SKS splitting beneath Transportable Array stations in eastern North America and the signature of past lithospheric deformation

Seismic anisotropy in the upper mantle beneath continental interiors is generally complicated, with contributions from both the lithosphere and the asthenosphere. Previous studies of SKS splitting beneath the eastern United States have yielded evidence for complex and laterally variable anisotropy, but until the recent arrival of the USArray Transportable Array (TA) the station coverage has been sparse. Here we present SKS splitting measurements at TA stations in eastern North America and compare the measured fast directions with indicators such as absolute plate motion, surface geology, and magnetic lineations. We find few correlations between fast directions and absolute plate motion, except in the northeastern U.S. and southern Canada, where some stations exhibit variations in apparent splitting with backazimuth that would suggest multiple layers of anisotropy. A region of the southeastern U.S. is dominated by null SKS arrivals over a range of backazimuths, consistent with previous work. We document a pattern of fast directions parallel to the Appalachian mountain chain, suggesting a contribution from lithospheric deformation associated with Appalachian orogenesis. Overall, our measurements suggest that upper mantle anisotropy beneath the eastern United States is complex, with likely contributions from both asthenospheric and lithospheric anisotropy in many regions.