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SEISMIC ANISOTROPY BENEATH THE CONTINENTS: Probing the Depths of Geology

Paul G. Silver

Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1996

1,285 citations

Abstract

▪ Abstract Seismic anisotropy beneath continents is analyzed from shear-wave splitting recorded at more than 300 continental seismic stations. Anisotropy is found to be a ubiquitous property that is due to mantle deformation from past and present orogenic activity. The observed coherence with crustal deformation implies that the mantle plays a major, if not dominant, role in orogenies. No evidence is found for a continental asthenospheric decoupling zone, suggesting that continents are coupled to general mantle circulation.

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