Magma chamber and mantle reflections – East Pacific Rise

Abstract

A multichannel seismic reflection profile of stacked and migrated common depth point data across the East Pacific Rise near the Siqueiros Fracture Zone supports and extends previous observations (at two crossings 27 to 50 km to the south) of reflections assumed to be from the top of a magma chamber and of reflections from the M‐discontinuity. The reflection assumed to be associated with the top of the magma chamber is 1‐1/2 to 2 km below the sea floor. The combined results of the three crossings suggest that the chamber is continuous along the Rise crest and that its width, which varies from 2 to 8 km, correlates with the width of the Rise crest as indicated by the bathymetric contours. The reflections from the crust‐mantle boundary can be detected beneath the raised axial block of the East Pacific Rise and although weak, can be detected beneath the magma chamber.