Abstract
Despite decades of study, the mechanisms that lead to the localization of intracontinental seismicity remain vigorously debated. We find a very strong correlation between the attenuation of teleseismic P waves and the occurrence of intraplate seismicity in Australia. The regions with the highest attenuation host ~2 orders of magnitude more earthquakes per unit of area than the least attenuating regions. We argue that the attenuation we observe is produced by lateral variations in the thickness and/or viscosity of the lithospheric mantle and further suggest that the correlation we document implies that lithospheric mantle structure exerts first-order controls on the localization of intraplate seismicity.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 12862-12869 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Geophysical Research Letters |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue number | 22 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 28 2019 |
Bibliographical note
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