Crustal structure of the flanks of the East Pacific Rise: Implications for overlapping spreading centers

Tomographic inversion of seismic refraction data from the flanks of the East Pacific Rise (EPR), 17 degrees 15'S, shows that the thickness of layer 2 varies by as much as 500 meters off axis. A thick layer 2 is found in crust affected by migration paths of overlapping spreading centers (OSC). However, no significant variation in crustal thickness is detected throughout the study area. The crustal structure differences documented in this paper are primarily related to this paleo-tectonic setting rather than the east-west asymmetries characteristic of this region of the southern EPR.