3D density structure of upper mantle beneath the Antarctic plate: The influence of Moho depth

Abstract

In this study, we explore the impact of using different Moho surfaces on the reconstruction of the upper mantle geophysical parameters. The study area is the subsurface of the Antarctica continent. Using the optimization program of Sequential Integrated Inversion (SII) and the gravity anomalies synthetized by a global Gravity Field Model (GFM), we reconstructed the upper mantle density and the related 3D distribution of the rho-v_SV couplings down to the depth of 400 km, with a lateral resolution of 0.5° × 0.5°. Here, we present the results obtained for four models, built with four different Moho surfaces. A correlation analysis showed that different Moho structures affect the optimization of the intensity of the anomalies and the rho-v_SV couplings. The possibility of having both a density model and a 3D distribution of the rho-v_SV couplings enables us to highlight several significant features for all models that are not disclosed by seismic tomography. Among them, a trend of positive, presumably compositional anomalies suggests the contribution of the Lambert Rift System (LRS) to the Gamburstev Mountains (GSM) uplift, which in turn may have influenced the formation of the Maud Subglacial Basin (MSB). A continuous low-density anomaly and positive rho-v_SV phase coupling anomaly, extending from the northwestern side of the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) to Victoria Land, support the thermal buoyancy force as the causative element of the formation of the TAM. A circumscribed negative density anomaly extending up to depth of 365 km, which is associated to a negative variation in the angular coefficients of the rho-v_SV couplings, indicates the presence of an active magmatic system in the upper mantle or a Cenozoic mantle plume beneath the region of Mary Byrd Land (MBL).