Seismic models of inner parts of the Euro-Asian continent and its margins

Analogies are drawn between continental and continental margin structures on the basis of seismic data on the crustal structure of Eurasia and its Atlantic margins. Crustal thinning from the inner parts of the continent to its margins is observed to be a general feature common to the formation of deep midland depressions and sedimentary basins of shelf zones. The latter are characterized by crustal thinning and its assimilation. These phenomena cannot be explained solely be sea-floor spreading effects in the process of active rifting and formation of oceanic crust. It appears that the main role in the formation of the margins in played by processes of mantle erosion in connection with heating at continental margins and with the migration of mantle material to the lower part of the crust.