ALBERT

Description: The presented study aims to resolve the upper mantle structure around the Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ) which is the major tectonic boundary in Europe. The data of 183 temporary and permanent seismic stations operated during the period of the PASsive Seismic Experiment PASSEQ 2006–2008 within the study area from Germany to Lithuania was used to compile the dataset of manually picked 6008 top quality arrivals of P waves from teleseismic earthquakes. We used the non-linear teleseismic tomography algorithm TELINV to perform the inversions. As a result, we obtain a model of P wave velocity variations up to about ±3% compared to the IASP91 velocity model in the upper mantle around the TESZ. The higher velocities to the east of the TESZ correspond to the older East European Craton (EEC), while the lower velocities to the west of the TESZ correspond to younger Western Europe. We find that the seismic lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) is more distinct beneath the Phanerozoic part of Europe than beneath the Precambrian part. To the west of the TESZ beneath the eastern part of the Bohemian Massif, the Sudetes Mountains and the Eger Rift the negative anomalies are observed from the depth of at least 70 km, while under the Variscides the average depth of the seismic LAB is about 100 km. We do not observe the seismic LAB beneath the EEC, but beneath Lithuania we find the thickest lithosphere of about 300 km or more. Beneath the TESZ the asthenosphere is at a depth of 150–180 km, which is an intermediate value between that of the EEC and Western Europe. The results imply that the seismic LAB in the northern part of the TESZ is of a shape of a ramp dipping to the NE direction. In the southern part of the TESZ the LAB is shallower, most probably due to younger tectonic settings. In the northern part of the TESZ we do not recognize any clear contact between Phanerozoic and Proterozoic Europe, but further to the south we may refer to a sharp and steep contact on the eastern edge of the TESZ. Moreover, beneath Lithuania at the depth of 120–150 km we observe the lower velocity area following the boundary of the proposed palaeosubduction zone.

Description: The presented study is a part of the passive seismic experiment PASSEQ 2006–2008 which took place around the Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ) from May 2006 to June 2008. The dataset of 4195 manually picked arrivals of teleseismic P waves of 101 earthquakes (EQs) recorded in the PASSEQ seismic stations deployed to the east of the TESZ was inverted using the non-linear teleseismic tomography algorithm TELINV. Two 3-D crustal models were used to estimate the crustal travel time (TT) corrections. As a result, we obtained a model of P wave velocity variations in the upper mantle beneath the TESZ and the EEC. In the study area beneath the craton we observed 5 to 6.5% higher and beneath the TESZ about 4% lower seismic velocities compared to the IASP91 velocity model. We found the seismic lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) beneath the TESZ at a depth of about 180 km, while we observed no seismic LAB beneath the EEC. The inversion results obtained with the real and the synthetic datasets indicated a ramp shape of the LAB in the northern TESZ where we observed values of seismic velocities close to those of the craton down to about 150 km. The lithosphere thickness in the EEC increases going from the TESZ to the NE from about 180 km beneath Poland to 300 km or more beneath Lithuania. Moreover, in western Lithuania we possibly found an upper mantle dome. In our results the crustal units are not well resolved. There are no clear indications of the features in the upper mantle which could be related with the crustal units in the study area. On the other hand, at a depth of 120–150 km we possibly found a trace of a boundary of proposed palaeosubduction zone between the East Lithuanian Domain (EL) and the West Lithuanian Granulite Domain (WLG). Also, in our results we may have identified two anorogenic granitoid plutons.

Description: We analyse splitting of teleseismic shear-wave recorded during the PASSEQ passive experiment (2006–2008) focussed on the upper mantle structure across the Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ). 1009 pairs of the delay times of the slow split-shear waves and orientations of the polarized fast-shear waves exhibit lateral variations across the array, as well as backazimuth dependences of measurements at individual stations. While a distinct regionalization of the splitting parameters exists in the Phanerozoic part of Europe, a correlation with the large-scale tectonics around the TESZ and in the East European Craton (EEC) is less evident. No general and abrupt change in the splitting parameters (anisotropic structure) can be related to the Teisseyre–Tornquist Zone (TTZ), marking the edge of the Precambrian province on the surface. Instead, regional variations of anisotropic structure were found along the TESZ/TTZ. We suggest a south-westward continuation of the Precambrian mantle lithosphere beneath the TESZ and the adjacent Phanerozoic part of Europe, probably as far as towards the Bohemian Massif.