HR: 1340h
AN: T13A-0451 [Abstracts]
TI: Seismic constraints on temperature of the Australian uppermost mantle
AU: Goes, S
EM: s.goes@imperial.ac.uk
AF: Dept. of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College, London, SW7 2AZ
United Kingdom
AU: * Simons, F
EM: f.simons@ucl.ac.uk
AF: Dept. of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT
United Kingdom
AU: Yoshizawa, K
EM: kazu@belinda.ep.sci.hokudai.ac.jp
AF: Division of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810
Japan
AB:
We derive estimates of temperature of the Australian continental mantle between 80 and 350 km depth from two published
S-velocity models. Lithospheric temperatures range over about 1000°C, with a large-scale correlation between
temperature and tectonic age. In detail however, variations ranging from 200 and 700°C occur within each tectonic
province. At the current seismic resolution, strictly Proterozoic and Archean blocks do not have substantially different
temperatures, nor does the Phanerozoic lithosphere east and west of the Tasman line. Temperatures close to an average
(moist) MORB source mantle solidus characterize the eastern seaboard and its offshore. Differences between the temperatures
derived from the two velocity models illustrate the importance of well-constrained absolute velocities and gradients for
physical interpretation. The large range of lithospheric temperatures cannot be explained solely with documented variability
in crustal heat production, but requires significant variations in mantle heat flow as well.
DE: 7218 Lithosphere (1236)
DE: 8110 Continental tectonics: general (0905)
DE: 8120 Dynamics of lithosphere and mantle: general (1213)
DE: 8130 Heat generation and transport
DE: 8180 Tomography (6982, 7270)
SC: Tectonophysics [T]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005