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Zusammenfassung:
Subduction zones around the world show the common pattern of a Double Seismicity Zone, where seismicity is
organized in the form of two sub-parallel planes, one at the plate contact and the other one, 10 to 30 km below,
in the mantle of the oceanic lithosphere (Lower Seismicity Zone, LSZ). A commonly held hypothesis states that
dehydration processes and the associated mineral reactions promote the earthquakes of the LSZ.
Fluids filling a porespace strongly alter the petropyhsical properties of a rock. Especially the seismic P- to S-wave
velocity ratio (Vp/Vs) has been shown to be sensitive to the presence of fluid-filled porosity. It transforms uniquely
to Poisson’s ratio. To test the mineral–dehydration-hypothesis, we use local earthquake data to measure Vp/Vs in
the oceanic mantle of the subducting Nazca slab at 21
◦
S. We determine it as the slope of the de-meaned differential
P- vs. S-wave arrivaltimes of a dense seismicity cluster in the LSZ. This measurement yields a value for Vp/Vs
of 2.10
±
0.09, i.e. a Poisson’s ratio of
∼
0.35. This value clearly exceeds the range of Vp/Vs values expected for
oceanic mantle rocks in their purely solid form at
∼
50km depth.
We follow a poroelastic approach to model the rock’s elastic properties, including Vp/Vs, as a function of porosity
and porespace-geometry. This results in a porespace model for the target volume having a vein-like porosity occu-
pying only a minor volume fraction. Porosity is in the order of 0.1%. These findings are in very good agreement
with field surveys and laboratory experiments of mantle dehydration. The pore-geometry is close to the geometrical
percolation threshold, where long-ranged interconnectivity statistically emerges, suggesting good draining capa-
bilities. Indeed, porosity is soft so that the amount of porosity and, consequently, permeability is very sensitive to
local fluid pressure.
We conclude that in the oceanic mantle of the subducting Nazca slab, mineral dehydration reactions are contin-
uously releasing water into a transient, dynamically evolving vein-system. Permeability is most probably high
enough to drain the rock at the rate of metamorphic fluid production.
