Reflection seismic surveys to site the Drilling the Ivrea Verbano zonE (DIVE) proposed drill-holes, Val Sesia and Val d’Ossola, Italy.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Greenwood ◽  
Ludovic Baron ◽  
Yu Liu ◽  
György Hetényi ◽  
Klaus Holliger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Continental Crust ◽  
Transition Zone ◽  
Lower Crust ◽  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
Seismic Surveys ◽  
Crustal Rocks ◽  
Drill Holes ◽  
Lower Crustal

<p>The Ivrea-Verbano Zone in the Italian Alps represents one of the most complete and best-studied cross-sections of the continental crust. Here, geological and geophysical observations indicate the presence of the Moho transition zone at shallow depth, possibly as shallow as 3 km in the location of Balmuccia in Val Sesia. Correspondingly, the Ivrea-Verbano Zone is a primary target for assembling data on the deep continental crust as well as for testing several hypotheses regarding its formation and evolution.</p><p>            Within the context of a project submitted to the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP), the Drilling the Ivrea-Verbano zonE (DIVE) team proposes to establish three drill holes across pertinent structures within the Ivrea-Verbano Zone. Two of the planned drill holes, each with a length of ~1000 m, are within Val d’Ossola and target the Pre-Permian lower and upper section of the lower crust. The third proposed drill hole, with a length of ~4000 m, is targeting the lower most crust of the Permian magmatic system of the Ivrea-Verbano Zone in the Val Sesia, close to the Insubric Line. Combined, the three drill holes will compose a complete section of the lower crust and the Moho transition zone, and will reveal the associated structural and composition characteristics at different scales.</p><p>To bridge across the range of spatial scales and to support the drilling proposal, we have carried out active seismic surveys using an EnviroVibe source in the Val d’Ossola. These surveys combined 2D transects (in-line) with the simultaneous collection of short cross-lines, and spatially varied source points, to collect sparse 3D data with a preferential CMP coverage across strike. This survey geometry was largely controlled by environmental considerations and access for the vibrator. Accordingly, 2D profiles, both in-line and cross-line, have been processed using crooked-line geometries, which include CMPs from the 3D infill.</p><p>The very high acoustic impedance contrast of the Quaternary valley infill sediments with respect to the predominant metapelitic and gabbroic lower crustal rocks, as well as the highly attenuative nature of the sediments, were both beneficial and problematic. The former enables mapping of the valley structure, while the latter largely prevents the detection of low-amplitude reflections from within the underlying lower crustal rocks.</p><p>Here, we present the latest results of these seismic reflection surveys and discuss the observations with respect to the prevailing structure and the planning of the drilling operations. Beyond the specific objectives pursued in this study, our results have important implications with regard to the acquisition and processing of high-resolution seismic reflection data in crystalline terranes and their capacity for resolving complex, steeply dipping structures.</p>

Paleo-Proterozoic thick-skinned tectonics: Lithoprobe seismic reflection results from the eastern Trans-Hudson Orogen

1994 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 458-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. White ◽  
S. B. Lucas ◽  
Z. Hajnal ◽  
A. G. Green ◽  
J. F. Lewry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Apparent Contradiction ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
Crustal Rocks ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Granulite Belt ◽  
Northwestern Margin ◽  
Flin Flon ◽  
Lower Crustal ◽  
Superior Craton

New seismic reflection data collected by Lithoprobe across the Trans-Hudson Orogen (Manitoba and Saskatchewan) provide striking images of juvenile paleo-Proterozoic arc rocks (Flin Flon and Kisseynew belts) juxtaposed against the deformed northwestern margin of the Archean Superior craton. Crustal imbrication on a scale imaged in few other orogens is observed within the Flin Flon Belt where a package of shallowly east-dipping reflections extends from the surface to 14 s. These reflections are attributed to middle to lower crustal arc rocks that appear to have been stacked below a major detachment that underlies the upper crustal rocks of the Flin Flon Belt. Surprisingly, the seismic images show the juvenile arc rocks dipping moderately eastward beneath the craton in apparent contradiction to existing tectonic models. Geological and geochronological evidence suggest that the observed crustal imbrication probably reflects late-collisional or postcollisional convergence rather than earlier oceanic subduction polarity. The east-dipping reflection fabric, marking a Hudsonian tectonic overprint, extends across the Superior Boundary Zone up to the Pikwitonei Granulite Belt where upper crustal reflections are west dipping. An east-dipping seismic boundary between these domains, which soles into the mid-crust, may represent a west-verging thrust fault along which the crust of the Archean Superior craton was uplifted.

Crustal structure and surface zonation of the Canadian Appalachians: implications of deep seismic reflection data

1989 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Marillier ◽  
Charlotte E. Keen ◽  
Glen S. Stockmal ◽  
Garry Quinlan ◽  
Harold Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Surface Expression ◽  
Seismic Profiles ◽  
Crust And Upper Mantle ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
Central Block ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Lower Crustal ◽  
Canadian Appalachians

In 1986, 1181 km of marine seismic reflection data was collected to 18–20 s of two-way traveltime in the Gulf of St. Lawrence area. The seismic profiles sample all major surface tectono-stratigraphic zones of the Canadian Appalachians. They complement the 1984 deep reflection survey northeast of Newfoundland. Together, the seismic profiles reveal the regional three-dimensional geometry of the orogen.Three lower crustal blocks are distinguished on the seismic data. They are referred to as the Grenville, Central, and Avalon blocks, from west to east. The Grenville block is wedge shaped in section, and its subsurface edge follows the form of the Appalachian structural front. The Grenville block abuts the Central block at mid-crustal to mantle depths. The Avalon block meets the Central block at a steep junction that penetrates the entire crust.Consistent differences in the seismic character of the Moho help identify boundaries of the deep crustal blocks. The Moho signature varies from uniform over extended distances to irregular with abrupt depth changes. In places the Moho is offset by steep reflections that cut the lower crust and upper mantle. In other places, the change in Moho elevation is gradual, with lower crustal reflections following its form. In all three blocks the crust is generally highly reflective, with no distinction between a transparent upper crust and reflective lower crust.In general, Carboniferous and Mesozoic basins crossed by the seismic profiles overlie thinner crust. However, a deep Moho is found at some places beneath the Carboniferous Magdalen Basin.The Grenville block belongs to the Grenville Craton; the Humber Zone is thrust over its dipping southwestern edge. The Dunnage Zone is allochthonous above the opposing Grenville and Central blocks. The Gander Zone may be the surface expression of the Central block or may be allochthonous itself. There is a spatial analogy between the Avalon block and the Avalon Zone. Our profile across the Meguma Zone is too short to seismically distinguish this zone from the Avalon Zone.

Deep seismic reflection data from the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine: tectonic implications for the northern Appalachians

1991 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 1096-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Keen ◽  
W. A. Kay ◽  
D. Keppie ◽  
F. Marillier ◽  
G. Pe-Piper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Deep Penetration ◽  
United States Geological Survey ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
The North ◽  
Geological Features ◽  
Lower Crustal

Three deep-penetration seismic reflection profiles were collected off southwest Nova Scotia to determine the crustal structure and geometry beneath the Avalon and Meguma zones of the Appalachian Orogen in Canada. Onshore geological features have been traced seawards using new gravity and magnetic anomaly maps. The seismic data can also be correlated with the previous United States Geological Survey profile in the central Gulf of Maine.Two seismically distinct lower crustal blocks are identified: the Avalon and Sable lower crustal blocks, separated by a major north-dipping reflection zone that cuts the entire crust. The recognition of the Sable block adds a fourth block to the three already identified in the Canadian Appalachians. The Sable block is overlain by the Meguma Zone. The Avalon Zone overlies at least the northern part of the Avalon lower crustal block. Although offshore extension of geological features is not unequivocal, it appears that a north-dipping reflection zone southwest of Nova Scotia marks the site of Devonian thrusting of Avalon Zone over Meguma Zone. In the Bay of Fundy to the north, two south-dipping reflection zones are interpreted as major thrusts, possibly placing Avalon lower crust over a unit with different tectonic affinities. The Fundy Fault is a Carboniferous thrust within the Avalon block along the coast of New Brunswick; this was reactivated during Mesozoic extension as a transtensional fault. Extensional displacement farther southwest was probably accommodated along east-west-trending faults and small rift basins associated with them.

Deep seismic reflection constraints on Paleogene crustal extension in the south-central Intermontane belt, British Columbia

2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Calvert ◽  
Draga Talinga
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Lower Crust ◽  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Basaltic Magma ◽  
Shear Zones ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Middle Crust ◽  
South Central ◽  
Ductile Shearing ◽  
Lower Crustal

Following growth of the Canadian Cordillera during the Mesozoic, the southern Cordillera was subject to extension during the Paleocene and Eocene that correlated with widespread volcanic activity in south-central British Columbia, including across much of the Nechako–Chilcotin plateau. In 2008, Geoscience BC acquired 330 km of deep vibroseis reflection profiles on the plateau, mostly over the Stikinia arc terrane, but also over its eastern contact with the oceanic Cache Creek terrane. All seven seismic reflection lines reveal a strongly reflective lower crust that extends from 7 to 9 s down to the Moho, which is defined by the downward termination of reflectivity at 11–12 s. In the uppermost crust, extension occurred by block faulting with faults soling into subhorizontal to shallowly dipping detachments above 10 km depth. Extension in the deeper upper and middle crust, which was partly controlled by antiforms likely related to earlier shortening, was accommodated on a network of anastomosing shear zones that sole out into the top of the reflective lower crust. The lower crustal reflections correlate with seismic P-wave velocities of 6.45–6.98 km/s, indicating that the reflective lower crust has a more mafic composition than the middle crust. As in other extensional settings, we suggest that this pervasive fabric of reflectors arises from the intrusion of mantle-derived basaltic magma into zones of ductile shearing, and that differentiation of these melts resulted in the widespread Paleocene to Eocene volcanism. Reflector dips indicate that extension was approximately east–west, consistent with north-northwest-trending horsts separated by basins filled with Paleocene to Eocene volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks.

The Athabasca Granulite Terrane and Evidence for Dynamic Behavior of Lower Continental Crust

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 353-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Dumond ◽  
Michael L. Williams ◽  
Sean P. Regan
Keyword(s):  
Continental Crust ◽  
Lower Crust ◽  
Tectonic Evolution ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Lower Continental Crust ◽  
Deep Crust ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Lower Crustal ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Lower Crustal Xenolith

Deeply exhumed granulite terranes have long been considered nonrepresentative of lower continental crust largely because their bulk compositions do not match the lower crustal xenolith record. A paradigm shift in our understanding of deep crust has since occurred with new evidence for a more felsic and compositionally heterogeneous lower crust than previously recognized. The >20,000-km2Athabasca granulite terrane locally provides a >700-Myr-old window into this type of lower crust, prior to being exhumed and uplifted to the surface between 1.9 and 1.7 Ga. We review over 20 years of research on this terrane with an emphasis on what these findings may tell us about the origin and behavior of lower continental crust, in general, in addition to placing constraints on the tectonic evolution of the western Canadian Shield between 2.6 and 1.7 Ga. The results reveal a dynamic lower continental crust that evolved compositionally and rheologically with time.

Integrated geophysical interpretation of crustal structures in the northern Abitibi belt: constraints from seismic amplitude analysis

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 1343-1362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Sénéchal ◽  
Marianne Mareschal ◽  
Andrew J. Calvert ◽  
Gilles Grandjean ◽  
Claude Hubert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Crust ◽  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Seismic Energy ◽  
Amplitude Analysis ◽  
Depth Of Penetration ◽  
Tectonic Zone ◽  
Maximum Information ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
The North ◽  
Plutonic Belt

We present a processing sequence that attempts to balance geometrical and amplitude analyses in order to recover the maximum information from deep seismic reflection data. The approach, which is guided by the interpretation of other deep geophysical data sets (magnetotellurics, refraction), is applied to Lithoprobe seismic reflection line 28 across the central and northern Abitibi belt. We show, in particular, how amplitude analyses help to quantify the depth of penetration of seismic energy as well as the crustal reflectivity. Apparent lateral variations of deep structures (e.g., the Moho) can be directly related to the high levels of noise that limit the signal penetration depth. We propose a geological model that satisfies all deep geophysical constraints. In this model, the mid crust south of Casa-Berardi tectonic zone consists of imbricated volcanic–plutonic and sedimentary lithologies, which are probably comparable to the mid-crustal section of the Kapuskasing structural zone, and in this paper are referred to as "the Abitibi plate." The lithologies are characterized by high reflectivity, while north of Casa-Berardi tectonic zone the mid crust is dominantly Opatica plutonic lithologies, of lower reflectivity. In this scenario, supracrustal rocks of the Abitibi belt overlie the Opatica plutonic belt, whereas the Abitibi plate extends beneath the Opatica plutonic belt. The boundary between the Opatica plutonic belt and the Abitibi plate is a northward-dipping décollement extending from mid crust in the south to lower crust in the north. The Casa-Berardi tectonic zone appears to be a crustal boundary affecting upper and middle crust down to 20 km, between northern polycyclic terranes and southern monocyclic ones. The uniformity of the lower crust suggests that its formation was decoupled from that of the intermediate to upper crust.

Lower crustal low-resistivity zones caused by compaction-induced fluid localization and stagnation – recent results from electromagnetic data in an intracontinental setting

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Joseph Comeau ◽  
Michael Becken ◽  
James A. D. Connolly ◽  
Alexander Grayver ◽  
Alexey V. Kuvshinov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Resistivity ◽  
Transition Zone ◽  
Hydrodynamic Model ◽  
Lower Crust ◽  
Dislocation Creep ◽  
Magnetotelluric Data ◽  
Low Resistivity ◽  
Vertical Extent ◽  
Brittle Ductile Transition ◽  
Lower Crustal

<p>We investigate how a conceptual hydrodynamic model consisting of fluid localization and stagnation by thermally activated compaction can explain low-resistivity anomalies observed in the lower crust (>20 km depth). Electrical resistivity models, derived from magnetotelluric data collected across the intracontinental Bulnay region, a subset of a larger regional array across central Mongolia, are generated. They reveal low-resistivity (3 - 30 Ωm) domains with a width of ~25 km and a vertical extent of <10 km in the lower crust, with their tops ~5 km below the brittle-ductile transition zone. In 3-D these features appear as laterally extended (tube-like) structures, 300 km long, rather than disconnected ellipsoids. The features are oriented parallel to the adjacent Bulnay fault zone segments and perpendicular to the far-field compressive tectonic stress (i.e., northward motion from China and Tibet). These low-resistivity domains are consistent with the presence of saline metamorphic fluids. Deeper features imaged with the data include a large upper mantle conductor that we attribute to an asthenospheric upwelling, and thin lithosphere, related to intraplate surface uplift and volcanism, in agreement with recent geodynamic modelling of lithospheric removal in this region.</p><p>Based on the observed thermal structure of the crust, and assuming the mean stress at the brittle-ductile transition is twice the vertical load, the hydrodynamic model predicts that fluids would collect in zones <9 km below the brittle-ductile transition zone, and the zones would have a vertical extent of ~9 km, both in agreement with the resistivity models across the Bulnay region. The hydrodynamic model also gives plausible values for the activation energy for viscous creep (270 - 360 kJ/mol), suggesting that the mechanism is dislocation creep.</p><p>From the electrical resistivity models, the lower crustal viscous compaction-length is constrained to be ~25 km - in this region. Within the conceptual model, this length-scale is entirely consistent with independent estimates for the specific hydraulic and rheological properties of this region. In fact, this can be used to independently constrain acceptable ranges for the lower crustal effective viscosity, which is found to be low (on the order of 10^18 Pas). Accordingly, the results indicate that low-salinity fluids (likely 1 - 0.01 wt% NaCl), and correspondingly low porosities (likely 5 - 0.1 vol%), are the most plausible. These key findings suggest partial melts are not favoured to explain the anomalies. Overall, the results of this contribution imply that it is tectonic and compaction processes that control lower crustal fluid flow, rather than lithological or structural heterogeneity.</p>

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