Mantle transition zone structure beneath Tanzania, east Africa

摘要: We apply a three-dimensional stacking method to receiver functions from the Tanzania Broadband Seismic Experiment determine relative variations in thickness of mantle transition zone beneath Tanzania. The under Eastern rift is 30–40 km thinner than areas Craton interior East African Plateau unaffected by faulting. region thinning several hundred kilometers wide and coincides with 2–3% reduction S wave velocities. zone, as well velocities, can be attributed 200–300°K increase temperature. This thermal anomaly at >400 depth cannot easily explained passive rifting but consistent plume origin for Cenozoic rifting, volcanism plateau uplift Africa.