Lithosphere structure of the Southern Dinarides and continuity of the Adriatic lithosphere slab beneath the Northern Dinarides unravelled by seismic modelling

Scientific paper - Original scientific paper

• Author: Franjo Šumanovac
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering; (Department of Geophysical Exploration and Mine Surveying)
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: NATURAL SCIENCES; Geology
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: NATURAL SCIENCES; Geophysics
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: TECHNICAL SCIENCES; Mining, Petroleum and Geology Engineering

Abstract (english)

Currently recognised lithospheric models hypothesise the non-existence of a lithospheric slab (a so-called slab gap) in the area of the Northern Dinarides, and the possible existence of a shallow slab in the Southern Dinarides. These geological models are mostly based on previous regional and global 3D velocity models obtained from teleseismic tomography. Recent local tomographic models providing a good resolution have regularly shown the existence of a fast anomaly underneath the entire Dinarides, directly indicating the existence of a lithospheric slab. To avoid interpretation pitfalls and increase reliability, forward seismic modelling based on new tomographic models was performed. Seismic modelling indicates a continuous lithospheric slab along the entire Dinarides in the shallow mantle, but it is not continuous vertically. In the Northern Dinarides, the shallow lithospheric slab extends at least to a depth of 150 km. In the Southern and Central Dinarides, there is a deep fast anomaly that can be interpreted in two ways due to the weak vertical resolution of teleseismic tomography. The first model suggests a steeply dipping continuous Adriatic lithospheric slab whereas the second model shows that the slab consists of two separate blocks, meaning that the deeper block was formed by delamination of the Adriatic lithospheric slab. Due to a similar correlation between the inverse velocity models for the synthetic model and the observed data, preference is not given to any model. The second model could indicate two independent Dinaridic subduction phases, as opposed to viewing subduction as a single long process during the geological past.

• Keywords (english): teleseismic tomography; lithospheric slab; Adriatic microplate; dinarides; pannonian basin; subduction
• Language: english
• Publication type: Scientific paper - Original scientific paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review - international
• Publication version: Published version
• Journal title: Geosciences
• Numbering: vol. 12, no. 12, 439
• e-ISSN: 2076-3263
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12120439
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:169:666771
• Publication: 2022-11-29
• Project: Number: KK.01.1.1.02.0022; Title (croatian): Virtulab – Integrirani laboratorij za primarne i sekundarne sirovine; Acronym: Virtulab; Leader: Sibila Borojević Šoštarić; Jurisdiction: Croatia; Funding stream: EFRR
• Document URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/12/12/439
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2024-02-01 09:36:03