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Title: Lithospheric instability and the source of the Cameroon Volcanic Line: Evidence from Rayleigh wave phase velocity tomography

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JB011580· OSTI ID:1329571
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [4]
  1. Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States). Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences
  2. Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States). Dept. of Geosciences
  3. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  4. Global Geophysical Services, Inc., Denver, CO (United States)

The Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL) is a 1800 km long volcanic chain, extending SW-NE from the Gulf of Guinea into Central Africa, that lacks the typical age progression exhibited by hot spot-related volcanic tracks. Our study investigates the upper mantle seismic structure beneath the CVL and surrounding regions to constrain the origin of volcanic lines that are poorly described by the classic plume model. Rayleigh wave phase velocities are measured at periods from 20 to 182 s following the two-plane wave methodology, using data from the Cameroon Seismic Experiment, which consists of 32 broadband stations deployed between 2005 and 2007. These phase velocities are then inverted to build a model of shear wave velocity structure in the upper mantle beneath the CVL. Our results show that phase velocities beneath the CVL are reduced at all periods, with average velocities beneath the CVL deviating more than –2% from the regional average and +4% beneath the Congo Craton. This distinction is observed for all periods but is less pronounced for the longest periods measured. Inversion for shear wave velocity structure indicates a tabular low velocity anomaly directly beneath the CVL at depths of 50 to at least 200 km and a sharp vertical boundary with faster velocities beneath the Congo Craton. Finally, these observations demonstrate widespread infiltration or erosion of the continental lithosphere beneath the CVL, most likely caused by mantle upwelling associated with edge-flow convection driven by the Congo Craton or by lithospheric instabilities that develop due to the nearby edge of the African continent.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396; EAR-0310094; EAR-0310272
OSTI ID:
1329571
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-15-21130
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth, Vol. 120, Issue 3; ISSN 2169-9313
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 34 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (5)

Olivine chemistry from Cameroon: evidence of carbonate metasomatism along the ocean-continental boundary of the Cameroon volcanic line journal December 2019
Seismic hazard parameter estimation of the Mount Cameroon volcanic region (Cameroon) based on a combination of mixed catalogs journal December 2018
Mantle sources beneath the Cameroon Volcanic Line: geochemistry and geochronology of the Bamoun plateau mafic rocks journal March 2016
Upper Mantle Earth Structure in Africa From Full‐Wave Ambient Noise Tomography journal January 2019
Further constraints on the shear wave velocity structure of Cameroon from joint inversion of receiver function, Rayleigh wave dispersion and ellipticity measurements journal January 2019

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