Department of Earth Sciences
Fall 2022 Seminar Series
Friday, November 4th
12:30PM
Storrs Hall WW16
Dr. Stephen Monna, Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology
Is there continuous subduction below the Western Alps (Europe) at present? New information from seismology.
Abstract:
The Alps are one of the most studied orogenic systems but a number of questions remain unanswered, such as the existence of continuous or interrupted subduction of the Eurasian plate below the Adria plate in the Western Alps. To answer this question, it is necessary to assess the geometry (such as thickness and position) of the two lithospheric plates that are involved. We use the receiver function technique on seismometer data coming from the dense AlpArray Seismic Network to explore the interfaces that delimit the shallow Earth layers: the Moho and the Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary. Thanks to these measurements we were able to define the plate geometries below the Western Alps. Our observations show that Eurasia and Adria lithospheres have comparable thickness (on average 90-95 km), that the plates are colliding, and that Eurasia is not presently continuously subducting below Adria. This information helps us understand the current state and recent geodynamic evolution of the Alps.
For more information, contact: Christin Donnelly at christin.donnelly@uconn.edu