Sami El Khrepy

Effective elastic thickness of the Arabian plate: Weak shield versus strong platform

The fan wavelet method has been employed to calculate high-resolution maps of variations of the effective elastic thickness (EET) for the Arabian plate and surroundings. As the initial data, we use high-resolution gravity field, topography, and recent models of sedimentary basins. The western part of the plate is generally characterized by low to midvalues of EET (10–30 km) while the eastern one by high values (50 km and more in the core). This finding confirms that the pronounced asymmetry of the plate is rather associated with fundamental structural differences of the lithosphere than with a forced tilt of the plate due to the rifting in the west-southwest and subduction in the northeast. Therefore, the high topography in the western part of the plate is likely supported by relatively hot mantle that is also responsible for the decrease of EET. These results are generally in agreement with recent seismic tomography models.

Structural cause of a missed eruption in the Harrat Lunayyir basaltic field (Saudi Arabia) in 2009

Harrat Lunayyir is one of the most volcanically active recent basaltic fields in western Saudi Arabia. A period of substantial seismic unrest, featuring more than 30,000 local events, occurred in Harrat Lunayyir in April–June 2009. Although this crisis was presumably related to ongoing magma activity, it ended without any surface volcanic activity. We create new tomographic models of P and S velocities (V P and V S ) and use them to explain the causes of this unrest and the reasons the eruption failed. A large seismic anomaly of high V P /V S ratio below 7 km depth coincides with the locations of more than 50 recent cinder cones with ages of older than 100 ka, and is interpreted as a steady-state magma reservoir. We also identify another seismic anomaly at depths below 15 km, which is interpreted as a conduit for fluids and melts from deeper sources. Because the location of this conduit is slightly outside the main reservoir, some of the incoming material was dispersed. As a result, the activation of the crustal reservoir was not sufficiently strong to pierce the rigid basaltic cover and cause an actual eruption dur ing the crisis in 2009.

Anisotropic tomography of Hokkaido reveals delamination‐induced flow above a subducting slab

We present a new 3-D anisotropic seismic model for the crust and upper mantle beneath Hokkaido (Japan) based on tomographic inversion of P and S arrival times from a regional seismic database. The P model is parameterized with three parameters at each point that describe the azimuthal anisotropy; the S model is represented isotropically. The isotropic P and S velocity anomalies match nearly perfectly. In the crust, they show a prominent linear anomaly in central Hokkaido along the Kamuikotan and Hidaka Belts, which represents the area of eastward underthrusting of the Japan Block underneath the Kuril fore arc. We interpret the high-velocity anomaly beneath the Hidaka zone as being delaminated mafic crust and entrained mantle lithosphere, which developed due to crustal shortening in the collision zone. One of our vertical sections shows a very unusual configuration for a subduction zone: a low-velocity slab is overlain by a high-velocity body in the mantle wedge. We propose that the high-velocity delaminated material sinking along the slab surface prevents the escape of fluids and melts from the upper part of the slab, where they are generated due to phase transitions. As a result, a large portion of the fluids is entrained downward and lowers the seismic velocities in the slab. The azimuthal anisotropy in the crust clearly corresponds to the major tectonic units and delineates the major suture zones. In the mantle, the anisotropy has a fan-shaped configuration and most likely represents the deviating of flows starting in southern Hokkaido and splitting into three directions. The western and eastern flows proceed toward the two volcanic groups on Hokkaido, and they may carry with them additional material to trigger the characteristic caldera-forming eruptions in these groups.

Isostatic Model and Isostatic Gravity Anomalies of the Arabian Plate and Surroundings

The isostatic modeling represents one of the most useful “geological” reduction methods of the gravity field. With the isostatic correction, it is possible to remove a significant part of the effect of deep density heterogeneity, which dominates in the Bouguer gravity anomalies. Although there exist several isostatic compensation schemes, it is usually supposed that a choice of the model is not an important factor to first order, since the total weight of compensating masses remains the same. We compare two alternative models for the Arabian plate and surrounding area. The Airy model gives very significant regional isostatic anomalies, which cannot be explained by the upper crust structure or disturbances of the isostatic equilibrium. Also, the predicted “isostatic” Moho is very different from existing seismic observations. The second isostatic model includes the Moho, which is based on seismic determinations. Additional compensation is provided by density variations within the lithosphere (chiefly in the upper mantle). According to this model, the upper mantle under the Arabian Shield is less dense than under the Platform. In the Arabian platform, the maximum density coincides with the Rub’ al Khali, one of the richest oil basin in the world. This finding agrees with previous studies, showing that such basins are often underlain by dense mantle, possibly related to an eclogite layer that has caused their subsidence. The mantle density variations might be also a result of variations of the lithosphere thickness. With the combined isostatic model, it is possible to minimize regional anomalies over the Arabian plate. The residual local anomalies correspond well to tectonic structure of the plate. Still very significant anomalies, showing isostatic disturbances of the lithosphere, are associated with the Zagros fold belt, the collision zone of the Arabian and Eurasian plates.

Three-dimensional density model of the upper mantle in the Middle East: Interaction of diverse tectonic processes

We present a three-dimensional density model of the lithosphere and upper mantle for the Middle East and surroundings based on seismic, gravity, and seismic tomography data and analyze the main factors responsible for the density variations. The gravity effect of the crust is calculated and removed from the observed field using the most recent crustal model. The residual gravity anomalies are jointly inverted with the residual topography to image the density distribution within the upper mantle. The inversion is constrained by an initial density model based on seismic tomography. The obtained density variations span in a large range (±60 kg/m3), revealing strong asymmetry in the density structure of the Arabian plate. The uppermost mantle layer in the Arabian Shield is relatively dense. However, below a depth of ~100 km we observe a strong low-density anomaly. In contrast, the mantle density in the Arabian platform increases at the same depths. The most pronounced decrease of the mantle density occurs in the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, and East African Rift. Underneath the northern Red Sea the low-density anomaly is limited to the depth ~150 km, while in the southern part it is likely linked to a mantle plume. The densest mantle material is found under the South Caspian basin, which is likely associated with an eclogite body in the uppermost mantle. In the collision zones (the Zagros Belt and the Hellenic Arc), the high-density lithosphere shows the location of the subducting plates.

Breathing of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano reservoir, Colombia, inferred from repeated seismic tomography

Nevado del Ruiz volcano (NRV), Columbia, is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world and caused the death of 25,000 people in 1985. Using a new algorithm for repeated tomography, we have found a prominent seismic anomaly with high values of the Vp/Vs ratio at depths of 2–5 km below the surface, which is associated with a shallow magma reservoir. The amplitude and shape of this anomaly changed during the current phase of unrest which began in 2010. We interpret these changes as due to the ascent of gas bubbles through magma and to degassing of the reservoir. In 2011–2014, most of this gas escaped through permeable roof rocks, feeding surface fumarole activity and leading to a gradual decrease of the Vp/Vs ratio in the reservoir. This trend was reversed in 2015–2016 due to replenishment of the reservoir by a new batch of volatile-rich magma likely to sustain further volcanic activity. It is argued that the recurring “breathing” of the shallow reservoir is the main cause of current eruptions at NRV.

The feeder system of the Toba supervolcano from the slab to the shallow reservoir

The Toba Caldera has been the site of several large explosive eruptions in the recent geological past, including the worlds largest Pleistocene eruption 74,000 years ago. The major cause of this particular behaviour may be the subduction of the fluid-rich Investigator Fracture Zone directly beneath the continental crust of Sumatra and possible tear of the slab. Here we show a new seismic tomography model, which clearly reveals a complex multilevel plumbing system beneath Toba. Large amounts of volatiles originate in the subducting slab at a depth of ∼150 km, migrate upward and cause active melting in the mantle wedge. The volatile-rich basic magmas accumulate at the base of the crust in a ∼50,000 km3 reservoir. The overheated volatiles continue ascending through the crust and cause melting of the upper crust rocks. This leads to the formation of a shallow crustal reservoir that is directly responsible for the supereruptions.

Application of repeated passive source travel time tomography to reveal weak velocity changes related to the 2011 Tohoku‐Oki Mw 9.0 earthquake

Temporal changes of seismic velocities may provide important information on the processes that occur inside the Earth. However, using body wave data with passive sources faces the problem of an uneven distribution of rays, which may cause artifacts with stronger amplitudes than the actual velocity changes in the Earth. We propose an algorithm for the selection of similar data sets in different time periods that minimize the artifacts related to variable data distributions. In this study, we used the data of the Japan Meteorological Agency for several years before and after the Mw 9.0 Tohoku-Oki event that occurred on 11 March 2011. We performed careful testing using different synthetic models, showing that the selected data subsets allow detecting weak velocity changes with amplitudes above 0.2%. The analysis of the experimental data revealed important features associated with the stress and deformation distributions after the megathrust event. In the upper crust, we found a large zone along the coast with significant P velocity increase likely caused by compression of crustal rocks. This zone was cut by several elongated anomalies with local velocity decrease coinciding with the limits of the maximum slip area. These anomalies possibly mark the areas of major ruptures and deformations after the Tohoku-Oki earthquake. In the coupling zone at a depth of 40 km, we observe a velocity decrease in the area of the Mw 7.7 aftershock representing strong fracturing in the focal zone. Beneath the volcanic arc, we observe significant (up to 0.5%) decrease of P velocity but less prominent S velocity changes.

Three different types of plumbing system beneath the neighboring active volcanoes of Tolbachik, Bezymianny, and Klyuchevskoy in Kamchatka

The Klyuchevskoy group of volcanoes (KGV) in Kamchatka includes three presently active volcanoes (Klyuchevskoy, Bezymianny, and Tolbachik) located close together in an area of approximately 50 × 80 km. These three volcanoes have completely different compositions and eruption styles from each other. We have analyzed new data recorded by a temporary seismic network consisting of 22 seismic stations operated within the area of Tolbachik in 2014–2015 in conjunction with the data from the permanent network and the temporary PIRE network deployed at the Bezymianny volcano in 2009. The arrival times of the P and S waves were inverted using a local earthquake tomography algorithm to derive 3-D seismic models of the crust beneath the KGV as well as accurate seismicity locations. High-resolution structures beneath the Tolbachik volcanic complex were identified for the first time in this study. The tomography results reveal three different types of feeding system for the main KGV volcanoes. The basaltic lavas of the Klyuchevskoy volcano are supplied directly from a reservoir at a depth of 25–30 km through a nearly vertical pipe-shaped conduit. The explosive Bezymianny volcano is fed through a dispersed system of crustal reservoirs where a lighter felsic material separates from the mafic component and ascends to the upper crust to form andesitic magma sources. For Tolbachik, low-viscosity volatile-saturated basalts ascend from two deep reservoirs following a system of fractures in the crust associated with the intersections of regional faults. Plain Language Summary The Klyuchevskoy group of volcanoes (KGV) in Kamchatka includes three presently active volcanoes (Klyuchevskoy, Bezymianny, and Tolbachik) located close together in an area of approximately 50 × 80 km. These three volcanoes are among the most active volcanoes in the world, and they have completely different compositions and eruption styles from each other. We have analyzed new data recorded by a temporary seismic network consisting of 22 seismic stations installed within the area of Tolbachik in 2014–2015 in harsh natural conditions. Based on these data, we have derived high-resolution structures beneath the Tolbachik volcanic complex and surrounding areas. The tomography results reveal three different types of feeding system for the main KGV volcanoes. The basaltic lavas of the Klyuchevskoy volcano are supplied directly from a reservoir at a depth of 25–30 km through a nearly vertical pipe-shaped conduit. The explosive Bezymianny volcano is fed through a dispersed system of crustal reservoirs where a lighter felsic material separates from the mafic component and ascends to the upper crust to form andesitic magma sources. For Tolbachik, low-viscosity volatile-saturated basalts ascend from two deep reservoirs following a system of fractures in the crust associated with the intersections of regional faults.

Structure of magma reservoirs beneath Merapi and surrounding volcanic centers of Central Java modeled from ambient noise tomography

We present a three-dimensional model of the distribution of S-wave velocity in the upper crust to a depth of 20 km beneath Central Java based on the analysis of seismic ambient noise data recorded by more than 100 seismic stations in 2004 associated with the MERAMEX project. To invert the Rayleigh wave dispersion curves to construct 2D group-velocity maps and 3D distributions of S-wave velocity, we have used a new tomographic algorithm based on iterative linearized inversion. We have performed a series of synthetic tests that demonstrate significantly higher resolution in the upper crust with this model compared to the local earthquake travel-time tomography (LET) model previously applied for the same station network. Beneath the southern flank of Merapi, we identify a large low-velocity anomaly that can be split into two layers. The upper layer reflects the ∼ 1 km thick sedimentary cover of volcanoclastic deposits. The deeper anomaly at depths of ∼ 4–8 km may represent a magma reservoir with partially molten rock that feeds several volcanoes in Central Java. Beneath the Merapi summit, we observe another low-velocity anomaly as deep as 8 km that may be associated with the active magma reservoir that feeds the eruptive activity of Merapi. In the southern portion of the study area, in the lower crust, we identify a low-velocity anomaly that may represent the top of the pathways of volatiles and melts ascending from the slab that was previously inferred from the LET model results. We observe that this anomaly is clearly separate from the felsic magma reservoirs in the upper crust. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.