Seismic anisotropy of upper mantle in Sichuan and adjacent regions

Based on the polarization analysis of teleseismic SKS waveform data recorded at 94 broadband seismic stations in Sichuan and adjacent regions, the SKS fast-wave direction and the delay time between the fast and slow shear waves were determined at each station using the grid searching method of minimum transverse energy and the stacking analysis method, and the image of upper mantle anisotropy was acquired. The fast-wave polarization directions are mainly NW-SE in the study area, NWW-SEE to its northeast and NS to its west. The delay time falls into the interval [0.47 s, 1.68 s]. The spatial variation of the fast-wave directions is similar to the variation of GPS velocity directions. The anisotropic image indicates that the regional tectonic stress field has resulted in deformation and flow of upper mantle material, and made the alignment of upper mantle peridotite lattice parallel to the direction of material deformation. The crust-upper mantle deformation in Sichuan and adjacent regions accords with the mode of vertically coherent deformation. In the eastern Tibetan Plateau, the crustal material was extruded to east or southeast due to SE traction force of the upper mantle material. The extrusion might be obstructed by a rigid block under the Sichuan Basin and the crust has been deformed. After a long-term accumulation of tectonic strain energy, the accumulative energy suddenly released in Yingxiu town of the Longmenshan region, and Wenchuan MS8.0 earthquake occurred.