Joint inversion of receiver functions, surface wave dispersion, and magnetotelluric data

TLDR

The study presents a joint inversion of magnetotelluric, receiver function, and Rayleigh wave dispersion data for a 1‑D Earth model using a multiobjective genetic algorithm. A multiobjective genetic algorithm generates a family of 1‑D Earth models that fit magnetotelluric, receiver function, and Rayleigh wave data, and the method is applied to sites in the Slave and Kaapvaal Cratons. The trade‑off analysis demonstrates compatibility between seismic and MT data, informs appropriate seismic noise levels, and validates the joint model; applied to the Slave Craton it yields improved resolution, a conductive crustal layer, a low‑velocity mantle conductor, and a lithosphere‑asthenosphere boundary, while the Kaapvaal Craton reveals a low‑velocity mantle zone, illustrating the method’s potential.

Abstract

We present joint inversion of magnetotelluric, receiver function, and Raleigh wave dispersion data for a one‐dimensional Earth using a multiobjective genetic algorithm (GA). The chosen GA produces not only a family of models that fit the data sets but also the trade‐off between fitting the different data sets. The analysis of this trade‐off gives insight into the compatibility between the seismic data sets and the magnetotelluric data and also the appropriate noise level to assume for the seismic data. This additional information helps to assess the validity of the joint model, and we demonstrate the use of our approach with synthetic data under realistic conditions. We apply our method to one site from the Slave Craton and one site from the Kaapvaal Craton. For the Slave Craton we obtain similar results to our previously published models from joint inversion of receiver functions and magnetotelluric data but with improved resolution and control on absolute velocities. We find a conductive layer at the bottom of the crust, just above the Moho; a low‐velocity, low‐resistivity zone in the lithospheric mantle, previously termed the Central Slave Mantle Conductor; and indications of the lithosphere‐asthenosphere boundary in terms of a decrease in seismic velocity and resistivity. For the Kaapvaal Craton both the seismic and the MT data are of lesser quality, which prevents as detailed and robust an interpretation; nevertheless, we find an indication of a low‐velocity low‐resistivity zone in the mantle lithosphere. These two examples demonstrate the potential of joint inversion, particularly in combination with nonlinear optimization methods.