Effect of sphericity on the evaluation of the stress-strain state in the earth’s crust

Abstract

The effect of sphericity on the stress-strain state of the Earth’s crust was evaluated by adapting a numerical algorithm for the solution of a 2D boundary value problem using a calculation scheme constructed for the Cartesian coordinate system. The considered problem describes the stress-strain state of a three-layer block model of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle along the Tarim–Altai profile with a length of 2500 km and a depth of 90 km. The solutions obtained with regard to sphericity and for a rectangular region were compared. The calculation results showed a very weak effect of sphericity on the resulting surface topography and intracrustal boundaries. However, there was a significant difference in the values of the stress-strain state parameters, which reached 10% or more in separate zones.The effect of sphericity on the stress-strain state of the Earth’s crust was evaluated by adapting a numerical algorithm for the solution of a 2D boundary value problem using a calculation scheme constructed for the Cartesian coordinate system. The considered problem describes the stress-strain state of a three-layer block model of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle along the Tarim–Altai profile with a length of 2500 km and a depth of 90 km. The solutions obtained with regard to sphericity and for a rectangular region were compared. The calculation results showed a very weak effect of sphericity on the resulting surface topography and intracrustal boundaries. However, there was a significant difference in the values of the stress-strain state parameters, which reached 10% or more in separate zones.