We image a seismic discontinuity with a Vsv decrease of 4.5% or more over a 0–20 km thick gradient layer centered at a depth of ∼65 km. We associate this feature with the Gutenberg discontinuity (G), and interpret our observation of G as resulting from strain localization across a dehydration boundary based on the good agreement between the discontinuity depth and that of the dry solidus. Transitions in Vsv, azimuthal anisotropy, conductivity, and attenuation observed at roughly similar depths suggest that the G discontinuity represents a region of localized strain within a broader zone accommodating shear between the lithosphere and asthenosphere.
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ArticleThe electrical structure of the central Pacific upper mantle constrained by the NoMelt experiment(John Wiley & Sons, 2015-04-18) Sarafian, Emily K. ; Evans, Rob L. ; Collins, John A. ; Elsenbeck, James R. ; Gaetani, Glenn A. ; Gaherty, James B. ; Hirth, Greg ; Lizarralde, DanielThe NoMelt experiment imaged the mantle beneath 70 Ma Pacific seafloor with the aim of understanding the transition from the lithosphere to the underlying convecting asthenosphere. Seafloor magnetotelluric data from four stations were analyzed using 2-D regularized inverse modeling. The preferred electrical model for the region contains an 80 km thick resistive (>103 Ωm) lithosphere with a less resistive (∼50 Ωm) underlying asthenosphere. The preferred model is isotropic and lacks a highly conductive (≤10 Ωm) layer under the resistive lithosphere that would be indicative of partial melt. We first examine temperature profiles that are consistent with the observed conductivity profile. Our profile is consistent with a mantle adiabat ranging from 0.3 to 0.5°C/km. A choice of the higher adiabatic gradient means that the observed conductivity can be explained solely by temperature. In contrast, a 0.3°C/km adiabat requires an additional mechanism to explain the observed conductivity profile. Of the plausible mechanisms, H2O, in the form of hydrogen dissolved in olivine, is the most likely explanation for this additional conductivity. Our profile is consistent with a mostly dry lithosphere to 80 km depth, with bulk H2O contents increasing to between 25 and 400 ppm by weight in the asthenosphere with specific values dependent on the choice of laboratory data set of hydrous olivine conductivity and the value of mantle oxygen fugacity. The estimated H2O contents support the theory that the rheological lithosphere is a result of dehydration during melting at a mid-ocean ridge with the asthenosphere remaining partially hydrated and weakened as a result.