Wavelet analysis of a bathymetric profile reveals anomalous crust

Abstract

A 200 km anomalous topographic zone was discovered using wavelet scale analysis in a 1600 km linear bathymetric profile taken northeast of Hawaii. A spectral analysis of the zone shows that the power in wavelengths shorter than 25 km averages 5–10 times lower than the surrounding topography. Conversely, wavelengths longer than 25 km have 2–3 times greater power than nearby topography. Further research reveals that this low‐frequency zone correlates with the eastern flank of a regional bathymetric high which has been described by J. Mammerickx [1981]. Details of the features suggest that this zone is a small, abandoned, slow‐spreading rift overprinted by a regional thermal swell. The magnitude of the feature is smaller than other, known, abandoned spreading centers, making it easy to overlook without the application of the wavelet transform.