Using Ocean Tidal Load Response to Explore the Elastic Structure of the Amazonian Craton

We investigate ocean tidal load response in South America using observations of GPS displacements from Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. Spatial variations in the tidal loading response allow us to constrain absolute ranges of density and the two elastic moduli through the regional crust and upper mantle. We process 30-second GPS data using the GIPSY-OASIS II software to obtain position estimates every 5-minutes, with special attention paid to removing tropospheric delay effects. We then extract tidal loading response signals from multiple years of processed GPS time series using generalized harmonic analysis techniques, whereby satellite modulation corrections and the astronomical argument are updated at each epoch. To compare with our observations, we construct a range of forward models by convolving modern ocean tidal loading models (e.g., FES2012, TPX08-Atlas) with Greens functions for Earth structure. The development of our own load Love number and Greens function computation code provides us with the facility to explore a wide range of 1D, layered elastic Earth models. Finally, we convert our forward modeling methods into a Bayesian inversion framework to explore the range of density and elastic structural models for the Amazonian Craton that are consistent with our observations.