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We investigate the effects of a thin, low viscosity layer just above the subducting slab on 3D thermal and flow structure in the mantle wedge by taking Northeast Japan as an example. The low viscosity layer assumed here is needed to explain the observed low surface heat flow and low seismic attenuation in the forearc by decoupling the mantle from the subducting slab. We find that when the viscosity in the low viscosity layer is sufficiently low, along-arc component of the flow arises inside the layer and produces along-arc temperature variation. It can also be considered as the along-arc changes in the degree of slab-mantle coupling at the plate interface. The onset time and the characteristic wavelength of the 3D flow depend on the viscosity and the extent of the low viscosity layer. In order to explain the observed spatial and temporal changes in the distribution of Quaternary volcanoes in Northeast Japan, the viscosity and the thickness of the low viscosity layer need to be < 5 × 10 18 Pa s and ∼6 km, respectively. The model proposed here is based on an assumption which is simpler and better constrained by observations compared to previous models. Therefore, it could be an alternative explanation of the distribution of volcanoes in Northeast Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of a new ocean basin provides a unique observational window into the structure and deformation of the oceanic lithosphere. This study offers a detailed 1‐D vertically polarized shear‐wave velocity model of the young Japan Basin by interpreting S receiver functions, seafloor Rayleigh wave ellipticities and phase velocities in a Bayesian trans‐dimensional framework. The models suggest a distinct discontinuity in the mid‐lithosphere. Additional analyses indicate that the upper layer is characterized by strong positive radial anisotropy, while the lower layer is more isotropic. We interpret that the upper layer was formed during the back‐arc opening at 20–15 Ma, where the olivine lattice‐preferred orientation (LPO) fabric induced by passive upwelling contributes to the positive radial anisotropy. The lower, less anisotropic layer may be solidified after the sudden cessation of the opening. Small‐scale convection (SSC) from such a major tectonic event could randomize the LPO enough to weaken radial anisotropy before cooling down the asthenosphere, leaving a radially anisotropic discontinuity in the present‐day mid‐lithosphere. The proposed layered evolution history of the lithosphere beneath the Japan Basin illuminates an important role of the small‐scale convection in modifying the structural fabrics of the asthenosphere in terms of radial anisotropy. Such an SSC‐induced radial anisotropy drop could also occur at the base of the lithosphere in regions with ongoing seafloor spreading and enhance the velocity drop of horizontally polarized shear waves. Thus, the role of SSC is non‐negligible in explaining the sharpness of the Gutenberg discontinuity detected by SS precursors beneath the oceanic lithosphere. Plain Language Summary: The formation of the oceanic lithosphere is associated with a relatively simple mantle convection process called seafloor spreading, but may also be affected by more complex, localized processes such as small‐scale mantle convection. To decipher the evolution history of the lithosphere of the Japan Basin, the Sea of Japan, this study collects earthquake waveforms from broadband ocean‐bottom seismometers and offers a detailed 1‐D seismic structural model beneath the Japan Basin by interpreting the multiple seismological observables in a trans‐dimensional Bayesian framework. Our seismic velocity model and associated analysis reveal that the oceanic lithosphere of the Japan Basin is seismically more complex than expected. The upper and lower parts of the lithosphere show distinct seismic anisotropy properties. We propose a layered evolution model for the lithosphere of the Japan Basin, in which small‐scale convection followed a normal seafloor spreading, and resulted in a structural discontinuity in the present‐day mid‐lithosphere. The proposed model highlights the role of the small‐scale convection in modifying the structural fabrics of the asthenosphere in terms of radial anisotropy. Key Points: We construct detailed 1‐D Vsv models of the Japan Basin by trans‐dimensional inversion of multiple observables extracted from ocean‐bottom seismometers recordsOur analysis reveals a mid‐lithosphere discontinuity arising from strong positive radial anisotropy in the upper lithosphereA layered evolution mode associated with small‐scale convection is proposed for the lithosphere of the Japan Basin [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: At junctions between plate boundaries there are several general characteristic features. These include trench-normal fast polarization direction of S-wave splitting in the mantle wedge, along-arc variation of the angle of subduction, and the different behavior of slab stagnation along the strike of the trench. In this paper, we focus on the junction of the Tohoku–Kurile arc. We show the dynamical effects of the junction using a numerical model of mantle convection with a realistic curved shape of the trench. We obtain 3D flow in the mantle wedge which is consistent with the observation of seismic anisotropy even with the oblique subduction. We also find the along-arc variation of subduction angle which agrees with the observations, although the match becomes worse when we include the effect of dislocation creep, that is, non-linear viscosity. Along-arc variation of the angle of subduction partly contributes to the different behavior of slab stagnation in the Tohoku–Kurile arc. Our results show that the shape of the trench is an important factor which considerably affects mantle flow and deformation of subducting slabs. Thus, 3D modeling is necessary to constrain the dynamics of subduction zones near the junction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A fate of hot anomaly dragged down by subducting slab is studied by simple 2D and 3D fluid dynamical models in which the slab movement is kinematically imposed. The 410 km discontinuity, treated as an olivine–wadsleyite phase change, acts as a barrier to the downward movement of hot anomaly. As a result, the hottest part is located near the 410 km discontinuity. The shape of high temperature anomaly near the 410 km discontinuity is similar to that of the low velocity anomaly under the ocean-ward side of the subduction zone near the Honshu arc, Japan, which was recently convincingly confirmed, and it was interpreted as a mainly thermal anomaly. The time for the hot anomaly to stay near the 410 km discontinuity depends on many factors, such as the intensity of thermal anomalies and the viscosity. We set up a simple model in which such a hot anomaly was produced in the area of the Pacific superplume region and carried toward the Japanese Islands by the horizontal flow associated with the plate movement. The hot anomaly whose size is equivalent to 2–3000 km (horizontal)×200 km (vertical) may stay there longer than ∼100 million yr. We will discuss the implication of this result in terms of the relation between the present high temperature anomaly near the Honshu subduction zone and the past activity of the Pacific superplume. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We analyze seismic records collected at the oldest (170–180 Ma) Pacific seafloor using broadband dispersion array analysis. Using ambient noise and teleseismic waveforms, we measure Rayleigh‐wave phase velocities in a period range of 5–200 s that are inverted for array‐average one‐dimensional isotropic and azimuthally anisotropic shear‐wave velocity depth profiles from the crust to a depth of 300 km. The high‐velocity Lid and the low‐velocity zone are well‐resolved with velocity difference of ∼4%, whose transition occurs at depths between 80 and 100 km. The profile is compared with that obtained at the 130‐ and 140‐Ma seafloor. Accounting for the cooling effect due to the plate age difference, the low‐velocity zone of the oldest Pacific seafloor is ∼1.3% slower (∼110°C warmer) than that beneath the 140‐Ma seafloor, suggesting the occurrence of some reheating process beneath the oldest lithosphere. The azimuthal anisotropy at shallow depths (<50 km) is significantly different between the western and eastern areas of the array where the peak‐to‐peak amplitudes are estimated to be ∼2.8% and ∼1.6%, respectively. The fast direction is nearly parallel to the past seafloor spreading direction (perpendicular to the magnetic lineation) in the west, while it largely deviates in the east. The observed difference in azimuthal anisotropy may represent complicated evolution dynamics of the infant Pacific plate that involved a ridge‐ridge‐ridge triple junction. Plain Language Summary: One of the classical enigmas of plate tectonics is the cause of seafloor flattening where the seafloor depth becomes nearly constant for old ages (>∼70 Ma) while a simple cooling model of plate evolution predicts the age dependence. To solve this enigma, it is essential to resolve the subsurface structure of the oceanic plate and the asthenosphere below. As a part of an international effort, Pacific Array, that aims to cover the Pacific seafloor by arrays of ocean bottom seismometers, a team of Japanese and Korean scientists deployed an array in the oldest (170–180 Ma) Pacific seafloor. We determine isotropic and anisotropic shear‐wave velocity structures as a first step toward resolving the enigma. The results indicate that the asthenosphere beneath the oldest Pacific lithosphere is significantly slower than the prediction of the simple cooling and that the occurrence of some reheating process may be needed. Furthermore, azimuthal anisotropy (the dependence of the wave velocity on the horizontal propagation direction) in the shallow lithosphere shows that the anisotropy patterns differ between the eastern and western areas of the array, and simulation results indicate that the evolution process of the infant Pacific plate is not merely a simple triangular plate spreading. Key Points: Broadband Rayleigh‐wave dispersion array analysis has been conducted in the oldest (∼170 Ma) Pacific seafloorThe low‐velocity zone is significantly slower to indicate the occurrence of some reheating process beneath the oldest Pacific lithosphereThe spatial variation of the shallow azimuthal anisotropy indicates a complicated evolution of the infant Pacific plate [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate slab and mantle structure of the NE Japan subduction zone from P wave azimuthal and radial anisotropy using travel time tomography. Trench normal E-W-trending azimuthal anisotropy (AA) and radial anisotropy (RA) with VPV > VPH are found in the mantle wedge, which supports the existence of small-scale convection in the mantle wedge with flow-induced LPO of mantle minerals. In the subducting Pacific slab, trench parallel N-S-trending AA and RA with VPH > VPV are obtained. Considering the effect of dip of the subducting slab on apparent anisotropy, we suggest that both characteristics can be explained by the presence of laminar structure, in addition to AA frozen-in in the subducting plate prior to subduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]