Mapping the Alaskan Moho

Abstract

We present a series of Moho depth maps for the Alaskan region based on P receiver function estimates using data from all available broadband instrumentation from 1999 to April 2018 including the USArray Transportable Array. The average Moho depths beneath individual broadband stations are presented first as spot measurements and then used to produce a series of interpolated smooth surfaces by an adaptive triangulation process followed by the fitting of a bicubic spline. The interpolated surfaces include a measure of confidence in the interpolation and can be used to assess and determine a preferred model. The resulting Moho depth map (single continuous surface) provides a reasonable estimate of the Earth’s outermost layer thickness beneath Alaska as constrained by receiver functions for use in applications such as tomography, regional‐scale interpretations, or simulations of seismic waves. The models are provided as a python module with examples in the form of jupyter notebooks. Our original workflow is provided to allow updates to this dataset or use with other similar datasets.