Insights into the mechanisms forging seismic anisotropy in the upper mantle beneath India

Abstract

We identify possible sources of seismic anisotropy beneath India by synthesizing 2064 well-constrained shear-wave splitting parameters determined from a consistent analysis of waveforms recorded at 357 broadband seismic stations. Our effort includes compilation of previous results, reanalysis of old data, analysis of new data from previous networks and new stations. Our results reveal that the average delay time for entire India and its constituent tectonic provinces is $\sim$0.83 s suggesting moderate strength of anisotropy. Although the fast polarization azimuths (FPAs) are scattered, a NE trend appears dominant. Due to significant correlation of FPAs with the APM direction and lack of correlation between i) splitting parameters and backazimuths and ii) average delay times and lithospheric thickness, we conclude that the major contribution to anisotropy is from shearing in the upper part of the asthenosphere or a transitional layer from the base of the lithosphere to the upper part of the asthenosphere. Further, we postulate that a weakly anisotropic lithosphere in northern, central and south-eastern India is due to frozen anisotropy from past tectonic events. Northern and central India, Arunachal Himalaya and southern part of Burmese arc have simple anisotropy. Application of the spatial coherency technique reveals a source depth of 290 km for northern India. However, for south-eastern India and northern part of the Burmese arc, a two-layer model, with frozen-in and present-day anisotropy in the upper layer, and shearing and mantle flow in the lower layer, respectively, fits the anisotropy. In southern India, a large deviation of the FPAs from APM suggests imprints of deformation related to past tectonic events. A two-layer model, with frozen-in anisotropy in the upper and lower layers, is plausible. Variation in FPAs in the central part of the Indian shield is attributed to deflection in mantle flow at the northern edge of the lithospheric keel.