Surface wave dispersion across Tibet: Direct evidence for radial anisotropy in the crust

Overview & Synopsis

[1] Recordings in western Tibet of Rayleigh and Love waves at periods less than 70 s from aftershocks of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake cannot be matched by an isotropic velocity model beneath Tibet. These intermediate‐period Rayleigh and Love waves require marked radial anisotropy in the middle crust of Tibet, with the vertically polarized S‐ waves propagating more slowly than S‐waves with horizontal polarization. The magnitude of anisotropy inferred using paths entirely within Tibet is slightly greater than that obtained previously from a tomographic inversion of a dataset covering a larger region. Anisotropy in the middle crust likely reflects deformation of the middle crust, and is consistent with the notion of mid‐crustal flow and thinning of the crust.