Main features of crustal structure in western and southern Europe based on data of explosion seismology

During the past two decades deep seismic sounding measurements have been carried out in western and southern Europe, mainly using the refraction method. These investigations were performed partly on a national basis but as well within international cooperative programs under the sponsorship of the European Seismological Commission.

In France, a systematic study has been executed to determine the main feature of deep structures under the Central Massif and the Paris Basin. In the Forez and Margeride regions, the sub-crustal velocity is lower (7.2 km/sec) than the normal value (8.0 km/sec) observed in the adjacent areas.

The central and southern part of Western Germany is covered by an extensive network of refraction profiles. The crustal thickness varies, similarly to France, from 25 to 35 km. A great amount of deep reflection data was obtained by commercial and special reflection work. The crust beneath the Rhinegraben area shows the typical “rift system” structure with a low subcrustal velocity (7.4–7.7 km/sec).

Very intensive refraction work has been carried out in the Alpine area. The maximum crustal thickness found near the axis of the negative gravity anomaly is about 55–60 km. Furthermore, a clear lowvelocity layer at a depth between 10 and 30 km has been detected. A key position with regard to the geotectonic structure of the Alps is held by the zone of Ivrea characterized by a pronounced gravity high. From the refraction work it may be concluded that there material of the lower crust and the upper mantle (7.2–7.5 km/sec) is overlying a layer of extremely low velocity (5.0 km/sec) which is interpreted as sialic crust.

Three years ago, a systematic study of crustal structure of the Italian peninsula has been started. Reversed profiles were observed on Sicily, in Calabria, and in Puglia. On Sicily, the structure is very complicated; the crust of the western part looks like a transition between a continental and oceanic structure whereas the eastern side shows a continental-type crust. In Calabria and Puglia, the crustal thickness has been determined to be about 25–35 km.     

The crustal structure of the western Po plain: reconstruction from integrated geological and seismic data

A reflection/refraction seismic experiment performed in 1991 in the western Po plain gave basic data to constrain the interpretation of the crustal structures across the Alps/Apennines junction zones. Two different seismic domains, north and south of the western supposed prosecution of the Villalvernia-Varzi line, are evidenced from the interpretation of the data. The boundary between the two domains is characterized by strong lateral variations from southern high to northern low velocity layers. The northward abrupt deepening of the refractor/reflector basement is followed at depth by a similar deepening of the crust/mantle boundary. The geological interpretation evidences domains with coherent and independent evolution at surface level juxtaposed along oblique discontinuities cutting across the crust. A peculiar feature is the presence of both crust and mantle north-verging wedges into the crustal structure and the overthrust at depth of the 'alpine' metamorphic crust onto the 'apenninic' nappes (Monferrato region).     

Structure of the uppermost mantle from long-range seismic observations in southern Germany and the Rhinegraben area

The crustal structure has been determined in the area between the Lorraine, the Bohemian massif and the northern Alps with considerable detail in recent years. But up to now little has been known about the velocity—depth structure of the uppermost mantle in this area. The situation changed recently when two recent seismic events near the northern and southern end of the Rhinegraben rift system were recorded to distances of 400 km. The explosions at the westernmost shotpoint of the international alpine refraction profile in 1975 were also observed in the Rhinegraben area up to the same distance. Earlier refraction seismic experiments between Steinbrunn near Basle and Boehmischbruck at the western border of the Bohemian massif also reach distances of 400 km. All these data lead to the rather high P-wave velocities of 8.5–8.6 km/s at depths between 40 and 50 km. These velocities are considerably higher than the average velocities of 8.2 km/s under other areas of western and central Europe, as for example the Bretagne in northwestern France and the North German Plain. There are indications of a minor velocity inversion in the uppermost mantle between Steinbrunn and Boehmischbruck. From the dispersion of surface waves there is good evidence that the regional high P-wave velocities are limited to a certain depth range only. This indicates rather pronounced lateral variations of the velocity—depth structure in the uppermost mantle of central Europe.     

贵州东南部榕江加里东褶皱带内的现今地应力分布特征及构造分析

贵州东南部位于盖层极不发育的榕江加里东褶皱带内,为查明该区域内的地应力状态,在贵州省黔南州境内进行了7个钻孔的水压致裂地应力测量工作,同时结合贵州西部已有研究结果和贵州西北部1个钻孔的地应力测量资料,对贵州东南部与西部和西北部的地应力分布差异进行了对比研究,最后结合断层的活动性质以及Byerlee准则探讨了测孔区域断层的稳定性,结果表明:水平主应力在研究区占主导地位,最大水平主应力方向表现为北西向;根据安德森断层理论,三向主应力的相对大小有利于逆断层和走滑断层的活动,这与研究区发育的活动断层性质相对应;最大和最小水平主应力的线性拟合结果表明,研究区水平主应力的梯度大于黔西煤层地区、广西盆地东北部和全国的地应力梯度值,最大水平主应力的值在相近深度上大于黔西、黔西北地区和广西盆地东北部;三都断裂带附近存在较高的构造应力,μ_m值（最大剪应力与平均主应力的比值）较高,表明断层处于摩擦极限平衡状态;而三江-融安断裂两侧的构造作用存在较为明显的差异,西侧的构造作用强于东侧;虽然部分钻孔内的μ_m值都处于高值,但区域应力方向与断层多以较大角度相交,因此断层是稳定的,这与研究区的地震活动性相吻合。      

鄂尔多斯临兴西区深煤层地应力场特征及应力变化分析

大小及方向对深部煤层气开发影响显著。以鄂尔多斯东缘临兴西区为对象, 基于实 验测试、井壁崩落法和断层摩擦系数地应力法,分析了三向主应力方向与大小,阐释了基本特征及其空间发育规律。结果显示：8号煤层垂向应力介于44.94 ~ 50.46 MPa,平均48.47MPa;水平最大主应力介于35.16 ~ 44.53 MPa,平均40.62MPa;水平最小主应力介于28.79~39.45 MPa,平均33.02MPa。9号煤层垂向应力介于45.03~ 50.46 MPa,平均48.57MPa;水平最大主应力介于35.33~44.53 MPa,平均40.69MPa;水平最小主应力介于29.01 ~ 39.45 MPa,平均33.11MPa。误差分析显示此地应力计算结果可靠。三向地应力大小与埋深呈正相关关系。在垂向上,三向地应力相对大小表现出明显分带性,即埋深＜1000m左右为Sh＜Sv＜SH为特征的剪切型地应力带、埋深介于1000~1800m 表现为Sh＜SH＜Sv过渡带、埋深>1800m左右表现为Sh＜SH＜Sv为特征的正断型地应力带。在平面上,地应力在平面上总体呈西北部低、中部与南部高、其余地区适中,主要在T-23-2井和T-19井区存在应力低值带。最大水平主应力地应力方向主要以EW-NEE向为主。地应力场的阐释将为研究区深煤层储层物性评价、勘探选区及钻完井工程设计提供地质参考。     

Crustal structure from deep seismic soundings along the Koyna II (Kelsi-Loni) profile in the Deccan Trap area, India

The crustal depth section obtained from deep seismic soundings along the Koyna II (Kelsi-Loni) profile, which lies near latitude 18°N roughly in the east-west direction in that part of the Deccan Trap Maharashtra State, India, shows a number of reflection segments below the Deccan Traps down to the Moho discontinuity. A deep fault below the Deccan Traps 13 km east of Mahad divides the entire cross-section including the Moho boundary into two crustal blocks. The reflection segments show updip towards the west coast in the western block. The Moho discontinuity which is at a depth of 39 km near the deep fault starts rising towards the coast, reaching a depth of 31.5 km at the west coast. The eastern block is thrown up by 1.5 km with respect to the western block along the deep fault. A structural contour map of the Moho discontinuity for the Koyna reservoir area has been prepared from the present results and the crustal information obtained along the Koyna I profile (Kaila et al., 1979a), shows that the deep fault in the Koyna area is aligned in the NNW-SSE direction.Refraction seismic data analysis by the wave front method reveals that the thickness of the Deccan Trap increases towards the west coast. The Deccan Trap is 600–700 m thick in the eastern region between Nira (SP 130) and Loni (SP 200) and attains a thickness of 1500 m at 10 km east of the west coast. The longitudinal wave velocity in the Deccan Traps along the profile varies from 4.8 to 5.0 km/sec and in the crystalline basement from 6.0 to 6.15 km/sec. A tentative isopach contour map of the Deccan Traps and a tentative structural contour map of the Pre-Deccan Trap contact have been prepared for the Koyna reservoir area from the results along the Koyna II and Koyna I profiles. A flexure aligned in a NNW-SSE direction, in the Pre-Deccan Trap contact, which is an expression of the deep fault into the basement, has been clearly brought out. The flexure coincides in general with the orientation of the Deccan volcanic scarp in this area.     

青藏高原东北缘海原-六盘山断裂带现今地壳应力环境的数值分析

海原-六盘山断裂是青藏高原东北缘的大型边界断裂带,是中国大陆典型的地震危险区。地壳构造加载特征的定量研究有助于分析区域孕震环境,参考青藏高原东北缘GPS形变和岩石圈精细结构等资料,本文建立海原-六盘山断裂带周缘的三维岩石圈分层模型,分析现今构造加载作用下区域地壳形变和应力演化特征。数值计算结果显示:青藏高原东北缘现今处于以北东-南西向的水平挤压为主导和北西-南东向的水平引张的变形特征。青藏高原东北缘中-下地壳流变性质影响上覆脆性地壳应力环境,中地壳较低粘滞系数对应的模型地壳应力计算值与研究区实际地壳应力场相近。海原断裂中-西段构造加载作用显著,具有相对较高的库仑应力积累和最大剪应力分布;而六盘山断裂周缘地壳应力和最大剪应力小于海原断裂带。构造应力积累的空间分布差异说明六盘山断裂具有较弱的构造孕震环境,而研究区走滑型断裂的孕震加载作用显著。尽管六盘山处于较低的应力状态,但仍不能轻易忽视其长期存在的强震空区所暗示的发震潜力。     

宽角反射、折射地震数据与重力数据综合解释龙门山及邻近地区地壳结构

青藏高原东部的隆升机制一直都是地学界的研究热点,研究学者们提出和发展了多种岩石圈变形模型,而存在多种模型的主要原因之一是对青藏高原东部地壳及岩石圈结构认识不足。本文主要针对SinoProbe-02项目横跨龙门山断裂带、全长400多公里的宽角、折射地震数据及重力数据进行联合反演和综合解释。研究结果表明,龙门山及邻近地区地壳结构可明确划分为上地壳、中地壳和下地壳。上地壳上层为沉积层,龙门山断裂带以西大部分区域被三叠纪复理岩覆盖,而在龙日坝断裂与岷江断裂之间出现了密度为2.7g/cm³的高速异常体;向东靠近龙门山地区,沉积层厚度逐渐减薄。中地壳速度变化不均一,而且变形强烈;若尔盖盆地和龙门山断裂带下方出现明显低速带;中地壳在龙门山西侧厚度加厚,在岷江断裂下方和四川盆地靠近龙门山断裂带地区附近厚度达到最大。莫霍面整体深度从东往西增厚,最厚可达56 km。本次研究得到的地壳结构和密度分布分析结果表明现有的地壳厚度和物质组成不足以支撑龙门山及邻近地区目前所达到的隆升高度,因此四川盆地刚性基底西缘因挤压作用产生的弯曲应力也是该地区抬升的重要条件之一。     

Preliminary Results of In-situ Stress Measurements along the Longmenshan Fault Zone after the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 Earthquake

Four months after the Wenchuan Ms 8 earthquake in western Sichuan, China, in situ stress measurements were carried out along the Longmenshan fault zone with the purpose of obtaining stress parameters for earthquake hazard assessment. In-situ stresses were measured in three new boreholes by using overcoring with the piezomagnetic stress gauges for shallow depths and hydraulic fracturing for lower depths. The maximum horizontal stress in shallow depths (～20 m) is about 4.3 MPa, oriented NI9°E, in the epicenter area at Yingxiu Town, about 9.7 MPa, oriented N51°W, at Baoxing County in the southwestern Longmenshan range, and about 2.6 MPa, oriented N39°E, near Kangding in the southernmost zone of the Longmenshan range. Hydraulic fracturing at borehole depths from 100 to 400 m shows a tendency towards increasing stress with depth. A comparison with the results measured before the Wenchuan earthquake along the Longmenshan zone and in the Tibetan Plateau demonstrates that the stress level remains relatively high in the southwestern segment of the Longmenshan range, and is still moderate in the epicenter zone. These results provide a key appraisal for future assessment of earthquake hazards of the Longmenshan fault zone and the aftershock occurrences of the Wenchuan earthquake.     

汶川地震后沿龙门山裂断带原地应力测量初步结果

2008年5月12日在中国四川省西部汶川发生Ms8.0地震,震中位于青藏东缘龙门山断裂带。地震发生后的4个月,沿龙门山断裂带中南段开展了原地应力测量,获得了3个测点的应力大小和方向。在3个测孔中浅部采用压磁应力解除法,深部采用水压致裂法。浅部测量结果显示,位于震中区映秀测点,水平最大主应力值为4.3MPa,最大主应力方向为N19°E;宝兴测点位于震中区西南的龙门山断裂带南段,汶川地震没有导致该段地表破裂,该点获得的水平最大主应力值为9.8MPa,最大主应力方向为N51°W;位于龙门山断裂带最西南端的康定测点,水平最大主应力值为2.6MPa,最大主应力方向为N39°E。利用水压致裂法对各钻孔100～400m深度进行了应力测量,获得了应力随深度变化趋势和应力状态。与震前其它应力测量结果和中国其它地区表层地应力测量结果比较,龙门山断裂带西南段处于相对高应力水平,震中区仍处于中等应力水平。这项研究成果将为评价龙门山断裂带余震和今后强震发展趋势提供关键构造物理参数。     

Preliminary Results of In‐situ Stress Measurements along the Longmenshan Fault Zone after the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 Earthquake

Abstract: Four months after the Wenchuan Ms 8 earthquake in western Sichuan, China, in situ stress measurements were carried out along the Longmenshan fault zone with the purpose of obtaining stress parameters for earthquake hazard assessment. In-situ stresses were measured in three new boreholes by using overcoring with the piezomagnetic stress gauges for shallow depths and hydraulic fracturing for lower depths. The maximum horizontal stress in shallow depths (~20 m) is about 4.3 MPa, oriented N19°E, in the epicenter area at Yingxiu Town, about 9.7 MPa, oriented N51°W, at Baoxing County in the southwestern Longmenshan range, and about 2.6 MPa, oriented N39°E, near Kangding in the southernmost zone of the Longmenshan range. Hydraulic fracturing at borehole depths from 100 to 400 m shows a tendency towards increasing stress with depth. A comparison with the results measured before the Wenchuan earthquake along the Longmenshan zone and in the Tibetan Plateau demonstrates that the stress level remains relatively high in the southwestern segment of the Longmenshan range, and is still moderate in the epicenter zone. These results provide a key appraisal for future assessment of earthquake hazards of the Longmenshan fault zone and the aftershock occurrences of the Wenchuan earthquake.     

Deep conductivity structure beneath the northern Brasília belt,central Brazil: Evidence for a Neoproterozoic arc-continent collision

The Brasília belt, in central Brazil, experienced a broad range of tectonic events, including several periods of compressional and extensional deformations during the Proterozoic. Magnetotelluric data were collected at 27 sites along a profile crossing the northern part of the belt. Strike analysis and distortion decomposition indicated that most of the data are two-dimensional (2D) and fit a regional geoelectric strike angle of N20E, parallel to the tectonic grain. 2D conductivity model is constrained by available gravity and seismic refraction data and reveals the cumulative effects of the multiple tectonomagmatic episodes that affected the area in the past on current crustal and upper mantle structure. The results show that the resistive lithospheric root of the São Francisco cratonic plate is restricted to the easternmost part of the profile and does not extend westward beneath the Brasília belt. The external zone of the fold belt, composed of slightly metamorphosed rocks at the surface, presents crustal conductors that can be tentatively interpreted as regions with fossil fluid flows at mid-crust depth beneath a gold mineralization zone and as a very shallow mineralized zone within the metamorphic rocks. The external zone is separated to the west from the Goiás massif by a strong conductivity contrast, indicative of a suture zone along the Rio Maranhão fault system. Crustal conductivity structure under the Niquelândia complex is distinct from what is observed in other parts of the Goiás massif, in agreement with the proposal of the complex being an allochthonous block. In spite of the large tectonothermal events that affected the Goiás magmatic arc there are no significant conductive anomalies at crustal depths in its eastern side. The most prominent feature detected in the geoelectric model is a huge high conductivity anomaly below the entire Goiás massif in the central part of the belt, mainly concentrated at the uppermost mantle but also affecting mid to lower crustal depths. It can be interpreted as associated with thermal events either related to Mesoproterozoic and/or Neoproterozoic continental rifting processes or to delamination and detachment processes at the end of the evolution of the belt, in the Neoproterozoic. Effects related to oceanic lithosphere subduction during the collision and accretion of the Goiás massif and Goiás magmatic arc to the western passive margin of the São Francisco cratonic plate in the Neoproterozoic may alternatively explain the anomaly.     

Depths to density discontinuities beneath the Adamawa Plateau region, Central Africa, from spectral analyses of new and existing gravity data

New gravity data from the Adamawa Uplift region of Cameroon have been integrated with existing gravity data from central and western Africa to examine variations in crustal structure throughout the region. The new data reveal steep northeast-trending gradients in the Bouguer gravity anomalies that coincide with the Sanaga Fault Zone and the Foumban Shear Zone, both part of the Central African Shear Zone lying between the Adamawa Plateau and the Congo Craton. Four major density discontinuities in the lithosphere have been determined within the lithosphere beneath the Adamawa Uplift in central Cameroon using spectral analysis of gravity data: (1) 7–13 km; (2) 19–25 km; (3) 30–37 km; and (4) 75–149 km. The deepest density discontinuities determined at 75–149 km depth range agree with the presence of an anomalous low velocity upper mantle structure at these depths deduced from earlier teleseismic delay time studies and gravity forward modelling. The 30–37 km depths agree with the Moho depth of 33 km obtained from a seismic refraction experiment in the region. The intermediate depth of 20 km obtained within region D may correspond to shallower Moho depth beneath parts of the Benue and Yola Rifts where seismic refraction data indicate a crustal thickness of 23 km. The 19–20 km depths and 8–12 km depths estimated in boxes encompassing the Adamawa Plateau and Cameroon Volcanic Line may may correspond to mid-crustal density contrasts associated with volcanic intrusions, as these depths are less than depths of 25 and 13 km, respectively, in the stable Congo Craton to the south.     

Geophysical images of the creeping segment of the San Andreas fault: implications for the role of crustal fluids in the earthquake process

High-resolution magnetotelluric (MT) studies of the San Andreas fault (SAF) near Hollister, CA have imaged a zone of high fluid content flanking the San Andreas fault and extending to midcrustal depths. This zone, extending northeastward to the Calaveras fault, is imaged as several focused regions of high conductivity, believed to be the expression of tectonically bound fluid pockets separated by northeast dipping, impermeable fault seals. Furthermore, the spatial relationship between this zone and local seismicity suggests that where present, fluids inhibit seismicity within the upper crust (0–4 km). The correlation of coincident seismic and electromagnetic tomography models is used to sharply delineate geologic and tectonic boundaries. These studies show that the San Andreas fault plane is vertical below 2 km depth, bounding the southwest edge of the imaged fault-zone conductor (FZC). Thus, in the region of study, the San Andreas fault acts both as a conduit for along-strike fluid flow and a barrier for fluid flow across the fault. Combined with previous work, these results suggest that the geologic setting of the San Andreas fault gives rise to the observed distribution of fluids in and surrounding the fault, as well as the observed along-strike variation in seismicity.     

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.     

Metamorphism and deformation at different structural levels in a strike-slip fault zone, Ross Lake fault, North Cascades, USA

Continental crust is displaced in strike-slip fault zones through lateral and vertical movement that together drive burial and exhumation. Pressure – temperature–deformation ( P–T–d ) histories of orogenic crust exhumed in transcurrent zones record the mechanisms and conditions of these processes. The Skagit Gneiss Complex, a migmatitic unit of the North Cascades, Washington (USA), was metamorphosed at depths of ∼25–30 km in a continental arc under contraction, and is bounded on its eastern side by the long-lived transcurrent Ross Lake fault zone (RLFZ). The P–T–d conditions recorded by rocks on either side of the RLFZ vary along the length of the fault zone, but most typically the fault separates high-grade gneiss and plutons from lower-grade rocks. The Ruby Mt–Elijah Ridge area at the eastern margin of the Skagit Gneiss exposes tectonic contacts between gneiss and overlying rocks; the latter rocks, including slivers of Methow basin deposits, are metamorphosed and record higher-grade metamorphism than in correlative rocks along strike along the RLFZ. In this area, the Skagit Gneiss and overlying units all yield maximum P–T conditions of 8–10 kbar at >650 °C, indicating that slices of basin rocks were buried to similar mid-crustal depths as the gneiss. After exhumation of fault zone rocks to <15 km depth, intrusion of granitoid plutons drove contact metamorphism, resulting in texturally late andalusite–cordierite in garnet schist. In the Elijah Ridge area of the RLFZ, an overlapping step-over or series of step-overs that evolved through time may have facilitated burial and exhumation of a deep slice of the Methow basin, indicating that strike-slip faults can have major vertical displacement (tens of kilometres) that is significant during the crustal thickening and exhumation stages of orogeny.     

The collisional knot in Liguria

A series of 8 new seismic refraction profiles were computed as extensions of the borehole controlled reflection profiles of the Po plain into the northern Apennines and the Ligurian Alps. They help to more clearly define the subsurface structure of this intricate ‘Ligurian knot’. In particular, it has been possible to identify a number of high velocity bodies, and they may be correlated with such geological entities as the Adriatic Mesozoic, ophiolites of the Apenninic Liguride nappes, and ophiolites or Mesozoic carbonates underlying the Antola flysch in the Alpine part of the knot. When combining the refraction and reflection lines, these bodies appear to be bounded by important dislocation surfaces, such as the Padanide sole thrust (Plio-Pleistocene), the Villalvernia Varzi line (Oligo-Miocene), the Ottone-Levanto line (Oligo-Miocene), and the Volpedo-Valle Salimbene fault (Oligo-Miocene; reactivated as a transfer fault in the Plio-Pleistocene). The 3D geometry may be interpreted in terms of regional kinematics and is compatible with a model that envisages an Oligo-Early Miocene NW translation of the Adriatic indenter, coupled with collapse in the Provençal-Ligurian sea and rotation of the Sardinia-Liguria complex into the roll-back of the Adriatic subduction zone. The refraction interpretations, extending to a depth of 15 km, are supplemented by data on the Moho configuration obtained for the European Geotraverse. The Moho appears to be dissected into a series of patches which may be interpreted in terms of the shallow crustal configuration and its history. In particular, the deepest patch appears to be terminated by the Volpedo-Valle Salimbene fault, which consequently would displace the entire crust.     

Seismic measurements in the southern Dead Sea

A seismic refraction profile and several seismic CDP reflection lines were recently occupied in the southwestern part of the Dead Sea. The seismic data, which are of good quality, give a clear picture of the structure of the area. The western flank of the rift comprises a series of step faults, downthrown to the east with a total throw of some 7 km at which depth the Cretaceous base of the post-Cretaceous fill is located. On the east—west lines the base of the fill dips to the east while on the north—south lines this complex dips to the south with a change in direction of dip being evident in the southern portion of this profile. The post-Cretaceous sediments reach a maximum thickness of 7 km but may be even thicker eastward near the main eastern rift fault. These sediments are gently folded, possibly due to differential compaction and are dislocated by small-magnitude adjustment faults. Lateral transition from bedded layers of salt in the graben fill to a diapir is clearly seen.     

Geophysical Study of the Valle Fértil Lineament Between 28°45′S and 31°30′S: Boundary Between the Cuyania and Pampia Terranes

A gravimetric and magnetometric study was carried out in the north-eastern portion of the Cuyania terrane and adjacent Pampia terrane. Gravimetric models permitted to interpret the occurrence of dense materials at the suture zone between the latter terranes. Magnetometric models led to propose the existence of different susceptibilities on either side of the suture. The Curie temperature point depth, representing the lower boundary of the magnetised crust, was found to be located at 25 km, consistent with the lower limit of the brittle crust delineated by seismic data; this unusually thick portion of the crust is thought to release stress producing significant seismicity.

Moho depths determined from seismic studies near western Sierras Pampeanas are significantly greater than those obtained from gravimetric crustal models.

Considering mass and gravity changes originated by the flat-slab Nazca plate along Cuyania and western Pampia terranes, it is possible to reconcile Moho thickness obtained either by seismic or by gravity data. Thus, topography and crustal thickness are controlled not only by erosion and shortening but by upper mantle heterogeneities produced by: (a) the oceanic subducted Nazca plate with “normal slope” also including asthenospheric materials between both continental and oceanic lithospheres; (b) flat-slab subducted Nazca plate (as shown in this work) without significant asthenospheric materials between both lithospheres. These changes influence the relationship between topographic altitudes and crustal thickness in different ways, differing from the simple Airy system relationship and modifying the crustal scale shortening calculation. These changes are significantly enlarged in the study area. Future changes in Nazca Plate slope will produce changes in the isostatic balance.     

A three-dimensional crustal model of southwest Germany derived from seismic refraction data

From densely covered seismic refraction data obtained in 1978 (Urach experiment) and 1984 (“Schwarzer Zollern-Wald” experiment) and from seismic reflection data and results from previous refraction investigations, a three-dimensional crustal model of southwest Germany was derived. Travel-time and amplitude information of seismic refraction data were interpreted with two-dimensional forward modeling (ray tracing) to calculate two crustal cross sections in southwest Germany. These results fill a gap in the existing data and enabled the construction of a detailed three-dimensional crustal model.While seismically the upper crust is laterally homogeneous (5.9–6.0 km/s) throughout the area, the middle and lower crust show pronounced lateral variations in thickness, velocity, and reflectivity. The Moho is a flat surface at a relatively shallow depth (25–26 km). We classify the middle and lower crust of southwest Germany into two characteristic crustal types. Type I consists of a mid-crustal low-velocity zone (5.4–5.8 km/s) overlying a thick (> 10 km), high-velocity (6.6–6.8 km/s) lower crust. Type II has no prominent mid-crustal low-velocity zone, and a thin (< 10 km), low-velocity (6.3–6.4 km/s) lower crust. The crustal types correlate with the major geologic units exposed in the area: Type I is present beneath the Black Forest, forming the eastern flank of the Rhinegraben and beneath the Swabian Jura, while Type II is present beneath the intervening Triassic sediments. Beneath the South German Molasse Basin, a low-velocity zone is also present in the upper middle-crust. Seismic reflection investigations have shown that the lower crust in southwest Germany comprises a stack of layers of alternating high- and low-velocities. The lateral variation of the reflectivity of this laminated lower crust has been recognized even on refraction data. We found that high-reflectivity of the lower crust correlates to high average velocity (6.7–6.8 km/s) in the lower crust (Type I). Thus, the average velocity of the lower crust in southwest Germany seems to be an indicator of the intensity of its lamination. The uppermost mantle has a velocity of 8.3 km/s in the area and a strong, positive velocity gradient.