Verification of the Litho-spheric Structure along Profile Uppsala-Prague Using Surface Wave Dispersion

Experimental dispersion curves of Rayleigh and Love waves along the Uppsala-Prague profile have been determined using records of several Italian earthquakes. To interpret the dispersion data, results of previous geophysical investigations in this region were first analyzed. Seven blocks of the crust and upper mantle were distinguished along the profile on the basis of deep seismic sounding and other seismic data. Layered models were proposed for these blocks. Computation of Rayleigh and Love waves shows a large differentiation of theoretical dispersion curves for the northern (Precambrian) and southern (Palaeozoic) part of the profile. A laterally inhomogeneous model for theUppsala - Prague profile, composed of the seven blocks, satisfies the surface wave data for the profile. Moreover, a mean layered model for the whole profile has also been proposed.     

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.     

Crustal Architecture of the Inverted Central Lapland Rift Along the HUKKA 2007 Profile

We have studied the lateral velocity variations along a partly buried inverted paleo–rift in Central Lapland, Northern Europe with a 2D wide-angle reflection and refraction experiment, HUKKA 2007. The experiment was designed to use seven chemical explosions from commercial and military sites as sources of seismic energy. The shots were recorded by 102 stations with an average spacing of 3.45 km. Two-dimensional crustal models of variations in P-wave velocity and Vp/Vs-ratio were calculated using the ray tracing forward modeling technique. The HUKKA 2007 experiment comprises a 455 km long profile that runs NNW–SSE parallel to the Kittilä Shear Zone, a major deformation zone hosting gold deposits in the area. The profile crosses Paleoproterozoic and reactivated Archean terranes of Central Lapland. The velocity model shows a significant difference in crustal velocity structure between the northern (distances 0–120 km) and southern parts of the profile. The difference in P-wave velocities and Vp/Vs ratio can be followed through the whole crust down to the Moho boundary indicating major tectonic boundaries. Upper crustal velocities seem to vary with the terranes/compositional differences mapped at the surface. The lower layer of the upper crust displays velocities of 6.0–6.1 km/s. Both Paleoproterozoic and Archean terranes are associated with high velocity bodies (6.30–6.35 km/s) at 100 and 200–350 km distances. The Central Lapland greenstone belt and Central Lapland Granitoid complex are associated with a 4 km-thick zone of unusually low velocities (<6.0 km/s) at distances between 120 and 220 km. We interpret the HUKKA 2007 profile to image an old, partly buried, inverted continental rift zone that has been closed and modified by younger tectonic events. It has structural features typical of rifts: inward dipping rift shoulders, undulating thickness of the middle crust, high velocity lower crust and a rather uniform crustal thickness of 48 km.     

Seismic and geological structure of the crust in the transition from Baltica to Palaeozoic Europe in SE Poland—CELEBRATION 2000 experiment, profile CEL02

The CELEBRATION 2000 together with the earlier POLONAISE'97 deep seismic sounding experiments was aimed at the recognition of crustal structure in the border zone between the Precambrian East European Craton (Baltica) and Palaeozoic Europe. The CEL02 profile of the CELEBRATION family is a 400-km long SW–NE transect, running in Poland from the Upper Silesia Block (USB), across the Małopolska Block (MB) and the Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ) to the East European Craton (EEC). The structure along CEL02 was interpreted using both 2D tomography and forward ray-tracing techniques as well as 2D gravity modelling.The crustal thickness along CEL02 varies from 32–35 km in the USB to 45–47 km beneath the TESZ and the EEC. The USB is a clearly distinctive crustal block with the characteristic high velocity lower crust (7.1–7.2 km/s), interpreted as a fragment of Gondwana. The Kraków–Lubliniec Fault is a terrane boundary produced by soft docking of the USB with the MB. The Małopolska crust fundamentally differs from the USB and has a strong connection with Baltica. It is a transitional, 150- to 200-km wide unit composed of the extended Baltican lower crust and the overlying low velocity (5.15–5.9 km/s) Neoproterozoic metasediments in the up to 18-km thick upper crust. The Łysogóry Unit has its crustal structure identical with that of Małopolska, thus it is connected with Baltica and cannot be interpreted as a Gondwana-derived terrane. Higher velocity and density bodies found below the Mazovia–Lublin Graben at a depth of 12 km and at the base of the lower crust, might be a result of mantle-derived mafic intrusions accompanying the extension of Baltica. By the preliminary 2D gravity modelling, we have reconfirmed the need for considering the increased TESZ mantle density in comparison to the EEC and USB mantle.