Mantle transition zone structure beneath the Changbai volcano: Insight into deep slab dehydration and hot upwelling near the 410 km discontinuity

We study the detailed mantle transition zone structure beneath the active Changbai intraplate volcano in Northeast China by using a receiver-function method. A total of 3005 teleseismic receiver functions recorded by 70 broadband stations are obtained by using a common-conversion-point stacking method. For conducting the time-to-depth conversion, we use a three-dimensional velocity model of the study region so as to take into account the influence of structural heterogeneities. Our results reveal significant depth variations of the 410, 520, and 660 km discontinuities. A broad depression of the 410 km discontinuity and a low-velocity anomaly are revealed beneath the Changbai volcano, which may reflect a large-scale hot mantle upwelling around the 410 km discontinuity with a positive Clapeyron slope. The 520 km discontinuity is identified clearly, and its uplift occurs above the stagnant Pacific slab. We also find a prominent depression of the 660 km discontinuity, which is elongated along the trend of deep earthquake clusters in a range of 39°N–44°N latitude, and the depression area has a lateral extent of about 400 km. Because the 520 and 660 km discontinuities correspond to positive and negative Clapeyron slopes, respectively, we think that the 520 uplift and the 660 depression are caused by the cold subducting Pacific slab. A part of the Pacific slab may have penetrated into the lower mantle and so caused the large-scale 660 depression in front of the deep earthquake clusters. Our results also reveal a part of the upper boundary of the subducting Pacific slab in the mantle transition zone.