Azimuthal Anisotropy Tomography of the Southeast Asia Subduction System

Abstract A detailed 3‐D model of P wave isotropic velocity and azimuthal anisotropy beneath SE Asia is obtained by jointly inverting local earthquake arrival times and teleseismic relative travel‐time residuals. Our results show that the high‐velocity (high‐V) subducting Australian slab has penetrated through the mantle transition zone (MTZ) and reached a depth of ∼1,200 km beneath Sumatra, whereas the high‐V slab has subducted toward the north and trapped within the MTZ beneath Java. The Hainan mantle plume is revealed clearly as a significant low‐velocity anomaly beneath the MTZ, which extends down to the bottom of our model (∼1,600‐km depth). The upwelling of the Hainan plume is resisted by the stagnant slab in the MTZ, resulting in divergent fast‐velocity directions of azimuthal anisotropy beneath the stagnant slab. The detailed results of seismic tomography and azimuthal anisotropy provide important new information on the complex mantle structure and dynamics of the SE Asian region, in particular, the subducting slabs and the Hainan plume, as well as their interactions.