Physical differences in the deep lithosphere of Northern and Central Europe

• A number of large-scale integrated studies, including the TOR and POLONAISE’97 projects, with an emphasis on seismicmethods, have been used to elucidate the southwestern boundary (suture zone) between the East European Craton and the Phanerozoicterranes of Western Europe. Results indicate that a thick slab of mantle lithosphere below the craton thins southwestwards beneath theTrans-European Suture Zone and is not seen south of the Variscan front. The thinning is not gradual, but is interrupted by at least twoabrupt deep boundaries, the most significant of which corresponds to the surface position of the Tornquist Zone, a major fault. Thepresent geometry of the lithosphere is the result of modification of the margin of the Neoproterozoic continent Baltica by Phanerozoicprocesses, including the development of the Tornquist Zone and the stretching of the lithosphere in a broad central block SW of thiszone. Seismic results and their interpretations from the TOR tomographic project are presented and compared with results from thePOLONAISE’97 controlled source project to the SE. Both investigations have shown high-angle, non-symmetrical features extendingdeep into the mantle.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

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