A Caledonian age for reflectors within the mantle lithosphere north and west of Scotland

Abstract

This paper synthesizes geophysical data from two areas north and west of the Scottish mainland, the sites of grids composed of over 1600 and 650 line km, respectively, of deep (≥15 s two‐way travel time) seismic reflection profiles. These grids make possible migration of generally eastward‐dipping reflections in order to locate correctly in three dimensions three reflector surfaces within the uppermost mantle lithosphere. North of Scotland part of the reflector surface strikes to the northwest and forms a plunging fold structure that arches several kilometers into the lower crust near its hingeline. At depths around 50 km the reflector splits into two surfaces, one subhorizontal and one dipping to the east. Gravity modeling suggests that this latter surface may be a normal fault or shear zone and therefore Permo‐Triassic extensional features may be superposed on older, subhorizontal mantle reflectors. Similarities in reflection patterns observed both north and west of Scotland lead us to suggest that these reflections come from three parts of a once continuous structure over 700 km long. Late Caledonian age left‐lateral offsets of over 200 km are inferred to have disrupted this structure. Restoration of this offset plus tens of kilometers of subsequent extension recreates an uppermost mantle feature parallel to the Caledonian erogenic front and dipping toward the Caledonian suture along the Laurentian plate margin. If our restoration is correct in assuming regional‐scale coupling between crustal faulting and uppermost mantle deformation, some mantle structures have persisted for over 400 Ma. Eclogite or metasomatized mantle rock within zones several hundred meters thick appear likely sources of impedance contrast producing the mantle reflections.