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Scales of Heterogeneities in the Continental Crust and Upper Mantle

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Seismic Exploration of the Deep Continental Crust

Part of the book series: Pure and Applied Geophysics(PAGEOPH) ((PTV))

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Abstract

A seismological characterization of crust and upper mantle can refer to large-scale averages of seismic velocities or to fluctuations of elastic parameters. Large is understood here relative to the wavelength used to probe the earth.

In this paper we try to characterize crust and upper mantle by the fluctuations in media properties rather than by their average velocities. As such it becomes evident that different scales of heterogeneities prevail in different layers of crust and mantle. Although we cannot provide final models and an explanation of why these different scales exist, we believe that scales of inhomogeneities carry significant information regarding the tectonic processes that have affected the lower crust, the lithospheric and the sublithospheric upper mantle.

We focus on four different types of small-scale inhomogeneities: (1) the characteristics of the lower crust, (2) velocity fluctuations in the uppermost mantle, (3) scattering in the lowermost lithosphere and on (4) heterogeneities in the mantle transition zone.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geophysical Institute, Karlsruhe University, Hertzstr. 16, 76187, Karlsruhe, Germany

    Marc Tittgemeyer, Friedemann Wenzel & Karl Fuchs

  2. GeoForschungZentrum, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Trond Ryberg

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  1. Marc Tittgemeyer
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  2. Friedemann Wenzel
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  3. Trond Ryberg
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  4. Karl Fuchs
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Geophysics, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Dirk Gajewski

  2. Institute for Geosciences, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany

    Wolfgang Rabbel

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Tittgemeyer, M., Wenzel, F., Ryberg, T., Fuchs, K. (1999). Scales of Heterogeneities in the Continental Crust and Upper Mantle. In: Gajewski, D., Rabbel, W. (eds) Seismic Exploration of the Deep Continental Crust. Pure and Applied Geophysics(PAGEOPH). Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8670-3_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8670-3_3

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