Abstract
THE spatial distribution of intermediate depth (>70 km) earthquakes within slabs of lithosphere which descend into the mantle provides an important clue to the response of materials to the subduction process. Here I relocate intermediate depth earthquakes detected by the Amchitka network in the Central Aleutians using seismic ray tracing through a plate model 80 km thick incorporating a 7% increase in velocity from the surrounding mantle. The relocated hypocentres define a Benioff zone about 10 km thick in the upper half of the plate. The position of this zone corresponds closely to the colder, more brittle region of the slab suggested by thermal models.
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ENGDAHL, E. Relocation of Intermediate Depth Earthquakes in the Central Aleutians by Seismic Ray Tracing. Nature Physical Science 245, 23–25 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/physci245023a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/physci245023a0
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