Three-dimensional density model of the upper crust at the junction of the Losevsky and Vorontsovsky terranes (Voronezh crystalline massif)

Abstract

The results of detailed three-dimensional density modeling of the upper part of the Earth's crust for the area located in the northeastern part of the Voronezh crystalline massif in the area of the junction of the Losevsky and Vorontsovsky terranes are considered. The model obtained by solving the inverse gravimetry problem characterizes the density distribution of the rocks of the crystalline basement of the territory to a depth of 16 km. An important role in such constructions is given to the starting model of the studied environment, which was formed taking into account the available a priori geological and geophysical information: the regional density model of the East European Platform lithosphere and the gravity field, the data on the density of rocks of the sedimentary cover and the crystalline basement, estimates of the “gravity” layer thickness, the geological map of the crystalline basement, and the digital elevation models of the region. The three-dimensional density model allowed specifying the geological structure of the upper crust of the study area and tracing the deep continuation of the surface structures of the basement. The reliability of the obtained results is determined by the consistency of the accepted a priori data on the environment and the consistency of the model and observed gravity fields of the study area.

Keywords

• upper crust structure
• gravity field inversion
• density modeling