Abstract. The contemporary stress state in the upper crust is of
great interest for geotechnical applications and basic research alike.
However, our knowledge of the crustal stress field from the data perspective
is limited. For Germany basically two datasets are available: orientations
of the maximum horizontal stress (SHmax) and the stress regime as part
of the World Stress Map (WSM) database as well as a complementary
compilation of stress magnitude data of Germany and adjacent regions.
However, these datasets only provide pointwise, incomplete and heterogeneous
information of the 3D stress tensor. Here, we present a
geomechanical–numerical model that provides a continuous description of the
contemporary 3D crustal stress state on a regional scale for Germany. The
model covers an area of about 1000×1250 km2 and extends to a depth of
100 km containing seven units, with specific material properties (density
and elastic rock properties) and laterally varying thicknesses: a
sedimentary unit, four different units of the upper crust, the lower crust
and the lithospheric mantle. The model is calibrated by the two datasets to
achieve a best-fit regarding the SHmax orientations and the minimum
horizontal stress magnitudes (Shmin). The modeled orientations of
SHmax are almost entirely within the uncertainties of the WSM data used
and the Shmin magnitudes fit to various datasets well. Only the
SHmax magnitudes show locally significant deviations, primarily
indicating values that are too low in the lower part of the model. The model is open
for further refinements regarding model geometry, e.g., additional layers
with laterally varying material properties, and incorporation of future
stress measurements. In addition, it can provide the initial stress state
for local geomechanical models with a higher resolution.
Characteristics of crustal stress field in Tienshan area
