In this study, we show results from ambient noise tomography at the KTB drilling site, Germany. The Continental Deep Drilling Project, or ‘Kontinentales Tiefbohrprogramm der Bundesrepublik Deutschland’ (KTB) is at the northwestern edge of the Bohemian Massif and is located on the Variscan belt of Europe. During the KTB project crustal rocks have been drilled down to 9 km depth and several active seismic studies have been performed in the surrounding. The KTB area therefore presents an ideal test area for testing and verifying the potential resolution of passive seismic techniques. The aim of this study is to present a new shear-wave velocity model of the area while comparing the results to the previous velocity models and hints for anisotropy depicted by former passive and active seismological studies. We use a unique data set composed of two years of continuous data recorded at nine 3-component temporary stations installed from July 2012 to July 2014 located on top and vicinity of the drilling site. Moreover, we included a number of permanent stations in the region in order to improve the path coverage and density. We present here a new velocity model of the upper crust of the area, which shows velocity variations at short scales that correlate well with geology in the region.

Shear‐wave splitting observations of SKS and SKKS phases have been used widely to map azimuthal anisotropy, as caused by the occurrence of olivine, to constrain the dominant directions of upper mantle deformation. While SK(K)S splitting measurements at individual seismic stations are often averaged before interpretation, it is useful to consider additional information, for example, based on the variation of splitting parameters with azimuth due to the non‐vertical incidence of core‐phases. These constraints in theory enable a differentiation between various types of olivine and may allow us to infer otherwise poorly known upper mantle parameters such as stress, temperature, and water content. In this study, we predict the azimuthal variation of splitting parameters for A‐, C‐, and E‐type olivine fabrics and match them with observations from the High Lava Plains, Northwestern Basin and Range, and Western Yellowstone Snake River Plain in the Pacific Northwest US. This helps to constrain the amount of water in the upper mantle in the back‐arc of the Cascadia subduction zone, known for its consistent E‐W oriented seismic anisotropy, and particularly large splitting delay times. Our investigation renders the C‐type olivine mechanism improbable for this location; A‐ and E‐type fabrics match the observations, although differentiating between them is difficult. However, the agreement of the amplitude of backazimuthal variation of the fast orientation, plus the potential to explain large splitting delay times, suggest the occurrence of E‐type olivine, and thus the likely presence of a moderately hydrated upper mantle beneath Cascadia's back‐arc.

Shear-wave splitting observations of SKS and SKKS phases have been used widely to map azimuthal anisotropy, and to constrain the dominant mechanism of upper mantle deformation. As the interpretation is often ambiguous, it is useful to consider additional information, e.g. based on the non-vertical incidence of core-phases. Depending on the lattice-preferred orientation of anisotropic minerals, this condition leads to a variation of splitting parameters with azimuth and enables a differentiation between various types of olivine deformation. As the fabric of olivine-rich rocks in the upper mantle relates to certain ambient conditions, it is of key importance to further define it. In this study, we predict the azimuthal variation of splitting parameters for A-, C-, and E-type olivine, and match them with observations from the High Lava Plains, Northwestern Basin and Range, and Western Yellowstone Snake River Plain. This can help to constrain the amount of water in the upper mantle beneath an area, known for a consistent, mainly E-W fast orientation, and increased splitting delay in the back-arc of the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Comparing expected and observed variations renders a C-type olivine mechanism unlikely; a differentiation between A- and E-type olivine remains more difficult though. However, the agreement of the amplitude of azimuthal variation of the fast orientation, and the potential to explain larger splitting values, suggest the occurrence of E-type olivine and the presence of a hydrated upper mantle. Along with a discrepancy to predict delay times from azimuthal surface wave anisotropy, deeper sources could further affect shear-wave splitting observations.

We study the crustal structure under the Eastern and Southern Alps using ambient noise tomography. We use cross-correlations of ambient seismic noise between pairs of 71 permanent stations and 19 stations of the Eastern Alpine Seismic Investigation (EASI) profile to derive new 3D shear velocity models for the crust. Continuous records from 2014 and 2015 are cross-correlated to estimate Green's functions of Rayleigh and Love waves propagating between the station pairs. Group velocities extracted from the cross-correlations are inverted to obtain isotropic 3D Rayleigh- and Love-wave shear-wave velocity models. Our models image several velocity anomalies and contrasts and reveal details of the crustal structure. Velocity variations at short periods correlate very closely with the lithologies of tectonic units at the surface and projected to depth. Low-velocity zones, associated with the Po and Molasse sedimentary basins, are imaged well to the south and north of the Alps, respectively. We find large high-velocity zones associated with the crystalline basement that forms the core of the Tauern Window. Small-scale velocity anomalies are also aligned with geological units of the Austroalpine nappes. Clear velocity contrasts in the Tauern Window along vertical cross sections of the velocity model show the depth extent of the tectonic units and their bounding faults. A mid-crustal velocity contrast is interpreted as a manifestation of intracrustal decoupling in the Eastern Alps that accommodated eastward escape of the Alcapa block.

Content The occurrence of seismic anisotropy, e.g. the spatial behavior of shear-wave splitting (SWS) parameters (φ, δt), has been studied widely in various regions. While lattice-preferred orientation (LPO) of upper mantle minerals, such as orthorhombic olivine and orthopyroxene, is known as the main source of SWS in SK(K)S observations, it is still to be determined, to which degree the nature of azimuthal anisotropy is due to frozen-in-deformation in the lithosphere or to recent geodynamic activities in the asthenosphere. In this study, we use the near-vertical SWS approach, introduced by Davis (2003), to address this key problem. A Taylor-series expansion of the angular eigenvector dependence in the Christoffel equation allows analyzing the backazimuthal (baz) variation of φ in the case when the incidence angle of SK(K)S phases is not vertical. φ then has a baz variation of 180° periodicity and a polarity depending on the d1 parameter, which is related to the foliation orientation. We distinguish between olivine having a vertical b-axis (“b-up”), as may be associated with the Simple Asthenospheric Flow (SAF) model, or c-axis (“c-up”) as may be expected for a Vertical Coherent Deformaton (VCD) in the lithosphere. Applying the Mainprice (1990) code, implemented in MSAT, enables us to compare the baz behavior of φ and δt, obtained from the near-vertical SWS approach, with the results from numerical geodynamic modeling. Based on the SWS dataset of IRIS DMC for North America, mostly from USArray stations but also from other networks (Liu et al., 2014), we explain our procedure to select, group and cluster suitable stations, which leads us to an investigation of the Pacific Northwest region. The d1 parameters are calculated from the SWSbaz dependence first; to explain polarity changes, we further compute d1 for upper mantle particles in geodynamic models of the Cascadia Subduction Zone fabric, generated by an updated version of the D-Rex code of Kaminski et al. (2004). Comparing these findings with the foliation orientation, determined from the modeled fabric, we relate the resolved variation in d1 polarity to changes in the mantle flow field.

To better understand the evolution and present-day tectonics of the Carpathian-Pannonian Region (CPR), we characterize the upper mantle anisotropic structure. We present a shear wave splitting analysis from teleseismic events recorded at the Carpathian Basin Project and permanent stations located in the CPR. The results show a large-scale uniform NW-SE fast orientation under the entire CPR. Compared with the complexity of geologic structures, the anisotropy expresses a relatively simple pattern of deformation. We attribute this anisotropy to an asthenospheric origin and interpret it as flow-induced alignment within the upper mantle. We also observe a few measurements depicting NE-SW fast orientation in line with the Mid-Hungarian Shear Zone. This suggests the likely contribution of either lithosphere or northeastward flow into a slab gap under the northern Dinarides. We observe splitting delay times on average of 1s, showing noticeable change (60%) in the middle Pannonian basin. This change correlates well with the variation in the thickness of low-velocity zones that were previously imaged between a depth of 75 and 400km by velocity tomography. In order to evaluate the relation between anisotropy and tectonics, we compare our data with the tectonic models that have so far been suggested to explain the evolution and current-stage tectonics of the region. We present here a plausible tectonic model responsible for the NW-SE anisotropy within the asthenospheric mantle. In this model, NW-SE deformation is mainly generated in a northeastward compressional tectonic regime acting in a wide region between the Adriatic microplate and the East European platform.

The project at hand is a field test around the KTB (Kontinentale Tiefbohrung) site in the Oberpfalz, Southeastern Germany, at the northwestern edge of the Bohemian Massif. The region has been extensively studied through the analysis of several seismic reflection lines deployed around the drilling site. The deep borehole had been placed into gneiss rocks of the Zone Erbendorf-Vohenstrauss. Drilling activity lasted from 1987 to 1994, and it descended down to a depth of 9101 m. In our experiment, we aim to recover structural information as well as anisotropy of the upper crust using the receiver function technique. This retrieved information is the basis for comparing the out-coming anisotropy amount and orientation with information of rock samples from up to 9 km depth, and with high-frequency seismic experiments around the drill site. For that purpose, we installed 9 seismic stations, and recorded seismicity continuously for two years from June 2012 to July 2014.

We study the coupling between crust and mantle in a convergent regime, by comparing measures of upper mantle deformation with indicators of crustal deformation. We use shear-wave splitting parameters, in particular the orientation of fast axes in the upper mantle measured from data recorded at 8 broadband stations located within the Tauern Window. These are compared with kinematic indicators in the Tauern Window region of the eastern Alps at the outcrop scale. Our results show a striking parallelism between the upper mantle and crustal patterns, indicating vertical coherence of deformation all the way between the crust and the mantle lithosphere. The new findings suggest a vertical coherence of deformation of crust and upper mantle, particularly in the western part of the Tauern Window. Similar pattern in our results and indentation models indicate that the effect of the Adriatic indentation acts on the European lithosphere, not only at crustal but also at lithospheric mantle depths. We discuss the implication of this vertical coherence for the question of mechanical coupling.

Site selection is a crucial part of the work flow for installing seismic stations. Here, we report the preparations for a countrywide temporary seismic network in Austria. We describe the specific requirements for a multi-purpose seismic array with 40 km station spacing that will be operative approximately three years. Reftek 151 60 s sensors and Reftek 130/130S digitizers form the core instrumentation of our seismic stations which are mostly installed inside abandoned or occasionally used basements or cellars. We present probabilistic power spectral density analysis to assess noise conditions at selected sites and show exemplary seismic events that were recorded by the preliminary network by the end of July 2015.

We analyze seismic anisotropy for the Eastern Alpine region by inspecting shear-wave splitting from SKS and SKKS phases. The Eastern Alpine region is characterized by a breakdown of the clear mountain-chain-parallel fast orientation pattern that has been previously documented for the Western Alps and for the western part of the Eastern Alps. The main interest of this paper is a more detailed analysis of the anisotropic character of the Eastern Alps, and the transition to the Carpathian–Pannonian region. SK(K)S splitting measurements reveal a rather remarkable lateral change in the anisotropy pattern from the west to the east of the Eastern Alps with a transition area at about 12°E. We also model the backazimuthal variation of the measurements by a vertical change of anisotropy. We find that the eastern part of the study area is characterized by the presence of two layers of anisotropy, where the deeper layer has characteristics similar to those of the Central Alps, in particular SW–NE fast orientations of anisotropic axes. We attribute the deeper layer to a detached slab from the European plate. Comparison with tomographic studies of the area indicates that the detached slab might possibly connect with the lithosphere that is still in place to the west of our study area, and may also connect with the slab graveyard to the East, at the depth of the upper mantle transition zone. On the other hand, the upper layer has NW–SE fast orientations coinciding with a low-velocity layer which is found above a more-or-less eastward dipping high-velocity body. The anisotropy of the upper layer shows large-scale NW–SE fast orientation, which is consistent with the presence of asthenospheric flow above the detached slab foundering into the deeper mantle.