3-D P-wave velocity structure of the upper mantle beneath eastern Indonesia from body wave tomography

Abstract

Eastern Indonesia's tectonic setting is well known for its complexity and intense seismic activity. Controlled by several major and minor plates, including the Eurasian, Australian, and Pacific plates, this region is famous for its U-shaped subduction system beneath the Banda Arc. To better understand the architecture of the underlying structure in this region, we performed body-wave travel time tomography using ten years of catalog data provided by the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics. We utilize 9729 events in total, from which 46,446 P-wave arrival times were extracted. We used a double difference method to relocate the initial event catalog, which produced a pattern of seismicity consistent with a curved subduction system. Our tomographic model reveals a high velocity band between 90 and 240 km depth in the upper mantle, which is interpreted to be a concave dipping lithospheric slab that is parallel to the present-day Banda arc. Our results also show that lithosphere subducting from the north and south starts to collide at a depth of 300–350 km and becomes shallower further east. Apparent discontinuities in the high velocity band and a corresponding lack of seismicity supports the presence of a slab tear to the west of Seram. A dipping high velocity structure that is present from south to north beneath the island of Timor represents a subducting slab that dips more steeply beyond a depth of 150–200 km, which appears consistent with slab roll-back. Our tomographic model also shows evidence of back arc thrusting to the north of Sumbawa and Flores Islands in the form of a south-dipping higher velocity band at shallow depth. Furthermore, our tomographic models also reveal the possible presence of underthrust continental forearc in the form of a thin higher velocity anomaly that connects the backarc thrust and northward dipping lithosphere slab in the Timor area. Finally, a zone of low velocity above the higher velocity slab is clearly seen beneath Seram Island at a depth of ∼100 km and may represent a partial melting zone.