Spatial Distribution of Random Velocity Inhomogeneities in the Southern Aegean From Inversion of S Wave Peak Delay Times

Abstract

AbstractThe southern Aegean is characterized by an ongoing process of oceanic subduction. In this study, 1,718 intermediate depth (>35 km) events recorded in the southern Aegean are used to calculate the peak delay times (tp). The tp are measured as the time difference between S wave onset and the peak of the S wave envelope in 2‐to 4‐, 4‐ to 8‐, 8‐ to 16‐, and 16‐ to 32‐Hz bands. The tp are also inverted to estimate the scattering parameters (κ and εparam) and power spectral density function (P (m)) at large wave numbers (m = 15 km−1 or ml) of the medium modeled as von Kármán type. κ controls frequency dependence of scattering while P (ml) represents the scattering strength in high frequencies for ɑml >> 1 (ɑ = correlation length of inhomogeneities). High P (ml) with low κ across Peloponnese in 0‐ to 20‐km depth may result from intermixing of oceanic material with continental rocks at different levels with a possibility of fluid activity and salt diapirism in northwest Peloponnese. Moderate P (ml) in 0‐ to 60‐km depth across Crete is likely due to a combination of factors including past megathrust earthquakes, sediment underplating, and flow of metamorphosed material in a subduction channel. Cyclades shows low κ in 0‐ to 40‐km depth, indicative of inhomogeneities produced by metamorphic core complexes. Very low κ in 60‐ to 80‐km depth is consistent with the location of mantle magma reservoir in the back‐arc region. Our results suggest that a significant portion of total S wave attenuation (Qs−1) in eastern Cyclades for 20‐ to 80‐km depth may be due to scattering losses.