WISTFUL: Whole-Rock Interpretative Seismic Toolbox for Ultramafic Lithologies

To quantitatively convert upper mantle seismic wave speeds measured into temperature, density, composition, and corresponding and uncertainty, we introduce the Whole-rock Interpretative Seismic Toolbox For Ultramafic Lithologies (WISTFUL). WISTFUL is underpinned by a database of 4,485 ultramafic whole-rock compositions, their calculated mineral modes, elastic moduli, and seismic wave speeds over a range of pressure (P) and temperature (T) (P = 0.5-6 GPa, T = 200-1,600 degrees C) using the Gibbs free energy minimization routine Perple_X. These data are interpreted with a toolbox of MATLAB (R) functions, scripts, and three general user interfaces: WISTFUL_relations, which plots relationships between calculated parameters and/or composition; WISTFUL_geotherms, which calculates seismic wave speeds along geotherms; and WISTFUL_inversion, which inverts seismic wave speeds for best-fit temperature, composition, and density. To evaluate our methodology and quantify the forward calculation error, we estimate two dominant sources of uncertainty: (a) the predicted mineral modes and compositions, and (b) the elastic properties and mixing equations. To constrain the first source of uncertainty, we compiled 122 well-studied ultramafic xenoliths with known whole-rock compositions, mineral modes, and estimated P-T conditions. We compared the observed mineral modes with modes predicted using five different thermodynamic solid solution models. The Holland et al. (2018, ) solution models best reproduce phase assemblages (similar to 12 vol. % phase root-mean-square error [RMSE]) and estimated wave speeds. To assess the second source of uncertainty, we compared wave speed measurements of 40 ultramafic rocks with calculated wave speeds, finding excellent agreement (V-p RMSE = 0.11 km/s). WISTFUL easily analyzes seismic datasets, integrates into modeling, and acts as an educational tool.

Automated summary

In this study, a tool called WISTFUL is introduced to help researchers analyze seismic datasets by quantitatively converting upper mantle seismic wave speeds into temperature, density, composition, and related parameters. The tool utilizes a large database, MATLAB functions, scripts, and user interfaces to provide features such as plotting relationships, calculating seismic wave speeds, and inverting temperature. The accuracy and sources of error in the methodology are evaluated through comparison of observed and calculated data.