This research is to determine the lateral variation in the uppermost mantle P-wave velocity and to determine the crustal thickness in the Middle East and Central Asia. This region has been affected by continental collision between the Arabian and Eurasian plates and between the Indian and Eurasian plates. The method is a tomographic inversion of the large data base of regional seismic travel times from the Worldwide Standardized Seismographic Network and other Asian stations. The derived uppermost mantle velocities and crustal thicknesses will be used to constrain models for the evolution of continental plateaus behind collisional mountain belts, and factors controlling earthquake distribution. This research is a component of the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program.
