The evolution of the layered lower crust and the Moho through geological time in Western Europe: contribution of deep seismic reflection profiles

Deep seismic reflection images from a set of profiles shot in Western Europe have been reviewed and compared, and tentative conclusions have been proposed concerning the evolution of the layered lower crust and the Moho. The disappearance of Variscan mountain roots is related to the set-up of a new Moho at a typical 30-km depth and the creation of seismic layering in the lower crust. Deep seismic profiles suggest that these processes resulted, at least in part, from magmatic intrusion, partial crustal melting and metamorphism of deep crustal rocks into eclogite. On the other hand, the layered lower crust is greatly attenuated beneath Cretaceous basins and Tertiary rifts in relation to prominent Moho upwellings. The unusual amplitude of the Moho reflection and the presence of anomalously high seismic velocities in the lowermost crust beneath the Tertiary rifts suggest that the Moho and part of the layering are comparatively young features related to interactions between crust and mantle. Beneath Triassic-Jurassic basins, the layered lower crust was not affected by the subsidence of the basement, with the whole crustal thinning being entirely concentrated in the upper crust. This indicates that the layered lower crust and the Moho were formed or restored during or after the main rifting phase. Seismic data reveal constraints on the processes that affect the crust-mantle transition and seem to restore the Moho to its typical depth after any mechanical deformation of the lithosphere.