Computer technology for interpreting vector measurements of the magnetic field

Computer technology is presented to solve the inverse problem of magnetic field vector measurements using software and algorithmic support for an automated system to interpret potential fields. The technology includes constructing a numerical model of the magnetic field of the studied area, forming an initial approximation model, assessing the depth of the sources and their magnetization. An approximation structure is used to describe the sources of anomalies (a set of uniformly magnetized polygonal prisms). To solve the problem, we used real vector measurements of the magnetic field by the components Xа, Ya, Zа, Та in the sections of Gruzsko South and Gruzsko Severnaya. Geologically, the area belongs to the central part of the Ukrainian Shield — the Kirovograd tectonic megablock. The area of work is confined to the Subotsko-Moshorin latitudinal fault zone. The possibility of comparing the results of the interpretation of anomalies on each profile by the components of the anomalous magnetic field increases the reliability of the geological interpretation of magnetic prospecting data compared to the interpretation of modular surveys. The presence of vector measurements greatly facilitates the ability to determine the parameters of anomalous objects, which makes it possible to obtain more reliable solutions to the inverse problem. The use of vector information makes it possible to localize geological sources more successfully, thereby reducing the amount of work.

Mantle earthquakes in the Crimea-Black Sea-Caucasus regions

The question of the existence of foci of deep earthquakes in the region of the Crimea-Black Sea-Caucasus is extremely important from the point of view of the geodynamics of the region. Previously it was thought that only crustal earthquakes could occur in this region. Recently, results have been obtained that show that earthquakes with depths of at least 300 km occur in this region. The article discusses the question of how plausible these results are and why they were not obtained earlier. Seven specific examples of the ambiguous determination of the depth of earthquake hypocenters in the Crimea-Black Sea-Caucasus region are considered. These examples clearly show that determining the coordinates of earthquake hypocenters using algorithms based on the Geiger method does not allow one to uniquely determine the depth of the hypocenters. The article gives an idea of the authors about the origin of mantle earthquakes in the Caucasian and Crimean-Black Sea regions. For the Caucasus region, mantle earthquakes are associated with two reasons: submersion of the lithospheric layer; in the asthenospheric layer, represented in the seismotomographic sections by a low-velocity anomaly, the nature of earthquake foci is associated with fluids formed during phase transition reactions. In the Crimean-Black Sea region, earthquake foci are located in the lithosphere layer, and the sliding of the lithosphere along the less viscous underlying layer of the upper mantle causes tectonic movements in the lithosphere accompanied by earthquakes. In addition, to determine the coordinates of the hypocenters of the Crimean and Caucasian earthquakes during routine processing, hodographs were used for depths not exceeding 35 km for the Crimea and 50 km for the Caucasus and 150 for the North Caucasus. This circumstance is the main reason why deep earthquakes could not be detected.

Technique for the imaging crystalline basement according to the DSS data

The method of deep seismic sounding (DSS), the observation systems in which are characterized by an irregular arrangement of both sources and receivers along the profile, a significant step between receivers, as well as maximum source-receiver distances exceeding several hundred kilometers, makes it possible to obtain an image of the crystalline basement using seismic migration fields of reflected/refracted waves. The main part of the existing migration methods, the use of which makes it possible to form an image of the deep structure of the study area in the dynamic characteristics of the recorded wave field, is focused on processing seismic data obtained by the method of reflected waves with multiple overlap observation systems (MOV—CDP). And, as a rule, these migration methods are designed for a smooth change in speed with depth. At the same time, at the boundary of the crystalline basement, the speed changes very sharply, which must be taken into account when processing data using migration. The proposed method for constructing an image of the crystalline basement is based on the use of finite-difference migration of the field of reflected/refracted waves, which was developed at the Institute of Geophysics named after S. I. Subbotin National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. This migration method is designed to isolate supercritically reflected and refracted waves recorded from the basement in the far zone of the source and takes into account the full trajectory of waves passing through a two-layer medium, at the boundary of which there is a significant jump in velocity. Thus, the migration of the field of reflected/refracted waves makes it possible to obtain a correct image of the structure of the refractive layer of the crystalline basement. The article describes in detail the algorithm of the technique for constructing an image of the crystalline basement using finite-difference migration of the field of reflected/refracted waves and its difference from similar methods of migration. The advantages and disadvantages of the proposed method are shown when solving problems of regional seismic research. Explained and illustrated the features of constructing the image of violations on the border of the foundation. The effectiveness of the technique is demonstrated on a model example and real seismic data observed by the DSS method on the territory of Ukraine.

Geoelectric heterogeneities of the Kerch iron ore basin

The three-dimensional geoelectric model of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle of the Kerch Peninsula has been built for the first time based on the results of experimental observations of the Earth’s low-frequency electromagnetic field, carried out in 2007—2013 by the Institutes of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Its physical and geological interpretation and detailing of the near-surface part were carried out according to the data of the audiomagnetotelluric sounding method to study the deep structure of the Kerch iron ore basin. To the east of the Korsak-Feodosiya fault along the southern part of the Indolo-Kuban trough (in the north of the South Kerch and almost under the entire North Kerch zones), a low-resistance anomaly (ρ=1 Ohm∙m) was found at depths from 2.5 km to 12 km about 20 km wide. Its eastern part is located in the consolidated Earth’s crust and is galvanically connected with surface sedimentary strata, while the western part is completely in sedimentary deposits. The anomaly covers the territory of the Kerch iron ore basin and occurrences of mud volcanism. The characteristics of the upper part of the layered section of the Kerch Peninsula in the interval of the first hundreds of meters were obtained from the results of one-dimensional inversion of the audiomagnetotelluric sounding data (frequency range 8—4000 Hz). It is shown that the first 15 m of the section, corresponding to Quaternary deposits, have resistivity values up to 1 Ohm∙m. Below, in the Neogene sediments, the electrical resistance increases to values of 5 Ohm∙m and more. Both horizontally and vertically, the distribution of resistivity values has a variable character, manifesting as a thin-layered structure with low resistivity values. Possibly, such areas have a direct connection with the channel for transporting hummock material and gases. A connection is assumed between the low-resistivity thin-layered near-surface areas, a deep anomaly of electrical conductivity in the upper part of the Earth’s crust, and the likely high electrical conductivity of rocks at the depths of the upper mantle with iron ore deposits, as well as the manifestation of mud volcanism. The heterogeneity of the crustal and mantle highly conductive layers may indicate a high permeability of the contact zones for deep fluids.

Organization of the stationary seismological observations point

The Institute of Geophysics of the NASU organizes and carries out continuous regional and local seismic observations on the territory of Ukraine. The article presents a universal modern model of seismic activity monitoring process, which is used in most international seismological agencies (USGS, EMSC, NEIC) and describes a typical stationary point of seismological observations of the National Seismological Network of the Institute of Geophysics of NAS of Ukraine. Seismological network of observations is a complex of systems consisting of stationary seismological points of registration of seismic waves, the distributed system of transfer and collecting of the seismological information, and also the center of operative processing of the data arriving from data registration points. The process of conducting regime seismological observations of local and remote seismic events on the territory of Ukraine and adjacent regions is described. Some important aspects of the need for comprehensive processing of registered events to identify local earthquakes and assess the current activity of tectonic structures in Ukraine are presented. The seismological network of the National Seismological Center of the Institute of Geophysics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine is represented by a small number of stationary observation points: «Kiev-IRIS», «MI02-Poltava», «MI03-Skvyra», «MI04-Dnipro», «MI05-Stepanivka», «MI07-Mykolaiv», «ODS-Odesa», «MIU-Kryvyi Rih», and «MI06-Kremenchug». This number of seismological observation points does not actually provide seismic observation data to the central, eastern and southern parts of the territory of Ukraine and does not allow to reliably determine the level and quantitative characteristics of its seismic hazard. The seismic recorder Guralp CMG-40T manufactured by the British company GURALP SYSTEMS LIMITED is offered as optimal for the conditions and financial realities of Ukraine when organizing a stationary seismic observation point. It is proposed to use the seismological processing package SeisComP, which works on the SeedLink protocol, which is the basis of the data collection system by the Internet. This software product is the de facto world standard in the field of seismological data processing.

Seismic response of various sites of the territory of Kyiv to seismic loads

The research presented in the work aims to assess the seismic response of three different taxonometric sites, identified by the method of engineering and geological analogies within the territory of Kyiv, to seismic loads with different spectral content and peak amplitude from 0.01 g to 0.06 g. Assessment of the influence of local soil conditions on the intensity of earthquakes is an important task of earthquake-resistant design and construction. The soil layer at the base of the study site acts as a filter on seismic vibrations. It amplifies or attenuates the amplitude of the seismic wave propagating from the bedrock to the free surface. The paper considers the mechanisms of the possible amplification of seismic motions by various soil complexes and methods for calculating the seismic response to seismic loads of various intensities. As an analytical tool for analyzing the response of the taxonometric areas to seismic vibrations (seismic response), an equivalent linear analysis was used, which is comprehensively studied and widely used in engineering seismology. For the selected sites, models of soil strata were built, and graphs of changes with depth of peak shear strain and peak ground acceleration (PGA) were calculated, as well as predicted (expected with a given probability of non-exceeding) amplitude Fourier spectra of seismic motions in the upper layer and the response spectra of single oscillators with 5 % attenuation to seismic effects with a maximum amplitude from 0.01 g to 0.06 g. A comparative analysis of the change in the value of these parameters in individual sections of Kyiv is presented. It is shown that to assess the potential hazard from seismic ground motions during earthquakes, it is necessary to use the maximum number of design parameters that characterize the seismic hazard of specific areas and which are used to determine the seismic resistance of buildings and structures. The most complete seismic hazard for calculating the seismic stability of objects is set by the full vector of seismic motions deployed in time: calculated accelerograms, seismograms and velocigrams. The presented calculation results are planned to be used in solving methodological and practical problems of earthquake protection, which can be realized in different parts of the territory of Kyiv.

The Matuyama—Brunhes boundary in the loess-palaeosol sequence of Dolynske, southern Ukraine

We present the results of a palaeomagnetic study of the Early—Middle Pleistocene deposits exposed on the left bank of the River Danube at Dolynske, southern Ukraine. A thick succession of water-lain facies is succeeded by stratigraphically complete loess-palaeosol sequence; these constitute a unique palaeoclimate archive in the southern margin of the East European loess province. The Matuyama—Brunhes boundary (MBB) has been detected at the bottom of the Lower Shyrokyne (S7S3) subunit and not in the Martonosha (S6) unit as previously thought. New data align with previous results from the Roksolany and Vyazivok sections, where the MBB was determined at the same stratigraphical level in the S7S3 soil. In contrast to terrestrial Pleistocene records in China and сentral Europe, where the MBB was regularly determined in a loess layer (representing a cold period), the MBB in the Ukrainian subaerial succession is located in the soil unit (representing a warm period). Furthermore, eight, and not seven, glacial-interglacial cycles are recorded in the Brunhes chron. This may indicate the stratigraphic completeness of the loess-soil succession of Ukraine, which can be compared with the reference global marine and terrestrial palaeoclimatic archives. Further palaeomagnetic studies of loess-palaeosol sequences of other regions of Ukraine will allow revision and correlation of still inconsistent stratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic schemes of the Pleistocene deposits.

Speed structure of the mantle of the border of the Eastern European and West European platforms

This work is devoted to studying the velocity structure of the mantle of the border area of the East European and West European platforms in the crust separated by the Teiserre-Tornquist zone. The mantle under the territory of Poland and Western Ukraine is being investigated. The work uses a three-dimensional P-velocity model of the mantle, constructed using the Taylor approximation method developed by V. S. Geyko. The method’s advantages are independent of the initial approximation (reference model) and the best approximation of nonlinearity. In this area, the exploration depth is 2500 km south of 50 °NL and 1700 km north of 50 °NL. A detailed analysis of horizontal sections of a 3D P-velocity model of the mantle up to a depth of 850 km with a step of 50 km has been carried out. The change in the spatial distribution of the zero seismic velocity boundary is analyzed throughout the depths. This boundary separates the high-velocity upper mantle of the East European Platform and the low-velocity upper mantle of the West European Platform. At the depths of the transition zone of the upper mantle, this boundary separates the low-velocity upper mantle of the East European platform and the high-velocity upper mantle of the West European platform (in this geosphere, a velocity inversion has occurred with respect to the upper mantle). In latitudinal sections, two inclined layers are distinguished. One of them is associated with the upper mantle under the DDV and reaches the mantle under the Carpathians, where it begins to plunge into the high-velocity transition zone of the upper mantle. The second layer is associated with the mantle under the northwestern end of the Baltic syneclise, which extends to the mantle under the Presudet monocline, where it also plunges into the high-velocity transition zone of the upper mantle. In longitudinal sections, inclined layers are distinguished, extending from the mantle under the South Scandinavian megablock of the Baltic Shield to the mantle under the Bohemian massif and the Carpathians, where they plunge into the high-velocity transition zone of the upper mantle. In the study area, three super-deep fluids were identified, characterized by increased stratification of the medium (alternation of higher and lower velocities). The first includes the well-known oil and gas fields of the Central European oil and gas basin (Pomorie and Presudet monocline (Poland)). The second is associated with oil and gas fields of the North Ciscarpathian oil and gas basin (southeastern Poland) and the Carpathian oil and gas basin (Western Ukraine). The extracted super-deep fluid in the mantle of the Baltic Sea corresponds to both the Gdansk Gulf of the Baltic Sea and the Kaliningrad fields (southeast of the Baltic Sea).

Multiparameter approach in the deep geoelectrics

The main provisions of geoelectrics are described, the importance of taking into account the ambiguity of its inverse problem is emphasized. Three main methods of deep geoelectrics which use natural fields of ionospheric-magnetospheric origin are considered: geomagnetic deep sounding (GDS), magnetotelluric sounding (MTS), and magnetovariational profiling (MVP). The response functions of each method are described. Each response function carries its own specific information about some parameters of the studied object and is characterized by the degree of reliability of the information about the object extracted from it. For example, the most reliable information about electrical conductivity anomalies (if any in the study area) is contained in the MVP response functions. The horizontal tensor of the anomalous field contains information about the electrical conductivity under the observation point, and the tipper (induction vector) contains information from the surrounding areas. In general, MVP information is less susceptible to distortions than MTS information and deserves more trust. Artificial field sources in deep geoelectrics are rarely used due to their high cost. Since 1970, two powerful sources created for other purposes arised on the Kola Peninsula and were used for deep sounding. In the center of these studies found themself young talented geologist-geophysicist and organizer of major projects AbdulkhaiAzimovichZhamaletdinov. The «Khibiny» project with an MHD generator and an ultra-deep well as one of the objects of the study, the «Zeus» low-frequency emitter, the signals of which were recorded in China at a distance of 7000 km, and a number of projects conceived and organized by Zhamaletdinov and executed under his leadership: «Volgograd-Donbass» (1979, 1986), experiments «PHOENIX» (2007, 2009, 2014, 2019) and others. At the same time, methods of interpretation were developed for sounding with artificial EM sources and new response functions were obtained which make it possible to «see» the object of research in a new way. This experience must be preserved, generalized, improved and used, for example as follows. In the area of modern synchronous multipoint MTS-MVP survey, a controlled source composed of two grounded lines emits strong current (harmonics at fixed frequencies and/or pulses) which signal will be recorded by survey instruments during night-time sessions.

Deep and crustal factors of thorium-uranium mineralization of the Golovanevskaya zone of Ukrainian Shield

The article discusses the features of the deep and crustal structure of the Golovanevskaya zone, the geochronological sequence of the main stages of its formation. The characteristic of thorium-uranium ore occurrences and deposits is given; and the main stages of their formation. The stages of successive concentrations of uranium and thorium in connection with the processes of sedimentation, volcanism, metamorphism, ultrametamorphism, and tectonic-magmatic activation are determined. The concentration of uranium and thorium was multi-stage and increased with each subsequent geological process. The deep and crustal sources of uranium and thorium, their ratio in the pre-ore main ore-generating stages of deposit formation are considered. It is shown that the formation of deposits became possible in the Proterozoic when neutral and alkaline water-potassium fluids replaced the deep acidic Archean fluids, and the formation of thorium-uranium rock complexes became possible in the crust. The totality of the data obtained is the basis for classifying the thorium-uranium mineralization as the metamorphogenic type. The presence in the Golovanevskaya zone of Lozovatsky, Yuzhny, Kalinovsky deposits, and numerous thorium-uranium ore occurrences determine this zone as promising for developing the thorium-uranium raw material base of the nuclear energy of Ukraine. Thorium-uranium mineralization is also genetically typical for the Kryvyi Rih-Inguletskaya, Orekhovo-Pavlograd interblock suture zones; detailed research is needed to determine their prospects. The confinement of thorium-uranium mineralization specifically to interblock zones is due to a combination of the following main regional features: the presence of Neoarchean thorium-uranium-bearing rock complexes; their metamorphism under conditions of granulite facies; intense ultrametamorphism; development of deep fluid-conducting faults; deep level of the erosional section, in which the products of the rare-metal and pyrite stages of thorium-uranium mineralization were exposed.