A New Moho Depth Model for Fennoscandia with Special Correction for the Glacial Isostatic Effect

• In this study, we present a new Moho depth model in Fennoscandia and its surroundings. The model is tailored from data sets of XGM2019e gravitationl field, Earth2014 topography and seismic crustal model CRUST1.0 using the Vening Meinesz-Moritz model based on isostatic theory to a resolution of 1° × 1°. To that end, the refined Bouguer gravity disturbance is determined by reducing the observed field for gravity effect of topography, density heterogeneities related to bathymetry, ice, sediments, and other crustal components. Moreover, stripping of non-isostatic effects of gravity signals from mass anomalies below the crust due to crustal thickening/thinning, thermal expansion of the mantle, Delayed Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (DGIA), i.e., the effect of future GIA, and plate flexure has also been performed. As Fennoscandia is a key area for GIA research, we particularly investigate the DGIA effect on the gravity disturbance and gravimetric Moho depth determination in this area. One may ask whether the DGIA effect is sufficiently well removed in the application of the general non-isostatic effects in such an area, and to answer this question, the Moho depth is determined both with and without specific removal of the DGIA effect prior to non-isostatic effect and Moho depth determinations. The numerical results yield that the RMS difference of the Moho depth from our model HVMD19 vs. the seismic CRUST19 and GRAD09 models are 3.8/4.2 km and 3.7/4.0 km when the above strategy for removing the DGIA effect is/is not applied, respectively, and the mean value differences are 1.2/1.4 km and 0.98/1.4 km, respectively. Hence, our study shows that the specific correction for the DGIA effect on gravity disturbance is slightly significant, resulting in individual changes in the gravimetric Moho depth up to − 1.3 km towards the seismic results. On the other hand, our study shows large discrepancies between gravimetric and seismic Moho models along the Norwegian coastline, which might be due to uncompensated non-isostatic effects caused by tectonic motions.

Ämnesord

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

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

Nyckelord

Delayed glacial isostatic adjustment

Fennoscandia

Moho depth

satellite altimetry

Vening Meinesz-Moritz

Glacial geology

Planetary surface analysis

Sailing vessels

Seismology

Thermal expansion

Topography

Crustal thickenings

Glacial Isostatic Adjustments

Gravity disturbance

Gravity effects

Isostatic effects

Model-based OPC

Numerical results

Tectonic motion

Gravitation

Bouguer anomaly

correction

crustal structure

glacioisostasy

gravimetry

gravity field

Moho

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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