Constraining Shear Wave Velocity and Density Contrast at the Inner Core Boundary with PKiKP/P Amplitude Ratio  

作　　者：曾祥方 倪四道 

机构地区：[1]CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences [2]Mengcheng National Geophysical Observatory, University of Science and Technology of China [3]State Key Laboratory of Geodesy and Earth’s Dynamics, Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics,Chinese Academy of Sciences

出　　处：《Journal of Earth Science》2013年第5期716-724,共9页地球科学学刊（英文版）

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.41204044,40674027);the Fund of Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.KZCX2-EW-121)

摘　　要：Shear velocity and density contrast across the inner core boundary are essential for stud- ying deep earth dynamics, geodynamo and geomagnetic evolution. In previous studies, amplitude ratio of PKiKP/PcP at short distances and PKiKP/P at larger distances are used to constrain the shear veloc- ity and density contrast, and shear velocity in the top inner core is found to be substantially smaller than the PREM prediction. Here we present a large dataset of PKiKP/P amplitude ratio measured on 420 seismic records at ILAR array in Alaska for the distance range of 800-90~, where the amplitude ra- tio is sensitive to shear velocity and density contrast. At high frequency （up to 6 Hz）, mantle attenuation is found to have substantial effects on PKiKP/P. After the attenuation effects are taken into account, we find that the density contrast is about 0.2-1.0 g/cm3, and shear velocity of inner core is 3.2-4.0 km/s, close to the PREM （Preliminary Reference Earth Model） prediction （0.6 g/cm3 and 3.5 kin/s, respec- tively）. The relatively high shear velocity in inner core does not require large quantities of defects or melts as proposed in previous studies.Shear velocity and density contrast across the inner core boundary are essential for stud- ying deep earth dynamics, geodynamo and geomagnetic evolution. In previous studies, amplitude ratio of PKiKP/PcP at short distances and PKiKP/P at larger distances are used to constrain the shear veloc- ity and density contrast, and shear velocity in the top inner core is found to be substantially smaller than the PREM prediction. Here we present a large dataset of PKiKP/P amplitude ratio measured on 420 seismic records at ILAR array in Alaska for the distance range of 800-90~, where the amplitude ra- tio is sensitive to shear velocity and density contrast. At high frequency （up to 6 Hz）, mantle attenuation is found to have substantial effects on PKiKP/P. After the attenuation effects are taken into account, we find that the density contrast is about 0.2-1.0 g/cm3, and shear velocity of inner core is 3.2-4.0 km/s, close to the PREM （Preliminary Reference Earth Model） prediction （0.6 g/cm3 and 3.5 kin/s, respec- tively）. The relatively high shear velocity in inner core does not require large quantities of defects or melts as proposed in previous studies.

关 键 词：inner core boundary shear velocity of inner core density contrast core phase. 

分 类 号：P542.5[天文地球—构造地质学]