Lithospheric structure of the Trans-European Suture Zone along the TTZ–CEL03 seismic transect (from NW to SE Poland)

The large-scale CELEBRATION 2000 seismic experiment investigated the velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle between western portion of the East European Craton (EEC) and the eastern Alps. This area comprises: the Trans-European Suture Zone, the Carpathian Mountains, the Pannonian Basin and the Bohemian Massif. This experiment included 147 chemical shots recorded by 1230 seismic stations during two deployments. Good quality data along 16 main and a few additional profiles were recorded. One of them, profile CEL03, was located in southeastern Poland and was laid out as a prolongation of the TTZ profile performed in 1993. This paper focuses on the joint interpretation of seismic data along the NW–SE trending TTZ–CEL03 transect, located in the central portion of the Trans-European Suture Zone. First arrivals and later phases of waves reflected/refracted in the crust and upper mantle were interpreted using two-dimensional tomographic inversion and ray-tracing techniques. This modelling established a 2-D (quasi 3-D) P-wave velocity lithospheric model. Four crustal units were identified along the transect. From northwest to southeast, thickness of the crust varies from 35 km in the Pomeranian Unit (NW) to 40 km in the Kuiavian Unit, to 50 km in the Radom–Łysogóry Unit and again to 43 km in the Narol Unit (SE). The first two units are thought to be proximal terranes detached from the EEC farther to the southeast and re-accreted to the edge of the EEC during the Early Palaeozoic. The origin of the remaining two units is a matter of dispute: they are either portions of the EEC or other proximal terranes. In the area of the Polish Basin (first two units), the P-wave velocity is very low (V_p < 6.1 km/s) down to depths of 15–20 km indicating that a very thick sedimentary and possibly volcanic rock sequence, whose lower portion may be metamorphosed, is present. The velocity beneath the Moho was found to be rather high, being 8.25 km/s in the northwestern portion of the transect, 8.4 km/s in the central sector, and 8.1 km/s in the southeastern sector.     

Lower lithospheric structure beneath the Trans-European Suture Zone from POLONAISE''97 seismic profiles

The large-scale POLONAISE'97 seismic experiment investigated the velocity structure of the lithosphere in the Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ) region between the Precambrian East European Craton (EEC) and Palaeozoic Platform (PP). In the area of the Polish Basin, the P-wave velocity is very low (Vp <6.1 km/s) down to depths of 15–20 km, and the consolidated basement (Vp5.7–5.8 km/s) is 5–12 km deep. The thickness of the crust is 30 km beneath the Palaeozoic Platform, 40–45 km beneath the TESZ, and 40–50 km beneath the EEC. The compressional wave velocity of the sub-Moho mantle is >8.25 km/s in the Palaeozoic Platform and 8.1 km/s in the Precambrian Platform. Good quality record sections were obtained to the longest offsets of about 600 km from the shot points, with clear first arrivals and later phases of waves reflected/refracted in the lower lithosphere. Two-dimensional interpretation of the reversed system of travel times constrains a series of reflectors in the depth range of 50–90 km. A seismic reflector appears as a general feature at around 10 km depth below Moho in the area, independent of the actual depth to the Moho and sub-Moho seismic velocity. “Ringing reflections” are explained by relatively small-scale heterogeneities beneath the depth interval from 90 to 110 km. Qualitative interpretation of the observed wave field shows a differentiation of the reflectivity in the lower lithosphere. The seismic reflectivity of the uppermost mantle is stronger beneath the Palaeozoic Platform and TESZ than the East European Platform. The deepest interpreted seismic reflector with zone of high reflectivity may mark a change in upper mantle structure from an upper zone characterised by seismic scatterers of small vertical dimension to a lower zone with vertically larger seismic scatterers, possible caused by inclusions of partial melt.     

Three-dimensional seismic modelling of crustal structure in the TESZ region based on POLONAISE''97 data

This paper reports the results of 3-D tomographic modelling of crustal structure in the Trans European Suture Zone region (TESZ) of Poland, eastern Germany and Lithuania. The data are the product of a large-scale seismic experiment POLONAISE'97, which was carried out in 1997. This experiment was designed to provide some 3-D coverage. The TESZ forms the boundary between the Precambrian crustal terranes of the East European Craton (EEC) and the younger Phanerozoic terranes to the southwest. The 3-D results generally confirm the earth models derived by earlier 2-D analyses, but also add some important details as well as a 3-D perspective on the structure. The velocity model obtained shows substantial horizontal variations of crustal structure across the study area. Seismic modelling shows low (<6.1 km/s) velocities suggesting the presence of sedimentary rocks down to a depth of about 20 km in the Polish basin. The shape of the basin in the vicinity of the profile P4 shows significant asymmetry. Three-dimensional modelling also allowed tracing of horizontal irregularities of the basin shape as well as variations of the Moho depth not only along profiles, but also between them. The slice between P2 and P4 profiles shows about 10-km variations of the Moho over a 100-km interval. The crustal thickness varies from about 30 km in SW, beneath the Palaeozoic platform, to about 42 km beneath East European Craton in NE. High seismic velocities of about 6.6 km/s were found in the depth range 2–10 km, which coincides with K trzyn anorthosite massif. The results of this 3-D seismic modelling of the POLONAISE'97 data will ultimately be supplemented by inversion of seismic data from previous experiments.     

Upper lithospheric seismic velocity structure across the Pripyat Trough and the Ukrainian Shield along the EUROBRIDGE'97 profile

We present new results on the structure resulting from Palaeoproterozoic terrane accretion and later formation of one of the aulacogens in the East European Platform. Seismic data has been acquired along the 530-km-long, N–S-striking EUROBRIDGE'97 traverse across Sarmatia, a major crustal segment of the East European Craton. The profile extends across the Ukrainian Shield from the Devonian Pripyat Trough, across the Palaeoproterozoic Volyn Block and the Korosten Pluton, into the Archaean Podolian Block. Seismic waves from chemical explosions at 18 shot points at approximately 30-km intervals were recorded in two deployments by 120 mobile three-component seismographs at 3–4 km nominal station spacing. The data has been interpreted by use of two-dimensional tomographic travel time inversion and ray trace modelling. The high data quality allows modelling of the P- and S-wave velocity structure along the profile. There are pronounced differences in seismic velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle between the three main tectonic provinces traversed by the profile: (i) the Pripyat Trough is a ca. 4-km-deep sedimentary basin, fully located in the Osnitsk–Mikashevichi Igneous Belt in the northern part of the profile. The velocity structure is typical for a Precambrian craton, but is underlain by a ca. 5-km-thick lowest crustal layer of high velocity. The development of the Pripyat Trough appears to have only affected the upper crust without noticeable thinning of the whole crust; this may be explained by a rheologically strong lithosphere at the time of formation of the trough. (ii) Very high seismic velocity and Vp/Vs ratio characterise the Volyn Block and Korosten Pluton to a depth of 15 km and probably also the lowest crust. The values are consistent with an intrusive body of mafic composition in the upper crust that formed from bimodal melts derived from the mantle and the lower crust. (iii) The Podolian Block is close to a typical cratonic velocity structure, although it is characterised by relatively low seismic velocity and Vp/Vs ratio. A pronounced SW-dipping mantle reflector from Moho to at least 70 km depth may represent the Proterozoic suture between Sarmatia and Volgo–Uralia, the structure from terrane accretion, or a later shear zone in the upper mantle. The sub-Moho P-wave seismic velocity is high everywhere along the profile, with the exception of the area above the dipping reflector. This velocity change further supports a plate tectonic origin of the dipping mantle reflector. The profile demonstrates that structure from Palaeoproterozoic plate tectonic processes are still identifiable in the lithosphere, even where younger metamorphic equilibration of the crust has taken place.     

Crustal structure of the Eastern Alps along the TRANSALP profile from wide-angle seismic tomography

The objective of the TRANSALP project is an investigation of the Eastern Alps with regard to their deep structure and dynamic evolution. The core of the project is a 340-km-long seismic profile at 12°E between Munich and Venice. This paper deals with the P-wave velocity distribution as derived from active source travel time tomography. Our database consists of Vibroseis and explosion seismic travel times recorded at up to 100 seismological stations distributed in a 30-km-wide corridor along the profile. In order to derive a velocity and reflector model, we simultaneously inverted refractions and reflections using a derivative of a damped least squares approach for local earthquake tomography. 8000 travel time picks from dense Vibroseis recordings provide the basis for high resolution in the upper crust. Explosion seismic wide-angle reflection travel times constrain both deeper crustal velocities and structure of the crust–mantle boundary with low resolution. In the resulting model, the Adriatic crust shows significantly higher P-wave velocities than the European crust. The European Moho is dipping south at an angle of 7°. The Adriatic Moho dips north with a gentle inclination at shallower depths. This geometry suggests S-directed subduction. Azimuthal variations of the first-break velocities as well as observations of shear wave splitting reveal strong anisotropy in the Tauern Window. We explain this finding by foliations and laminations generated by lateral extrusion. Based on the P-wave model we also localized almost 100 local earthquakes recorded during the 2-month acquisition campaign in 1999. Seismicity patterns in the North seem related to the Inn valley shear zone, and to thrusting of Austroalpine units over European basement. The alignment of deep seismicity in the Trento-Vicenza region with the top of the Adriatic lower crust corroborates the suggestion of a deep thrust fault in the Southern Alps.     

Analysis of geomagnetic field along seismic profile P4 of the International Project POLONAISE'97

This paper presents relative secular variations of the total intensity of the geomagnetic field against a background of results of magnetic anomaly interpretation along seismic profile P4. Profile P4 crosses a Variscan folding zone in the Paleozoic Platform (PLZ), the Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ), and the Polish part of the East European Craton (EEC). Secular geomagnetic field variations measured in 1966–2000 along a line adjacent to seismic profile P4 were analysed. The study of secular variations, reduced to the base recordings at the Belsk Magnetic Observatory, showed that the growth of geomagnetic field at the East European Craton was slower than in the Trans-European Suture Zone and the Paleozoic Platform.A 2D crustal magnetic model was interpreted as a result of magnetic modelling, in which seismic, geological and geothermal data were also used. The modelling showed that there were significant differences in the magnetic model for geotectonic units, which had been earlier determined based on deep seismic survey data. It should be noted that a fundamental change of trend of the relative secular variations was observed at the slope of the Precambrian Platform. After analysing the geomagnetic field observed along profile P4, the hypothesis that the contact between Phanerozoic and Precambrian Europe lies in Poland's territory can be proven.     

Crustal structure below the Polish Basin: Is it composed of proximal terranes derived from Baltica?

The large-scale seismic refraction and wide-angle reflection experiment POLONAISE'97 together with LT-7 and TTZ profiles carried out with the most modern techniques gave a high resolution of crustal structure of the Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ) in NW and central Poland. The results of seismic investigations show the presence of relatively low velocity rocks (V_p < 6.1 km/s) down to a depth of 20 km beneath the Polish Basin (PB), and a high velocity lower crust (V_p = 6.8–7.3 km/s). The crustal thickness in the TESZ is intermediate between that of the East European Craton (EEC) to the northeast (40–45 km) and that of the Variscan crust (VB) to the southwest ( 30 km). Velocities in the uppermost mantle are relatively high (V_p = 8.25–8.45 km/s). The crust is three-layered with substantial differences in the velocities and thickness of individual layers. The area of the TESZ in NW and central Poland can be divided into at least two crustal blocks (terranes), called here Pomeranian Unit (PU, in the northwest) and Kuiavian Unit (KU, in the southeast). The postulated boundary between KU and PU is rather sharp at particular levels of the crust. Velocity distribution in the middle and lower crystalline crust in the TESZ area resemble values recognized in the EEC area, the fundamental difference being the much smaller thickness of both these layers. Our hypothesis/speculation is that the attenuated lower and middle crust of the TESZ belong to proximal terranes built of the EEC crust detached in the southeast and re-accreted to the EEC due to the process of anti-clockwise rotation of the Baltica paleocontinent during the Ordovician–Early Silurian.     

Crustal structure in the Carpatho-Pannonian region: insights from three-dimensional gravity modelling and their geodynamic significance

A three-dimensional gravity modelling of the Carpatho-Pannonian region was carried out to get a better image of the Moho boundary and the most prominent intra-crustal density heterogeneities. At first, only the major density boundaries were considered: the bottom of the Tertiary basin fill, the Moho discontinuity and the lithosphere to asthenosphere boundary. Density contrasts were represented by relative densities. The improved density model shows a transitional unit of high density at the base of the crust along the Teisseyre-Tornquist Zone. In the Western Carpathians, an extensive, relatively low-density unit was inferred in mid-crustal levels. The border zone between the Southern Carpathians and the Transylvanian basin is characterized by a sharp, step-like contact of the two crustal units. The Moho configuration reveals important information on the tectonic evolution of the region. Zones of continental collision are represented by thick Moho roots (Eastern Alps, Eastern Carpathians). Transpressional orogenic segments, however, are different: in the Western Carpathians, the Moho is a flat surface; in the Dinarides, a medium Moho root is observed; the Southern Carpathians are characterized by a thick crustal root. The differences are explained with the presence or absence of “subductible” oceanic crust along the Carpathians during the extrusion of Pannonian blocks.     

2-D seismic tomographic and ray tracing modelling of the crustal structure across the Sudetes Mountains basing on SUDETES 2003 experiment data

The seismic data obtained during SUDETES 2003 experiment are analysed, and detailed crustal structure for profiles S02, S03 and S06 is presented using three different 2-D techniques: (1) “smooth” tomography of refracted waves travel times, (2) ray tracing of reflected and refracted waves, and (3) joint velocity and depth of reflector tomographic inversion. In spite of different interpretation techniques used, the models of the crustal structure show common characteristic features. The low velocity (V_p < 4 km/s) sedimentary layer was documented in the northeastern part of the study area. The topmost basement has in general a velocity of 5.8–6.0 km/s, and velocities at ca. 20 km depth are 6.15–6.25 km/s. The strong reflecting boundaries were found at 20–23 and 25–28 km depth with a velocity contrast about 0.4 km/s, and the highest velocities in the lowermost crust are 6.8–7.2 km/s. In general, the crust of the Bohemian Massif is slightly thicker (33–35 km) than in the northern part of the area. Velocities beneath Moho are relatively low, of 7.95 km/s. On the basis of well recorded reflected waves, mantle reflectors were discovered in the depth interval ca. 40–70 km. Apart of new results for the geology and tectonics of the area, some conclusion could be made about different techniques used. In the 2-D case the “clasical” ray tracing method with using all correlated phases gives the most adequate model of the structure, because of full, manual control of the model creation. The “smooth” first arrival travel times tomography, although very fast, is not satisfactory enough to describe the complex structure. So, the best candidate in 3-D case seems to be travel time tomography for both refracted and reflected waves in multi-layers models.     

Crustal-scale seismic profiles across Taiwan and the western Philippine Sea

We have used combined onshore and offshore wide-angle seismic data sets to model the velocity structure of the Taiwan arc–continent collision along three cross-island transects. Although Taiwan is well known as a collisional orogen, relatively few data have been collected that reveal the deeper structure resulting from this lithospheric-scale process. Our southern transect crosses the Hengchun Peninsula of southernmost Taiwan and demonstrates characteristics of incipient collision. Here, 11-km-thick, transitional crust of the Eurasian plate (EUP) subducts beneath a large, rapidly growing accretionary prism. This prism also overrides the N. Luzon forearc to the east as it grows. Just west of the arc axis there is an abrupt discontinuity in the forearc velocity structure. Because this break is accompanied by intense seismicity, we interpret that the forearc block is being detached from the N. Luzon arc and Philippine Sea plate (PSP) at this point. Our middle transect illustrates the structure of the developing collision. Steep and overturned velocity contours indicate probable large-scale thrust boundaries across the orogen. The leading edge of the coherent PSP appears to extend to beneath the east coast of Taiwan. Deformation of the PSP is largely limited to the remnant N. Luzon arc with no evidence of crustal thickening to the east in the Huatung basin. Our northern transect illustrates slab–continent collision—the continuing collision of the PSP and EUP as the PSP subducts. The collisional contact is below 20 km depths along this transect NE of Hualien. This transect shows elements of the transition from arc–continent collision to Ryukyu arc subduction. Both of our models across the Central Range suggest that the Paleozoic to Mesozoic basement rocks there may have been emplaced as thick, coherent thrust sheets. This suggests a process of partial continental subduction followed by intra-crustal detachment and buoyancy-aided exhumation. Although our models provide previously unknown structural information about the Taiwan orogen, our data do not define the deepest orogenic structure nor the structure of western Taiwan. Additional seismic (active and passive), geologic, and geodynamic modeling work must be done to fully define the structure, the active deformation zones, and the key geodynamic process of the Taiwan arc–continent collision.     

Crustal memory and basin evolution in the Central European Basin System—new insights from a 3D structural model

The Central European Basin System (CEBS) is composed of a series of subbasins, the largest of which are (1) the Norwegian–Danish Basin (2), the North German Basin extending westward into the southern North Sea and (3) the Polish Basin. A 3D structural model of the CEBS is presented, which integrates the thickness of the crust below the Permian and five layers representing the Permian–Cenozoic sediments. Structural interpretations derived from the 3D model and from backstripping are discussed with respect to published seismic data. The analysis of structural relationships across the CEBS suggests that basin evolution was controlled to a large degree by the presence of major zones of crustal weakness. The NW–SE-striking Tornquist Zone, the Ringkøbing-Fyn High (RFH) and the Elbe Fault System (EFS) provided the borders for the large Permo–Mesozoic basins, which developed along axes parallel to these fault systems. The Tornquist Zone, as the most prominent of these zones, limited the area affected by Permian–Cenozoic subsidence to the north. Movements along the Tornquist Zone, the margins of the Ringkøbing-Fyn High and the Elbe Fault System could have influenced basin initiation. Thermal destabilization of the crust between the major NW–SE-striking fault systems, however, was a second factor controlling the initiation and subsidence in the Permo–Mesozoic basins. In the Triassic, a change of the regional stress field caused the formation of large grabens (Central Graben, Horn Graben, Glückstadt Graben) perpendicular to the Tornquist Zone, the Ringkøbing-Fyn High and the Elbe Fault System. The resulting subsidence pattern can be explained by a superposition of declining thermal subsidence and regional extension. This led to a dissection of the Ringkøbing-Fyn High, resulting in offsets of the older NW–SE elements by the younger N–S elements. In the Late Cretaceous, the NW–SE elements were reactivated during compression, the direction of which was such that it did not favour inversion of N–S elements. A distinct change in subsidence controlling factors led to a shift of the main depocentre to the central North Sea in the Cenozoic. In this last phase, N–S-striking structures in the North Sea and NW–SE-striking structures in The Netherlands are reactivated as subsidence areas which are in line with the direction of present maximum compression. The Moho topography below the CEBS varies over a wide range. Below the N–S-trending Cenozoic depocentre in the North Sea, the crust is only 20 km thick compared to about 30 km below the largest part of the CEBS. The crust is up to 40 km thick below the Ringkøbing-Fyn High and up to 45 km along the Teisseyre–Tornquist Zone. Crustal thickness gradients are present across the Tornquist Zone and across the borders of the Ringkøbing-Fyn High but not across the Elbe Fault System. The N–S-striking structural elements are generally underlain by a thinner crust than the other parts of the CEBS.The main fault systems in the Permian to Cenozoic sediment fill of the CEBS are located above zones in the deeper crust across which a change in geophysical properties as P-wave velocities or gravimetric response is observed. This indicates that these structures served as templates in the crustal memory and that the prerift configuration of the continental crust is a major controlling factor for the subsequent basin evolution.     

2-D Crustal thermal structure along Thuadara-Sindad DSS profile across Narmada-Son lineament,central India

Central India is traversed by a WSW-ENE trending Narmada-Son lineament (NSL) which is characterized by the presence of numerous hot springs, feeder dykes for Deccan Traps and seismicity all along its length. It is divided in two parts by the Barwani-Sukta Fault (BSF). To the west of this fault a graben exists, whereas to the east the basement is uplifted between Narmada North Fault (NNF) and Narmada South Fault (NSF). The present work deals with the 2-D thermal modeling to delineate the crustal thermal structure of the western part of NSL region along the Thuadara-Sindad Deep Seismic Sounding (DSS) profile which runs almost in the N-S direction across the NSL. Numerical results of the model reveal that the conductive surface heat flow value in the region under consideration varies between 45 and 47mW/m². Out of which 23mW/m² is the contribution from the mantle heat flow and the remaining from within the crust. The Curie depth is found to vary between 46 and 47 km and is in close agreement with the earlier reported Curie depth estimated from the analysis of MAGSAT data. The Moho temperature varies between 470 and 500°C. This study suggests that this western part of central Indian region is characterized by low mantle heat flow which in turn makes the lower crust brittle and amenable to the occurrence of deep focused earthquakes such as Satpura (1938) earthquake.     

Sharp contrast in lithospheric structure across the Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone as inferred by Rayleigh wave analysis of TOR1 project data

This work is a part of the TOR1 project (1996–1997) and is devoted to determining the lithospheric structure across the Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone in Northern Europe. For the first time in Europe, a very dense seismic broadband array has offered the possibility of determining very sharp lateral variations in the structure of the lithosphere at small scales using surface wave analysis. We measure phase velocities for Rayleigh waves with periods ranging between 10 and 100 s, both within arrays with apertures of 40–50 km (small compared to the wavelength), and along long profiles of at least 100 km. Dispersion curves are then inverted and shear-wave velocity models down to the depth of 200 km are proposed. We show that the Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone is a major tectonic feature within the whole lithosphere. North–east of this feature, in Sweden beneath the Baltic Shield, no lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary is observed to exist to depths of 200 km. South–west of the Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone, beneath Denmark, we find a lithospheric thickness of 120±20 km. The transition across the Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone is sharp and determined to be very steeply dipping to the south–west. We also demonstrate the existence of a sharp discontinuity between the lithospheres beneath Denmark (120±20 km thick) and beneath Germany (characterized by thicknesses of 50±10 km in the northernmost part and 100±20 km in the southwest). This discontinuity is most likely related to the Trans-European Fault at the surface.     

3-D upper crustal tomographic structure across the Vrancea seismic zone, Romania

The VRANCEA99 and VRANCEA2001 seismic refraction experiments are part of a multidisciplinary project to study the Eastern Carpathians in Romania. The objectives of these studies are intended to disclose a more detailed picture of the crustal and upper mantle structures above the seismically active Vrancea region. In this paper we provide additional constraints for the upper crustal structures of the area. The 1999 campaign consisted of a 320-km-long N–S profile and a 70-km-long E–W profile. The intersecting 2001 profile extended in E–W direction from the Hungarian border to the Black Sea. In order to enhance the model resolution, first arrival data from local crustal earthquakes were also included.This configuration allowed for the first time to derive a 3-D velocity model for the upper crust of the Romanian Carpathian Orogen, within a 115×235 km wide region, centred over the Vrancea seismic zone. The 3-D model reveals lateral velocity variations, which were not visible on the in-line interpretations. It allows us to distinguish between foreland platform areas, foreland basins and the Carpathian Orogen. Clear velocity differences between the foreland basins south and southeast of the Eastern Carpathians and the Focsani Basin further north indicate different pre-Miocene sedimentary compositions and geological evolutions of these foreland platforms. The involved Moesian and Scythian platforms are separated by the Trotus Fault system, which is observed as a velocity discontinuity. An upper crustal high-velocity zone, above the northern Vrancea seismic zone, could also be identified. This high-velocity zone is explained by a Middle Pliocene to Pleistocene E–W oriented out-of-sequence thrust of the crystalline basement, below the decollement of the flysch nappes.     

Crustal structure of the ancestral northwestern California forearc region from seismic reflection imaging: implications for convergent margin tectonics

Analysis of a suite of 2-D seismic reflection profiles reveals that the northwestern Sacramento Valley and eastern Coast Range foothills, northern California, are underlain by a system of blind, west-dipping thrust faults. Homoclinally east-dipping and folded Mesozoic marine forearc strata exposed along the western valley margin define the forelimbs of northeast-vergent fault-propagation folds developed in the hanging walls of the thrusts. Exhumed coherent blueschists of the accretionary complex and attenuated remnants of the ophiolitic forearc basement presently exposed in the eastern Coast Ranges are in the hanging wall of the blind thrust system, and have been displaced from their roots in the footwall. Deep, east-dipping magnetic reflectors in the footwall of the thrust system may be fragments of sheared, serpentinized and attenuated ophiolitic basement. Restoration of slip on the thrusts suggests that the Coast Range fault, which is the exposed structural contact between the coherent blueschists and attenuated ophiolite, originally dipped east and is associated with the east-dipping magnetic reflectors in the footwall. This interpretation of the reflection data is consistent with previous inferences about the deep structure in this region, and supports a two-stage model for blueschist exposure in the eastern Coast Ranges: (1) blueschist exhumation relative to the forearc basin by attenuation of the ophiolitic basement along the east-dipping Coast Range fault system in late Cretaceous; (2) blueschists, attenuated ophiolite, and forearc strata all were subsequently uplifted and folded in the hanging wall of the blind thrust system beginning in latest Cretaceous–early Tertiary. The blind thrust system probably rooted in, and was antithetic to, the east-dipping subduction zone beneath the forearc region. Active transpressional plate motion in western California is locally accommodated, in part, by reactivation of blind thrust faults that originally developed during the convergent regime.     

江南造山带中段地壳结构与成矿启示：基于广昌-浏阳剖面接收函数的认识

江南造山带位于华南大陆扬子块体和华夏块体之间，其深部地壳结构与变形特征记录了扬子块体与华夏块体拼合与相互作用的痕迹，且在其内部与邻区发育了丰富的多金属矿床，并形成了巨型Cu-Au-Pb-Zn-Ag多金属成矿带，是深化认识华南大陆地壳演化、岩浆作用与成矿系统的关键地域。针对华南大陆地区的地壳结构与成矿过程，国家科技重点研发计划“华南陆内成矿系统的深部过程与物质响应”项目在该区实施了一条密集宽频带地震流动探测剖面，旨在探测其深部结构与物性变化特征和深部成矿背景。本文利用其中江西广昌-湖南浏阳段长320km的宽频带地震流动台站数据开展了远震P波接收函数研究，获得了剖面辖区深部地壳结构和V_p/V_s变化特征。研究结果表明：(1)剖面Moho界面深度在29～35km之间变化，呈近穹窿状分布，平均Moho界面深度为31km左右，低于全球大陆地壳平均值，且与地形高程在整体上呈镜像相关，均衡程度较好；(2)剖面沿线地壳V_p/V_s在1.64～1.83之间呈波浪状起伏变化，平均值为1.72左右，且华夏块体略高于江南造山带...     

Crustal structure of the Paleozoic Kunlun orogeny from an active-source seismic profile between Moba and Guide in East Tibet, China

We herein present a new seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection profile that crosses the Songpan–Ganzi terrane, the Animaqing suture zone and the eastern Kunlun mountains (comprised of the South Kunlun and Middle Kunlun blocks separated by the Middle Kunlun fault). The profile is 380 km long and extends from Moba to Guide in eastern Tibet. The crustal thickness is about 62 km under the Songpan–Ganzi terrane, 62–64 km under the South Kunlun, and 60 km under the Middle Kunlun block. The Songpan–Ganzi flysch seems to be present up to a depth of 15 km south of the Animaqing suture zone, and up to a depth of 10 km in the Middle Kunlun block, with thicknesses elsewhere that depend on assumptions about the likely lithologies. The profile exhibits clear lateral variations both in the upper and lower crust, which are indicative of different crustal blocks juxtaposed by the Kunlun fault system. Whether or not the Songpan–Ganzi flysch was originally deposited on oceanic crust, at the longitude of our profile (100°E) it is now underlain by continental crust, and the presence of continental crust beneath the Songpan–Ganzi terrane and of a continental arc under the South Kunlun block suggest Paleozoic continent–continent arc collision in the eastern Kunlun Mountains. Comparison of crustal velocity columns from all wide-angle seismic profiles across the eastern Kunlun mountains indicates a remarkable west-to-east change in the Moho topography across the Kunlun fault system (15–20 km Moho step at 95°E, but only 2–5 km along our profile at 100°E). Lower-crustal thickness of the Kunlun terranes is rather uniform, about 35 km, from 80°–95°E, which suggests that similar thrust-thickening processes have played a role where the Qaidam Basin abuts the Kunlun fault, but thins to 20–25 km at 100°E, east of the Qaidam Basin. The increased crustal thickness from 93° to 98°E compared to that at 100°E may be due to the differences in the thickness of the crust of the two plates before their collision, and/or largely achieved by thickening of the lower crust, perhaps indicating a crustal flow mechanism operating more strongly in the western region.     

Orogenic structure of the Eastern Alps, Europe, from TRANSALP deep seismic reflection profiling

The TRANSALP Group, comprising of partner institutions from Italy, Austria and Germany, acquired data on a 340 km long deep seismic reflection line crossing the Eastern Alps between Munich and Venice. Although the field work was split into four campaigns, between fall 1998 and summer 2001, the project gathered for the first time a continuous profile across the Alps using consistent field acquisition and data processing parameters. These sections span the orogen itself, at its broadest width, as well as the editor Fred Davey and the two adjacent basins. Vibroseis and explosion data, complementary in their depth penetration and resolution characteristics, were obtained along with wide-angle and teleseismic data. The profile shows a bi-vergent asymmetric structure of the crust beneath the Alpine axis which reaches a maximum thickness of 55 km, and 80–100 km long transcrustal ramps, the southward dipping ‘Sub-Tauern-Ramp’ and the northward-dipping ‘Sub-Dolomites-Ramp’. Strongly reflective patterns of these ramps can be traced towards the north to the Inn Valley and towards the south to the Valsugana thrust belt, both of which show enhanced seismicity in the brittle upper crust. The seismic sections do not reveal any direct evidence for the presence of the Periadriatic Fault system, the presumed equivalent to the Insubric Line in the Western Alps. According to our new evolutionary model, the Sub-Tauern-Ramp is linked at depth with remnants of the subducted Penninic Ocean. The ‘crocodile’-type model describes an upper/lower crustal decoupling and wedging of both the European and the Adriatic–African continents.     

The crustal structure of the Guayana Shield, Venezuela, from seismic refraction and gravity data

We present results from a seismic refraction experiment on the northern margin of the Guayana Shield performed during June 1998, along nine profiles of up to 320 km length, using the daily blasts of the Cerro Bolívar mines as energy source, as well as from gravimetric measurements. Clear Moho arrivals can be observed on the main E–W profile on the shield, whereas the profiles entering the Oriental Basin to the north are more noisy. The crustal thickness of the shield is unusually high with up to 46 km on the Archean segment in the west and 43 km on the Proterozoic segment in the east. A 20 km thick upper crust with P-wave velocities between 6.0 and 6.3 km/s can be separated from a lower crust with velocities ranging from 6.5 to 7.2 km/s. A lower crustal low velocity zone with a velocity reduction to 6.3 km/s is observed between 25 and 25 km depth. The average crustal velocity is 6.5 km/s. The changes in the Bouguer Anomaly, positive (30 mGal) in the west and negative (−20 mGal) in the east, cannot be explained by the observed seismic crustal features alone. Lateral variations in the crust or in the upper mantle must be responsible for these observations.     

Devonian-Cretaceous repeated subsidence and uplift along the Teisseyre-Tornquist zone in SE Poland — Insight from seismic data interpretation

The Teisseyre-Tornquist Zone that separates the East European Craton from the Palaeozoic Platform forms one of the most fundamental lithospheric boundaries in Europe. Devonian to Cretaceous-Paleogene evolution of the SE segment of this zone was analyzed using high-quality seismic reflection data that provided detailed information regarding entire Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary cover, with particular focus on problems of Late Carboniferous and Late Cretaceous-Paleogene basin inversion and uplift. Two previously proposed models of development and inversion of the Devonian-Carboniferous Lublin Basin seem to only partly explain configuration of this sedimentary basin. A new model includes Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous reverse faulting within the cratonic area NE from the Kock fault zone, possibly first far-field effect of the Variscan orogeny. This was followed by Late Carboniferous inversion of the Lublin Basin. Inversion tectonics was associated with strike-slip movements along the Ursynów-Kazimierz fault zone, and thrusting along the Kock fault zone possibly triggered by deeper strike-slip movements. Late Carboniferous inversion-related deformations along the NE boundary of the Lublin Basin were associated with some degree of ductile (quasi-diapiric) deformation facilitated by thick series of Silurian shales. During Mesozoic extension and development of the Mid-Polish Trough major fault zones within the Lublin Basin remained mostly inactive, and subsidence centre moved to the SW, towards the Nowe Miasto-Zawichost fault zone and further to the SW into the present-day Holy Cross Mts. area. Late Cretaceous-Paleogene inversion of the Mid-Polish Trough and formation of the Mid-Polish Swell was associated with reactivation of inherited deeper fault zones, and included also some strike-slip faulting. The study area provides well-documented example of the foreland plate within which repeated basin inversion related to compressive/transpressive deformations was triggered by active orogenic processes at the plate margin (i.e. Variscan or Carpathian orogeny) and involved important strike-slip reactivation of crustal scale inherited fault zones belonging to the Teisseyre-Tornquist Zone.