Upper crustal azimuthal anisotropy across the contiguous U.S. determined by Rayleigh wave ellipticity

Constraints on upper crustal seismic anisotropy provide insight into the local stress orientation and structural fabric, but such constraints are scarce except in areas with dense recordings of local seismicity. We investigate directionally dependent Rayleigh wave ellipticity, or Rayleigh wave H/V (horizontal to vertical) amplitude ratios, between 8 and 20 s period across USArray to infer azimuthal anisotropy in the upper crust across the contiguous U.S. To determine the H/V ratios, we use all available multicomponent ambient noise cross correlations between all USArray stations operating between 2007 and 2013. In many locations, the observed H/V ratios are clearly back azimuth dependent with a 180° periodicity, which allows the fast directions and amplitudes of upper crustal anisotropy to be determined. The observed patterns of anisotropy correlate well with both near-surface geological features (e.g., the Intermountain Seismic Belt and Appalachian-Ouachita collision belt) and a previous stress model.