US-Japan Collaborative Research: Multi-scale seismic imaging of the Mariana Subduction Factory

The Mariana project will be a large-scale multidisciplinary endeavor to image the Mariana subduction zone. It will utilize multi-channel seismic reflection to image shallow geological features, controlled-source wide-angle reflection/refraction to constrain crustal structure, and passive broaband land and ocean bottom seismographs (OBS) to image the upper mantle. Washington University will focus on the passive aspect of the project, which consists of an 18-month land deployment of 20 stations and a 12-month deployment of 70 OBSs. We hope to obtain high resolution 3D tomography of the region. Other questions that will be pursued include anisotropy, mantle flow, deep earthquakes, and the seismogenic zone depth.