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    Seismological and Geophysical Signatures of the Deep Crustal Magma Systems of the Cenozoic Volcanic Fields Beneath the Eifel, Germany
    (Hoboken, NJ [u.a.] : Wiley, 2020) Dahm, Torsten; Stiller, Manfred; Mechie, James; Heimann, Sebastian; Hensch, Martin; Woith, Heiko; Schmidt, Bernd; Gabriel, Gerald; Weber, Michael
    The Quaternary volcanic fields of the Eifel (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany) had their last eruptions less than 13,000 years ago. Recently, deep low-frequency (DLF) earthquakes were detected beneath one of the volcanic fields showing evidence of ongoing magmatic activity in the lower crust and upper mantle. In this work, seismic wide- and steep-angle experiments from 1978/1979 and 1987/1988 are compiled, partially reprocessed and interpreted, together with other data to better determine the location, size, shape, and state of magmatic reservoirs in the Eifel region near the crust-mantle boundary. We discuss seismic evidence for a low-velocity gradient layer from 30–36 km depth, which has developed over a large region under all Quaternary volcanic fields of the Rhenish Massif and can be explained by the presence of partial melts. We show that the DLF earthquakes connect the postulated upper mantle reservoir with the upper crust at a depth of about 8 km, directly below one of the youngest phonolitic volcanic centers in the Eifel, where CO2 originating from the mantle is massively outgassing. A bright spot in the West Eifel between 6 and 10 km depth represents a Tertiary magma reservoir and is seen as a model for a differentiated reservoir beneath the young phonolitic center today. We find that the distribution of volcanic fields is controlled by the Variscan lithospheric structures and terrane boundaries as a whole, which is reflected by an offset of the Moho depth, a wedge-shaped transparent zone in the lower crust and the system of thrusts over about 120 km length. ©2020. The Authors.
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    Ground instability of sinkhole areas indicated by elastic moduli and seismic attributes
    (Oxford : Oxford Univ. Press, 2020) Wadas, S.H.; Tschache, S.; Polom, U.; Krawczyk, C.M.
    Elastic moduli derived from vertical seismic profiles (VSPs) and 2-D SH-wave reflection seismic profiles are used to characterize mechanical properties of rocks in sinkhole areas. VP and VS were used to calculate the Poisson's ratio and the dynamic shear modulus. The study shows that 2-D shear wave reflection seismics is suited to depict the heterogeneities of the subsurface induced by subsurface erosion. Low shear wave velocities of ca. 120-350 m s-1 and low shear strength values between 25 and 250 MPa are identified for the subsurface erosion horizon that consists of soluble Permian evapourites and the disturbed overlying deposits. These low values are a result of cavities and fractures induced by dissolution, creating unstable zones. In compliance with the shear modulus the Poisson's ratio derived from the VSPs shows values of 0.38-0.48 for both the presumed subsurface erosion horizon, and the deposits above. This is a further indicator of reduced underground stability. In the VSPs, anomalies of the shear modulus and the Poisson's ratio correlate with low electrical resistivities of less than 10 ωm from borehole logs, indicating high conductivity due to fluid content. Further investigation reveals a conversion of S-to-P wave for the subsurface erosion horizon, which is probably the result of dipping layers and an oriented fracture network. Seismic attribute analysis of the 2-D sections shows strong attenuation of high frequencies and low similarity of adjacent traces, which correlate with the degree of subsurface erosion induced wave disturbance of the underground. © 2020 The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Royal Astronomical Society.