Crustal structure of onshore-offshore Atlantic Canada and environs from constrained 3-D gravity inversion using variable mesh depths

Abstract

SUMMARYAtlantic Canada encompasses geological evidence of the orogenic and rifting episodes that inspired the development of the theory of plate tectonics and the fundamental concept of the Wilson cycle. To provide a regional crustal-scale view that can complement surface mapping studies and sparse seismological investigations, an onshore–offshore 3-D constrained gravity inversion methodology is proposed involving incorporation of topography and an inversion mesh that is laterally variable in terms of its maximum depth extent. A 3-D density anomaly model for the entirety of Atlantic Canada and its environs is generated, with the inverted density distribution structure and extracted isodensity surfaces showing excellent correspondence with independent and co-located controlled source and passive seismic constraints. The full density model and crustal thicknesses from this work are made freely available so that they may be used for further study, for instance as inputs for deformable plate reconstruction modelling.