Crustal Structure of Southern California from Velocity and Attenuation Tomography

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Published: 2024-10-31
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-9149

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Thomas H. Jordan
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089

Abstract




Recent studies of Southern California have employed velocity and attenuation tomography to elucidate two aspects of crustal structure. Low-frequency velocity tomography reveals large-scale heterogeneity that can be approximated by a discrete set (𝐾 ≤ 10) of tectonic regions, each characterized by an isostatically balanced lithospheric column reflecting the composition and tectonic history of the region. The boundaries between tectonic regions are typically localized structures expressed at the surface by major faults, topographic fronts, and geochemical transitions. The efficacy with which tomographic regionalization (TR) represents the subsurface geography of major tectonic units in Southern California indicates that the TR idealization works surprisingly well in this part of the Pacific‐North America plate boundary. High‐frequency attenuation tomography in Southern California supports the hypothesis that the decay of P and S waves propagating through the upper and middle crust is dominated by elastic scattering from small-scale heterogeneities of high fractal dimension, rather than by anelastic dissipation. The amplitude of the scattering varies systematically among the tectonic regions and correlates with the degree of recent faulting and deformation within a region. These results motivate speculation that small-scale crustal heterogeneities responsible for high-frequency attenuation are generated within the seismogenic zone through a dynamic interplay between distributed deformation and localized fracturing.




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Vol. 67 No. 4 (2024): Embracing the past, empowering the present, envisioning the future, 25th INGV Anniversary

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Embracing the past,empowering the present,envisioning the future,25th INGV anniv
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How to Cite

(1)
Jordan, T. H. Crustal Structure of Southern California from Velocity and Attenuation Tomography. Ann. Geophys. 2024, 67 (4), S429. https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-9149.

References