Structure beneath the Alboran from geodynamic flow models and seismic anisotropy

Abstract

Upper mantle heterogeneity beneath the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean) as inferred from seismology has been associated with a range of subduction and lithospheric delamination scenarios. However, better constraints on the deep dynamics of the region are needed to determine the cause and consequence of complex surface tectonics. Here, we use an improved set of shear wave splitting observations and a suite of mantle flow models to test a range of suggested structures. We find that the observed seismic anisotropy is best reproduced by mantle flow models that include a continuous, deeply extending slab beneath the Alboran which elongates along the Iberian margin from Granada to Gibraltar and curves southward toward the High Atlas. Other models with detached slabs, slabs with spatial gaps, or drip‐like features produce results inconsistent with the splitting observations. SW‐directed shear flow, when combined with sublithospheric deflection in response to a dense sinker, generates NNW‐splitting orientations most similar to the patterns observed along Gibraltar. Slab viscosities of ∼250 times that of the upper mantle are preferred because they provide a balance between the poloidal flow induced by any sinker and toroidal flow induced by stiff slabs. The best match to anisotropy across the Atlas is a model with a stiff continental keel in northwestern Africa which deflects flow northward. Our results show that quantitative predictions of seismic anisotropy are useful in distinguishing the spatial and depth extent of regional density structures which may otherwise be ambiguous.