Mantle Discontinuities and the Origins of the U.S. Cratonic Lithosphere

The goals of this work are to probe how mantle lithosphere discontinuity structure varies beneath the cratonic terranes of the northern U.S. and to relate this structure to the processes that created and modified the cratonic mantle. Our region samples the Archean Wyoming, Medicine Hat and Superior cratons, and the Proterozoic terranes that lie between them. We imaged the mantle using Sp phases recorded by permanent and temporary seismic networks, including EarthScope’s Transportable Array. Sp receiver functions for individual waveforms were obtained by extended time multi-taper deconvolution, and migrated into a 3D volume using common conversion point stacking, a spline representation of phase Fresnel zones, and 3D models for crust and mantle structure. The stack was bootstrapped.

In the cratonic mantle, we observe multiple mid-lithospheric discontinuities (MLDs) that are characterized by three types of structures: a relatively continuous negative discontinuity (velocity decrease with depth) that lies in the 65-100 km depth range; deeper negative MLDs (80-145 km) that are more discontinuous and intermittent; and occasional positive MLDs at the greatest depths (>125 km). In contrast to the tectonically active western U.S., beneath cratonic regions we typically do not observe a strong negative discontinuty at the base of the tomographically-defined lithosphere, indicating that the transition to asthenospheric properties is gradual.

The MLDs indicate strong layering in the cratonic mantle lithosphere. In multiple cases, one negative discontinuity dips below another, consistent with a slab of lithosphere imbricated beneath pre-existing cratonic mantle. One of the clearest examples is a north-dipping phase at depths of 80-130 km beneath the Cheyenne Belt, the suture between the Wyoming Craton and the accreted Proterozoic terranes to its south. In Sept. 2013, an unusual earthquake occurred within the high velocity mantle of the Wyoming craton at ~76 km, a depth that overlaps with a negative MLD. This suggests that the negative MLD coincides with a zone of mechanical weakness, for example a relict fine-grained shear zone. Overall, the negative MLDs are consistent with models in which Archean and Proterozoic cratonic mantle was at least partially formed by accretion of subducted lithosphere.