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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2023
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Department
Geology
First Advisor
Scott Burdick
Abstract
South-Central Alaska possesses a unique corner geometry subduction region that has a rich accretionary history and various slab fragmentation features that are crucial in slab reconstruction models. In this study, a brief overview of seismology/tomography is given, and the major tectonic components of this area are described in their connection to their surrounding tectonic setting. Six global tomography models are examined with respect to the South-Central Alaskan region and compared to assess the existence and extent of tectonic features described in recent seismic studies. The Yakutat slab subducting under the North American continent adjacent to the queen charlotte/Fairweather transform is characterized in terms of its dip, boundaries, interaction with surficial feature (i.e. the Denali Gap, the Pacific Plate, Minto/Fairbanks seismic zones), and potential for fragmentation. An older reconstructed slab associated with the Kula and Farralon plates, the Yukon slab, is also described and searched for in the global models. The global models examined are then compared with much more recent models created with the transdimesional Bayesian inference method that us Reverse-Jump Makarov Monte Carlo iterations to assess uncertainty and error propagation for tomographic models at various depths. The machine learning potential of the TBI method is shown to offer numerous opportunities to further seismological tomographic study and create a new standard for hypothesis testing in plate reconstruction and mantle circulation.
Recommended Citation
Gaskevicius, Benediktas, "The Mantle Of Eastern Alaska & The Yukon Territory: Analysis Of Global Models & Probabilistic Tomography" (2023). Wayne State University Theses. 922.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_theses/922