Colton Lynner

Skeletal Correlates for Body Mass Estimation in Modern and Fossil Flying Birds

Scaling relationships between skeletal dimensions and body mass in extant birds are often used to estimate body mass in fossil crown-group birds, as well as in stem-group avialans. However, useful statistical measurements for constraining the precision and accuracy of fossil mass estimates are rarely provided, which prevents the quantification of robust upper and lower bound body mass estimates for fossils. Here, we generate thirteen body mass correlations and associated measures of statistical robustness using a sample of 863 extant flying birds. By providing robust body mass regressions with upper- and lower-bound prediction intervals for individual skeletal elements, we address the longstanding problem of body mass estimation for highly fragmentary fossil birds. We demonstrate that the most precise proxy for estimating body mass in the overall dataset, measured both as coefficient determination of ordinary least squares regression and percent prediction error, is the maximum diameter of the coracoid’s humeral articulation facet (the glenoid). We further demonstrate that this result is consistent among the majority of investigated avian orders (10 out of 18). As a result, we suggest that, in the majority of cases, this proxy may provide the most accurate estimates of body mass for volant fossil birds. Additionally, by presenting statistical measurements of body mass prediction error for thirteen different body mass regressions, this study provides a much-needed quantitative framework for the accurate estimation of body mass and associated ecological correlates in fossil birds. The application of these regressions will enhance the precision and robustness of many mass-based inferences in future paleornithological studies.

Lowermost mantle anisotropy and deformation along the boundary of the African LLSVP

Shear wave splitting of SK(K)S phases is often used to examine upper mantle anisotropy. In specific cases, however, splitting of these phases may reflect anisotropy in the lowermost mantle. Here we present SKS and SKKS splitting measurements for 233 event-station pairs at 34 seismic stations that sample D″ beneath Africa. Of these, 36 pairs show significantly different splitting between the two phases, which likely reflects a contribution from lowermost mantle anisotropy. The vast majority of discrepant pairs sample the boundary of the African large low shear velocity province (LLSVP), which dominates the lower mantle structure beneath this region. In general, we observe little or no splitting of phases that have passed through the LLSVP itself and significant splitting for phases that have sampled the boundary of the LLSVP. We infer that the D″ region just outside the LLSVP boundary is strongly deformed, while its interior remains undeformed (or weakly deformed).

Sub‐slab anisotropy beneath the Sumatra and circum‐Pacific subduction zones from source‐side shear wave splitting observations

Understanding the dynamics of subduction is critical to our overall understanding of plate tectonics and the solid Earth system. Observations of seismic anisotropy can yield constraints on deformation patterns in the mantle surrounding subducting slabs, providing a tool for studying subduction dynamics. While many observations of seismic anisotropy have been made in subduction systems, our understanding of the mantle beneath subducting slabs remains tenuous due to the difficulty of constraining anisotropy in the sub-slab region. Recently, the source-side shear wave splitting technique has been refined and applied to several subduction systems worldwide, making accurate and direct measurements of sub-slab anisotropy feasible and offering unprecedented spatial and depth coverage in the sub-slab mantle. Here we present source-side shear wave splitting measurements for the Central America, Alaska-Aleutians, Sumatra, Ryukyu, and Izu-Bonin-Japan-Kurile subduction systems. We find that measured fast splitting directions in these regions generally fall into two broad categories, aligning either with the strike of the trench or with the motion of the subducting slab relative to the overriding plate. Trench parallel fast splitting directions dominate beneath the Izu-Bonin, Japan, and southern Kurile slabs and part of the Sumatra system, while fast directions that parallel the motion of the downgoing plate dominate in the Ryukyu, Central America, northern Kurile, western Sumatra, and Alaska-Aleutian regions. We find that plate motion parallel fast splitting directions in the sub-slab mantle are more common than previously thought. We observe a correlation between fast direction and age of the subducting lithosphere; older lithosphere (>95 Ma) is associated with trench parallel splitting while younger lithosphere (<95 Ma) is associated with plate motion parallel fast splitting directions. Finally, we observe source-side splitting for deep earthquakes (transition zone depths) beneath Japan and Sumatra, suggesting the presence of anisotropy at midmantle depths beneath these regions.

Seismic anisotropy in the lowermost mantle near the Perm Anomaly

The lower mantle is dominated by two large structures with anomalously low shear wave velocities, known as Large Low-Shear Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs). Several studies have documented evidence for strong seismic anisotropy at the base of the mantle near the edges of the African LLSVP. Recent work has identified a smaller structure with similar low-shear wave velocities beneath Eurasia, dubbed the Perm Anomaly. Here we probe lowermost mantle anisotropy near the Perm Anomaly using the differential splitting of SKS and SKKS phases measured at stations in Europe. We find evidence for lowermost mantle anisotropy in the vicinity of the Perm Anomaly, with geographic trends hinting at lateral variations in anisotropy across the boundaries of the Perm Anomaly as well as across a previously unsampled portion of the African LLSVP border. Our observations suggest that deformation is concentrated at the boundaries of both the Perm Anomaly and the African LLSVP.

Testing models of sub‐slab anisotropy using a global compilation of source‐side shear wave splitting data

Recently, a number of source-side shear wave splitting measurements that directly constrain anisotropy in the upper mantle beneath subducting slabs have been published. Such measurements have yielded an observational foundation on which to base our understanding of the dynamics of the sub-slab mantle. Here we compile measurements from recent studies of source-side splitting beneath slabs that employ identical measurement and processing techniques. We use this compilation to test the predictions of a number of recently proposed conceptual models for the dynamics of the sub-slab mantle, including those that invoke three-dimensional return flow beneath slabs, strong radial anisotropy in suboceanic asthenosphere that is entrained via subduction, and a model based on the correlation between sub-slab splitting behavior and the age of the subducting lithosphere. We find that a model in which fast splitting directions are determined by slab age matches the observations better than either the 3-D return flow or radial anisotropic models. Based on this observation, we propose that the sub-slab mantle is characterized by two distinct anisotropic and mantle flow regimes. Beneath younger lithosphere ( 95 Ma), the entrained layer is thin and effectively serves as decoupling layer; the dynamics of the sub-slab region beneath old lithosphere is therefore dominated by three-dimensional return flow. This variation in the amount of mechanical coupling may be facilitated by the onset of small-scale convection beneath older lithosphere.

Evaluating geodynamic models for sub-slab anisotropy: Effects of olivine fabric type

We examine spatially varying patterns of sub-slab anisotropy derived from geodynamic models of subduction beneath Central America and Tonga. Invoking a variety of anisotropic fabrics, we compare the predicted sub-slab anisotropy of these models against source-side, shear-wave splitting observations using realistic ray paths. We find that in both regions fabric type has a strong impact on predicted shear-wave splitting. In Tonga, where three-dimensional (3D) return flow dominates, E-type olivine lattice-preferred orientation (LPO) fabric predicts a sub-slab mantle anisotropy that best matches observations. In Central America, where entrained flow dominates, anisotropy from C-type LPO fabric yields the best fit. This highlights the importance of fabric type when interrogating geodynamic models because different regions may be characterized by different LPO fabrics. A primary controller of fabric type is water content. Taken at face value, these results then suggest the sub-slab mantle beneath Tonga is less well hydrated than that beneath Central America.