Moho and Philippine Sea plate structure beneath central Honshu Island, Japan, from teleseismic receiver functions

Abstract

We used teleseismic P waves recorded by the J-array, the Hi-net and a temporal local seismic network to investigate the three-dimensional topography of the Moho and the Philippine Sea plate beneath central Honshu Island, Japan. An image of the subsurface discontinuities beneath the region, derived from receiver function analysis, depicts the Philippine Sea plate dipping toward the north with complex local curvatures. The Moho is clearly detected in the northern part of the area studied, and its depth increases to the center of the island. Receiver functions from the stations adjacent to the Itoigawa-Shizuoka tectonic line indicate the step-like topography of the Moho directly beneath this tectonic line.