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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
earth and planetary sciences
The structure of the lower crust at the Argentine continental margin, South Atlantic at 44°S
Tectonophysics, Volume 454, No. 1-4, Year 2008
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Description
It is well established that the Argentine passive margin is of the rifted volcanic margin type. This classification is based primarily on the presence of a buried volcanic wedge beneath the continental slope, manifested by seismic data as a seaward dipping reflector sequence (SDRS). Here, we investigate the deep structure of the Argentine volcanic margin at 44°S over 200 km from the shelf to the deep oceanic Argentine Basin. We use wide-angle reflection/refraction seismic data to perform a joint travel time inversion for refracted and reflected travel times. The resulting P-wave velocity-depth model confirms the typical volcanic margin structure. An underplated body is resolved as distinctive high seismic velocity (vp up to 7.5 km/s) feature in the lower crust in the prolongation of a seaward dipping reflector sequence. A remarkable result is that a second, isolated body of high seismic velocity (vp up to 7.3 km/s) exists landward of the first high-velocity feature. The centres of both bodies are 60 km apart. The high-velocity lower-crustal bodies likely were emplaced during transient magmatic-volcanic events accompanying the late rifting and initial drifting stages. The lateral variability of the lower crust may be an expression of a multiple rifting process in the sense that the South Atlantic rift evolved by instantaneous breakup of longer continental margin segments. These segments are confined by transfer zones that acted as rift propagation barriers. A lower-crustal reflector was detected at 3 to 5 km above the modern Moho and probably represents the lower boundary of stretched continental crust. With this finding we suggest that the continent-ocean boundary is situated 70 km more seaward than in previous interpretations. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Schnabel, Michael
Germany, Hannover
Bundesanstalt Für Geowissenschaften Und Rohstoffe
Franke, Dieter
Germany, Hannover
Bundesanstalt Für Geowissenschaften Und Rohstoffe
Engels, Martin
Germany, Hannover
Bundesanstalt Für Geowissenschaften Und Rohstoffe
Hinz, Karl
Germany, Hannover
Bundesanstalt Für Geowissenschaften Und Rohstoffe
Neben, Sönke
Germany, Hannover
Bundesanstalt Für Geowissenschaften Und Rohstoffe
Damm, Volkmar
Germany, Hannover
Bundesanstalt Für Geowissenschaften Und Rohstoffe
Grassmann, Stefan
United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi
Aabar Petroleum Investments Company Pjsc
Pelliza, Hugo
Brazil, Rio de Janeiro
Petrobras
Dos Santos, Paulo Ricardo
Brazil, Rio de Janeiro
Petrobras
Statistics
Citations: 56
Authors: 9
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.tecto.2008.01.019
ISSN:
00401951