Surface wave tomography across the Sorgenfrei-Tornquist Zone, SW Scandinavia, using ambient noise and earthquake data

Abstract

We produce a S-wave velocity model of the crust and upper mantle around the Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone, southern Scandinavia, by analysing ambient seismic noise and earthquake recordings on temporary and permanent regional network stations. In a first step, we perform tomographical inversion of surface wave dispersion data from seismic noise to obtain Rayleigh and Love wave phase-velocity maps from 3 to about 30 s period. Local dispersion curves are then combined with regionally averaged surface wave velocities from earthquake data measured between 15 and about 100 s period. Dispersion curves are jointly inverted for a 3-D model of the S-wave velocity and radial velocity anisotropy by using a combined Monte Carlo and linearized inversion approach. Results reveal significant crustal as well as uppermost mantle velocity variations at all depth levels. Upper crustal structural variations are mainly controlled by the thick sedimentary Danish Basin with both low S-wave velocities and high anisotropy. Despite of the known limited capability of surface wave inversion to constrain interface depths and model parameter trade-offs, obtained Moho depths are in good agreement with previous studies in the region. Marked crustal thinning is clearly revealed beneath the Danish Basin with a narrow transition to the thicker crust in Swedish shield areas. Despite very different crustal and morphological structures, Denmark and southern Norway both have similar well-defined upper-mantle low-velocity zones, interpreted as asthenosphere, starting a depth of about 100 km. Compared with southern Sweden, showing high upper-mantle velocities, characteristic for shields, velocities are reduced by 0.30–0.40 km s−1 (6–8 per cent) at the depth levels of 140–200 km and radial anisotropy of 2–4 per cent is observed. Our study confirms the importance of the Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone, as a very deep structural boundary, separating old, thick, cratonic Baltica lithosphere in southern Sweden from reworked and attenuated Baltica lithosphere in Denmark and southern Norway. This article was originally published in Geophysical Journal International. © 2015 Oxford University Press