Complicated thermo-chemical heterogeneity of the mantle transition zone beneath the Philippine Sea Plate revealed by SS precursors investigation

Abstract

The Philippine Sea Plate (PSP), a region renowned for its intricate history of multi-stage subduction and back-arc extension, encounters difficulties in elucidating its deep seismic structure, primarily due to the sparse distribution of seismic stations. This study uses over 44,086 traces of SS precursors collected from >1,000 seismic stations over 10–20 years period, to image the mantle transition zone (MTZ) beneath the PSP. With the curvelet denoising technique, we provide high-resolution maps of the depths of the 410 km (D410) and 660 km (D660) discontinuities and the thickness of the MTZ. Notably, we demonstrate a 10–35 km MTZ thickening extending from the West Philippine Basin to the Shikoku Basin, which may be associated with the thermal effect and dehydration of stagnated slabs in the MTZ. Furthermore, the reflection gap and multiple reflectors were both observed in D410 and D660 beneath the Mariana Trench, which suggests that the vertically subducted Pacific plate transports substantial water and non-olivine components into the MTZ in this area. Additionally, a ∼10–25 km MTZ thinning with an abnormally shallow D660 has been observed beneath the Parece Vela Basin and Caroline Plate in the southern PSP, suggesting the potential existence of thermal upwelling from a secondary plume, which may be possibly the tree branch of the Caroline mantle plume in MTZ. Our results provide new seismological constraints on present and past mantle dynamics in and around the PSP.