Search

Our study aims to detect anomalous seismic and geomagnetic precursor signals appearing before Vrancea, Romania medium sized earthquakes, that occurred in the last decade (2012-2022), using in the first step the visualization processing method, to identify the time lap between the two anomalies and the following earthquakes. During the study period, in Vrancea seismogenic zone there have been recorded 39 earthquakes with magnitude ML>=4.5, both at normal and intermediate depth. We have assumed that the zone of effective manifestation of the precursor deformations is a circle with the radius taken from the equation of Dobrovolsky, 1979, so the studies were done inside this zone. The Seismic data consists in seismic velocities vp and vs (vp/vs), computed from the arrivals of seismic waves at the NIEP stations situated in the earthquake preparation area. The calculations are done automatically by the Phenomenal platform https://ph.infp.ro/seismicity/data, using the corrected Romanian seismic bulletins. The seismic velocity is the geophysical property that has a key role in characterizing dynamic processes and the state of the stress around the faults, providing significant information regarding the change in tectonic regime. In the crust, velocities change before, during and after earthquakes through several mechanisms related to, for example, fault deformations, pore pressure, changes in stress state (pressure perturbation) and rebound processes.The Geomagnetic data are obtained from Muntele Rosu (MLR) Seismological Observatory of NIEP, situated inside Vrancea seismogenic zone as primary station, and from Surlari (SUA) Geomagnetic Observatory of Intermagnet, as remote station, unaffected by medium size earthquake preparedness processes. Geomagnetic indices taken from GFZ (https://www.gfz-potsdam.de/kp-index) were used to separate the global magnetic variation from possible local seismo-electromagnetic anomalies, that might appear in a seismic area like Vrancea zone and to ensure that observed geomagnetic fluctuations are not caused by solar-terrestrial effect.In this presentation we study the appearance of the changes of seismic propagation velocities (vp/vs) in time and the geomagnetic deviations from the normal trend before the occurrence of moderate size crustal and intermediate earthquakes from Vrancea zone, to emphasize the time span between the studied phenomena, in order to be able to find a statistical correlation between them.Acknowledgements. This work was funded by: PN23 36 02 01/2023 SOL4RISC Nucleu Project, by MCD, Phenomenal Project PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2019-1693, 480PED/2020 and AFROS Project PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2020-1361, PCE/2021 supported by UEFISCDI

The collisional area between the ALCAPA microplate and East European Craton across the Carpathian Orogen, is one of the most intriguing geological areas in Europe. Here, a variety of tectonic processes are occurring simultaneously, including extensional basins, oceanic subduction, post-collisional volcanism, and active crustal deformation due to the push of the Adria plate or the pull of the actively detaching Vrancea slab, creating it a distinctive tectonic setting.To explore the lithospheric structure of this collision region, broadband stations operating in the Carpatho-Pannonian area between 2006and 2022 were transformed into virtual sources by cross-correlating simultaneous noise recordings at pairs of stations in the frequency domain and stacking the cross-correlations to obtain one inter-station cross-correlogram per pair (Empirical Green functions). Rayleigh and Love phase velocities, as well as Rayleigh wave attenuation coefficients, were measured and mapped at six discrete periods (5, 10, 15, 25, and 30s) using the latest multiscale seismic imaging algorithms. We used a least-squares inversion approach based on ray theory with adaptive parameterization to map the lateral variations in surface-wave velocity, whereas the attenuation structures were revealed by mapping the frequency-dependent Rayleigh-wave attenuation coefficient.Our results reveal a strong correlation between geology and tomographic images, suggesting a highly heterogeneous crust. An inverse correlation trend between Rayleigh wave phase velocity and attenuation maps was obtained for all period ranges, revealing a contrast between high attenuation features from the Pannonian Basin, including intra-Carpathian areas, and stable platform regions placed in front of the Carpathians. The shallow crust shear velocity model shows low velocities beneath Neogene and Paleozoic sedimentary basins and volcanic regions and high velocities under collisional fronts. In the middle to lower crust (25–30 km), high shear velocities beneath the Pannonian basin are in agreement with the previous findings.

We investigate the complex flow field around the Vrancea slab in Romania, a steeply sinking seismogenic lithospheric block that experienced lateral tear-off and possible rotation. The Vrancea slab is located beneath the South-East Carpathians and generates frequent seismicity despite its remote location from active collisional boundaries. We analyse core-refracted shear wave (SKS) splitting recorded by permanent broadband seismic stations from the Romanian Seismic Network for periods up to 10 years, and compare our results with seismic tomography of the upper mantle. We identify several stations with large backazimuthal variations of SKS fast axis polarization and delay times both in the slab hinge zone, the back-arc and the circumslab region, indicating complex mantle deformation patterns. To investigate the effect of a two-level rotated slab we invert SKS waveforms using cross-convolutional misfit combined with a neighbourhood search algorithm to model two layers of anisotropy. In the shallow mantle, anisotropy aligns with the upper slab strike and reorients along the strike of the lower slab at depths below the hinge zone. In the backarc trench-perpendicular anisotropy switches to trench-parallel, due to the recent retreat and roll-back of the slab. Our results have important implications for understanding SKS interference from subducted slab fragments and provide evidence of the recent retreat, break-off and rotation of two Vrancea slab levels sinking into the upper mantle.

Since the 1980s’ the geodynamic evolution of the Alpine-Carpathian-Pannonian (ACP) region has been clearly dominated by two models: McKenzie (1978) and Royden (1984). The model of McKenzie was the first numerical model to explain the continental extension in terms of lithospheric stretching and following thermal subsidence. The model has envisaged that these two processes are recorded by the intervening sedimentary processes: the initial syn-rift phase characterized by extensional growth sequences and the subsequent thermal phase best described in terms of tectonic quiescence with no, or little deformation of the sedimentary cover. Its first application to the North-Sea has brought serious breakthrough in the understanding of its geodynamic evolution, and became a strong predictive tool for the oil and gas exploration community. Further on, the model has been tested on the Pannonian Basin by Sclater et al (1980). The results were ambiguous, and Bally and Snelson (1980) have highlighted that the syn-rift phase is not responding properly to the model. In spite of these early concerns, the McKenzie model has been widely accepted for the coming decades. Evidences from reflection seismic data coupled with well data, however were to confirm that the style and timing of extensional deformation is indeed out of the reach of model predictions. Shortly afterwards, Royden has proposed that the extension of the Pannonian Basin System area would be coupled with the compressional tectonics of the Carpathians. Royden et al. has proposed that the motor behind the two concurrent processes would be the subduction roll-back which they thought to be represented by the Vrancea Seismic Zone (VSZ). This model was simple and elegant, to that extent that has been unanimously adopted by the whole geoscientific community without reserves for the coming four decades. While it is clear, that the VSZ is a well-documented geodynamic entity, it is problematic to pursue how far can be applied to the whole Intra-Carpathian Region (ICR). There is a growing evidence coming from a variety of regions from the ICR, such as the Transylvanian Basin, Apuseni Mountains, East-Carpathians and ultimately from the Pannonian Basin suggesting that the subduction roll-back model cannot be retained anymore as the sole and only viable solution to explain the Miocene-Pannonian geodynamics of the ACP region. Moreover, possible alternative interpretation(s) of the VSZ is calling for a full revision of the mechanisms of basin and orogenic evolution.

The Vrancea Seismic Zone (VSZ), located in Romania, at the sharp bend of the southeastern Carpathians, is an anomalous intraplate seismic region releasing the largest strain in continental Europe. The seismicity is concentrated in a high-velocity focal volume down to 200 km, challenging classic earthquake mechanism theories due to its remote location and deep hypocenters in an expectedly ductile lithosphere. The last significant earthquake in Vrancea occurred in 1977 causing destruction to Romanian cities and long-term economic damage to an already struggling developing country. The seismic infrastructure was underdeveloped in Romania at that time and the earthquake was not well-recorded locally. The recent increase in seismic station coverage in Romania now provides the opportunity to systematically study seismogenic processes and apply the most novel processing methods.We apply the recently developed algorithm of Virtual Earthquake Approach (VEA, Denolle et al., 2013) to reconstruct realistic ground motion records as if the stations operating today recorded historical earthquakes, such as the 1977 event. Predicting accurate ground motion is critical for earthquake hazard analysis, particularly in situations where sedimentary basins trap and amplify seismic waves. We gathered one year of three-component ambient noise data from 44 broadband seismic stations around the VSZ. We then construct the ambient noise Green’s tensor between pairs of stations and add the signatures of a realistic earthquake: double couple mechanism, buried source and a realistic earth model in the epicentral area.Using the Romanian earthquake catalog (Romplus, www.infp.ro), we selected the last Mw>6.0 earthquakes since 1940 from the area and extracted the moment tensor solutions. Subsequently, we simulate the ground motion generated by these earthquakes recorded by modern seismometers decades after their occurrence. Our new results demonstrate the viability of this innovative method and provide a unique opportunity for more accurate seismic hazard analysis.Keywords: ambient noise, historical earthquake, virtual earthquake approach.Reference:A. Denolle, E. M. Dunham, G. A. Prieto, G. C. Beroza, Ground motion prediction of realistic earthquake sources using the ambient seismic field, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 118, 2102–2118, doi:10.1029/2012JB009603, 2013.

The Carpathian-Pannonian region (CPR) is one of the geotectonically most exciting areas of Europe due to a diversity of tectonic processes activating in close proximity: extensional basin evolution, oceanic subduction, post-collisional volcanism, as well as active crustal deformation associated with the push of the Adria plate or the pull of the actively detaching Vrancea slab. This makes CPR an excellent natural laboratory to study the behavior of the lithosphere-asthenosphere system in a special tectonic setting. To emphasize the lateral heterogeneity and physical properties of the crust in the CPR we investigate noise data recorded by the vertical components of broadband stations that have been operational in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2020 in Eastern Europe, kindly provided by the Romanian Seismic Network and EIDA-European Integrated Data Archive. With the advent of this large amount of data and by applying a new processing method of ambient seismic noise field based on the continuous wavelet transform, we computed cross-correlations between various station pairs to transform every available seismic station into a virtual source. The inter-station cross-correlograms were used to determine the coda quality factors (Qc) in three different period ranges (2.5–5 s, 5–10 s and 10–20 s) and invert them using a modified version of the open-access code MURAT2D to construct the highest resolution attenuation tomography of the region. By mapping the attenuation features, within the study region, our results reveal high attenuation features throughout the Bohemian Massif, Alcapa unit, and Vrancea area, as well as a strong difference in attenuation between the Pannonian Basin, and stable platform regions located in front of the Carpathians. In addition, Qc variations are larger at short period in agreement with the strong heterogeneities in the uppermost crust. Finally, our findings demonstrate that noise correlation approaches are more efficient in analyzing Qc at lower frequencies than those previously proposed for earthquake data analyses.

The Black Sea is the largest European back-arc basin connected to the subduction and final closure of the Tethys ocean. Its origin and type of crust are widely debated, with contrasting views suggesting it is either a relic of Paleotethys or a rifted back-arc basin formed within the thick and cold Precambrian lithosphere. To investigate the structure of this atypical intra-continental basin, we constructed the highest resolution seismic tomography of the region using the latest techniques of probabilistic inversion of ambient noise data recorded at seismic stations around the sea. Our results indicate the presence of thinned continental crust beneath the basin, likely of Precambrian lithospheric origin, thus invalidating the existence of either a relic Paleotethys fragment or younger oceanic crust. Extension and rifting probably exploited pre-existing sutures, but the rheologically strong lithosphere resisted transition to seafloor spreading. Seismic anisotropy shows complex paleo-deformational imprints within the crust and upper mantle related to the closure of Tethys. Extension caused by subduction roll-back generated anisotropic lithospheric fabric parallel to the rifting axis within the thinnest sections of the crust in the western basin. The eastern part developed on a distinct lithospheric domain that preserves paleo-extension anisotropy signatures in the form of lower crustal viscous deformation. Further south, anisotropy orients along the Balkanide-Pontide collisional system that records the final stages of Neotethys closure. Our results place key constraints on the type of deformations that occurred throughout the Tethyan realm, with fundamental implications for the development and evolution of back-arc basins and continental break-up.

Diurnal geomagnetic variations are generated in the magnetosphere and last for about 24 hours. These can be seen on the recordings of all magnetic observatories, with amplitudes of several tens of nT, on all magnetic components. The shape and amplitude of diurnal variations strongly depend on the geographical latitude of the observatory. In addition to the dominant external source from the interaction with the magnetosphere, the diurnal geomagnetic variation is also influenced by local phenomena, mainly due to internal electric fields. External influence remains unchanged over distances of hundreds of kilometers, while internal influence may differ over very short distances due to the underground conductivity. The ration of the diurnal geomagnetic variation at two stations should be stable in calm periods and could be destroyed by the phenomena that can occur during the preparation of an earthquake, when at the station inside the seismogenic zone, the underground conductivity would change or additional currents would appear. The cracking process inside the lithosphere before and during earthquakes occurrence, possibly modifies the under- ground electrical structure and emits electro-magnetic waves.In this paper, we study how the diurnal geomagnetic field variations are related to Mw>4.9 earthquakes occurred in Vrancea, Romania. For this purpose, we use two magnetometers situated at 150 km away from each other, one, the Muntele Rosu (MLR) observatory of NIEP, inside the Vrancea seismic zone and the other, the Surlari (SUA) observatory of IGR and INERMAGNET, outside the preparation area of moderate earthquakes. We have studied the daily ranges of the magnetic diurnal variation, R=DBMLR/DBSUA, during the last 10 years, to identify behavior patterns associated with external or internal conditions, where DB= Bmax-Bmin, during a 24 hours period.As a first conclusion, we can mention the fact that the only visible disturbances appear before some earthquakes in Vrancea with Mw> 5.5, when we see a differentiation of the two recordings due to possible local internal phenomena at MLR. The differentiation consists in the decrease of the value of the vertical component Bzmax-Bzmin at MLR compared to the USA a few days before the earthquake and the return to the initial value after the earthquake. These studies need to be continued in order to determine if it is a repetitive behavior, or if it is just an isolated phenomenon.Acknowledgments:The research was supported by: the NUCLEU program (MULTIRISC) of the Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation through the projects PN19080102 and by the Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) through the projects PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2019-1693, 480 PED/2020 (PHENOMENAL) and PN-III-P4-ID-PCE- 2020-1361, 119 PCE/2021 (AFROS).

SUMMARY The Earth's inner core is solidifying from the liquid outer core, where convection currents power the geodynamo. Constraining properties of the inner core is fundamentally important, yet seismic models do not reconcile body wave and normal mode attenuation properties. Here, we analyse high signal-to-noise ratio core-refracted (PKIKP) and core-reflected (PKiKP) waves generated by earthquakes recorded globally between 1987 and 2021. These phases are excellent indicators of uppermost inner core (UIC) properties due to their low angular separation at the core–mantle boundary and similar ray paths. We analyse their amplitude ratios (ARs) and time delays (DTs) relative to synthetic waveforms and estimate the required attenuation perturbations in a linearized attenuation tomography. The UIC is cylindrically isotropic and heterogeneous in both seismic velocity and attenuation. Contrary to the paradigm that the inner core is seismically hemispherical, we find more complex patterns of attenuation that correlate with seismic velocities, according to both Akaike criterion and Student's t-test. The UIC beneath NE Asia is weakly attenuating and seismically slower, in contrast to the expected properties associated with the quasi-Eastern Hemisphere. Beneath South America, where the core is thought to grow fastest, AR values are more diverse, possibly reflecting interdendritic melt inclusions, and DTs show an E–W gradient. The UIC is seismically slow and weakly attenuating beneath the Atlantic, but strong anomalies emerge near West Africa. Attenuation slightly changes with depth conceivably implying an increase in melt degree or a change in inner core growth rate with time. These 3-D heterogeneities are inconsistent with simple models of core translation or lopsided growth, indicating that more intricate processes are needed to explain inner core structure and evolution.

The Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ) is the most important and extensive continental suture in Europe, marking the edge of the East European Craton (EEC), from the North Sea to the Black Sea. It corresponds to significant changes in surface geology and deep crustal structure, evident in seismic, gravitational and magnetic studies. However, the TESZ disappears beneath the Eastern Carpathians accretionary nappes and Neotethys ophiolites, thrusted over the subducted EEC passive margin in Romania that may have experienced progressive southward break-off generating post-collisional volcanism and anomalous seismicity in the Vrancea region of the South-East Carpathians. To illuminate the missing TESZ section and investigate the change in crustal properties from the Precambrian EEC across the collisional orogen and the impact of related volcanism, we determined a 3D seismic model of P and S wave velocities of the Eastern Carpathians in Romania. With the advent of new permanent broadband and short-period seismic stations of the Romanian Seismic Network, we were able to lower the earthquake magnitude detection threshold to 0.5 ML, largely expanding the earthquake database and create seismic images of the crust across the Carpathians. Using double-difference tomography and waveform cross-correlation differential times, we relocated local crustal earthquakes between 2010 and 2017 and jointly inverted for the 3D P and S -wave velocity structure down to the Moho discontinuity. Our study provides the highest resolution 3D crustal seismic model of this area to date and emphasizes the manifestation of surface tectonic boundaries at lower crustal depths. The TESZ is highlighted at mid-to lower-crustal depths beneath the Carpathian nappes, east of the post-collisional volcanic belt, as a gently-dipping transition from high Vp in the eastern footwall, the dipping Precambrian basement, to low Vp beneath the Carpathian Orogen to the west and a downward decrease in Vp/Vs. In parts of the volcanic region, Vp/Vs ratios increase suggesting the presence of fluids, mafic material and partial melts that may have altered the seismic structure of the TESZ. Relocated hypocenters are vertically distributed in the velocity transition zone from low to high especially beneath the youngest volcanoes in the south, consistent with a hypothetically active magmatic plumbing system. In the northern segment, where volcanoes are older, relatively high velocities are estimated and seismicity tends to cluster in the top 10 km, likely connected to a recently reactivated fault system. Seismicity in the foreland of the East Carpathians aligns along the NW-SE trending major crustal faults and continues beneath the thrust belt, suggesting the East European Craton basement extends beneath the orogen as far as the volcanic belt.

The Alpine chain in western and central Europe is a complex orogen developed as a result of the African–Adriatic plate convergence towards the European continent and the closure of several Tethys oceanic branches. Seismic tomography studies detected high-wave-speed slabs plunging beneath the orogen to variable depths and a potential change in subduction polarity beneath the Central Alps. Alpine subduction is expected to leave a significant imprint on the surrounding mantle fabrics, although deformation associated with the Hercynian Orogeny, which affected Europe prior to the collision with Adria, may have also been preserved in the European lithosphere. Here we estimate SKS anisotropy beneath the central and greater Alpine region at 113 broadband seismic stations from the AlpArray experiment as well as permanent networks from Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and France. We compare the new improved dataset with previous studies of anisotropy, mantle tomography, lithospheric thickness, and absolute plate motion, and we carry out Fresnel analysis to place constraints on the depth and origin of anisotropy. Most SKS directions parallel the orogen strike and the orientation of the Alpine slabs, rotating clockwise from west to east along the chain, from −45 to 90∘ over a ∼700 km distance. No significant changes are recorded in Central Alps at the location of the putative switch in subduction polarity, although a change in direction variability suggests simple asthenospheric flow or coupled deformation in the Swiss Central Alps transitions into more complex structures beneath the Eastern Alps. SKS fast axes follow the trend of high seismic anomalies across the Alpine Front, far from the present-day boundary, suggesting slabs act as flow barriers to the ambient mantle surrounding them for hundreds of km. Further north across the foreland, SKS fast axes parallel Hercynian geological structures and are orthogonal to the Rhine Graben and crustal extension. However, large splitting delay times (>1.4 s) are incompatible with a purely lithospheric contribution but rather represent asthenospheric flow not related to past deformational events. West of the Rhine Graben, in northeastern France, anisotropy directions are spatially variable in the proximity of a strong positive seismic anomaly in the upper mantle, perhaps perturbing the flow field guided by the nearby Alpine slabs.

The origin of 3D seismic heterogeneity in Precambrian lithosphere has been enigmatic, because temperature variations in old stable shields are expected to be small and seismic sensitivity to major‐element compositional variations is limited. Previous studies indicate that metasomatic alteration may significantly affect average 1‐D structure below shields. Here, we perform a grid search for 3‐D thermo‐chemical structure, including variations in alteration, to model published Rayleigh‐wave phase velocities between 20 and 160 s for the eastern part of the Archean Superior and Canadian Proterozoic Grenville Provinces. We find that, consistent with constraints from surface heatflow and xenoliths, the lithosphere is coolest (Moho heatflow 12‐17 mW/m2) and the thermal boundary layer thickest (>250 km) in the northeastern Superior and warmest in the southeastern Grenville (Moho heatflow 20‐25 mW/m2, thermal boundary thickness 160‐200 km). Compositionally, the phase velocities for most of the Superior within our study region require little alteration, but in a few regions, fast velocities need to overlie slower velocities. These can be modelled with an eclogite layer in the mid lithosphere, consistent with active‐seismic and xenolith evidence for remnants of subducted Archean crust. The phase velocities from the Grenville Province require significant metasomatic modification to explain the relatively low velocities of the shallow lithosphere, and the required intensity of alteration is highest in parts of the Grenville associated with arc accretion. Thus, composition of the northeastern Canadian Shield appears to reflect different stages and styles of craton assembly.

The thermal and compositional structure of the lithospheric keels underlying the Precambrian cratonic cores of the continents may shed light on their evolution and long-term stability. A number of seismic studies have found significant 3D seismic heterogeneity in cratonic lithosphere, which is enigmatic because temperature variations in old shields are expected to be small and seismic sensitivity to major-element compositional variations is limited. Previous studies show that metasomatic alteration may lead to significant variations in shield velocities with depth. Here we perform a grid search for thermo-chemical structures including metasomatic compositions, to model Rayleigh-wave phase velocities between 20 and 160 s for the northeastern part of North America comprising the Superior craton, the largest Archean craton in the world, and surrounding Proterozoic belts. We find smooth variations in thermal structure that include variations in thermal thickness within the Superior and decreasing thickness towards the edges of the shield. Four types of distinct compositional structures are required to match the long-period phase velocities. The different types appear to correlate with: (i) the unaltered oldest cores of the Superior, (ii) Archean and Proterozoic lithosphere modified by rifting and plume activity, and two distinct types of subduction signatures: (iii) an Archean/Paleo-Proterozoic signature that includes a high-velocity eclogite layer in the mid-lithosphere and (iv) a post Paleo-Proterozoic signature characterised by strongly altered shallow mantle lithosphere. Thus, processes that have affected the formation and modification of cratonic lithosphere and were previously recognised in xenoliths appear to have also left large-scale imprints in seismic structure.

SUMMARYSince the Mesozoic, central and eastern European tectonics have been dominated by the closure of the Tethyan Ocean as the African and European plates collided. In the Miocene, the edge of the East European Craton and Moesian Platform were reworked in collision during the Carpathian orogeny and lithospheric extension formed the Pannonian Basin. To investigate the mantle deformation signatures associated with this complex collisional-extensional system, we carry out SKS splitting analysis at 123 broad-band seismic stations in the region. We compare our measurements with estimates of lithospheric thickness and recent seismic tomography models to test for correlation with mantle heterogeneities. Reviewing splitting delay times in light of xenolith measurements of anisotropy yields estimates of anisotropic layer thickness. Fast polarization directions are mostly NW–SE oriented across the seismically slow West Carpathians and Pannonian Basin and are independent of geological boundaries, absolute plate motion direction or an expected palaeo-slab roll-back path. Instead, they are systematically orthogonal to maximum stress directions, implying that the indenting Adria Plate, the leading deformational force in Central Europe, reset the upper-mantle mineral fabric in the past 5 Ma beneath the Pannonian Basin, overprinting the anisotropic signature of earlier tectonic events. Towards the east, fast polarization directions are perpendicular to steep gradients of lithospheric thickness and align along the edges of fast seismic anomalies beneath the Precambrian-aged Moesian Platform in the South Carpathians and the East European Craton, supporting the idea that craton roots exert a strong influence on the surrounding mantle flow. Within the Moesian Platform, SKS measurements become more variable with Fresnel zone arguments indicating a shallow fossil lithospheric source of anisotropy likely caused by older tectonic deformation frozen in the Precambrian. In the Southeast Carpathian corner, in the Vrancea Seismic Zone, a lithospheric fragment that sinks into the mantle is sandwiched between two slow anomalies, but smaller SKS delay times reveal weaker anisotropy occurs mainly to the NW side, consistent with asymmetric upwelling adjacent to a slab, slower mantle velocities and recent volcanism.

The purpose of this paper is to present the most comprehensive catalogue of focal mechanisms for Romanian earthquakes which occurred between 1929 and 2000 in the Carpathian Orogen, the Moesian and Moldavian Platforms, and the Transylvanian Basin. The present catalogue (REFMC) is a first step toward creating a centralized and continuous database of earthquake mechanisms in Romania by revising and updating existing data for the twentieth century, which together with the Romanian earthquake catalogue (ROMPLUS)—continuously updated by the National Institute for Earth Physics, provides the fundamental information for any seismicity or seismic hazard assessment. In order to produce a close-to definitive version compatible with more recent and less uncertain focal mechanisms solutions, we revised multiple sets of data (some of which newly found), recalculated and corrected some of the fault-plane solutions and reached a consensus. The catalogue comprises 250 crustal events and 416 intermediate-depth events recorded in the twentieth century starting from 1929. On the basis of the new catalogue data and seismotectonic investigation, we propose a reconfiguration of the seismogenic zones located along Southern Carpathians toward the western side of Romania.

The present study addresses playful work design as the consistent initiative of employees to integrate game-like elements into their day-to-day work in order to reach theirimposed work-related goals. We adapted a short measure for daily playful work design and followed 55 white-collar workers over 5 consecutive working days. We hypothesized that playful work design would be predicted by contextual factors and an individual factor (i.e. job autonomy, manager support for fun and growth need strength). Furthermore, we predicted that, across days, playful work design would relate positively with work engagement and positive affect and negatively with negative affect. Additionally, we tested for the moderation of growth need strength in the relationship between work engagement and playful work design. Results indicated that playful work design was not predicted by job either job autonomy, manager support for fun or growth need strength. We found that playful work design was related positively to work engagement and positive affect, but not related to negative affect. Moreover, growth need strength didn’t moderate the relationship between daily playful work design and daily work engagement. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of our findings for the work design literature.

The thick, seismically fast lithospheric keels underlying continental cores (cratons) are thought to have formed in the Precambrian and resisted subsequent tectonic destruction. A consensus is emerging from a variety of disciplines that keels are vertically stratified, but the processes that led to their development remain uncertain. Eastern Canada is a natural laboratory to study Precambrian lithospheric formation and evolution. It comprises the largest Archean craton in the world, the Superior Craton, surrounded by multiple Proterozoic orogenic belts. To investigate its lithospheric structure, we construct a frequency-dependent anisotropic seismic model of the region using Rayleigh waves from teleseismic earthquakes recorded at broadband seismic stations across eastern Canada. The joint interpretation of phase velocity heterogeneity and azimuthal anisotropy patterns reveals a seismically fast and anisotropically complex Superior Craton. The upper lithosphere records fossilized Archean tectonic deformation: anisotropic patterns align with the orientation of the main tectonic boundaries at periods ≤110 s. This implies that cratonic blocks were strong enough to sustain plate-scale deformation during collision at 2.5 Ga. Cratonic lithosphere with fossil anisotropy partially extends beneath adjacent Proterozoic belts. At periods sensitive to the lower lithosphere, we detect fast, more homogenous, and weakly anisotropic material, documenting postassembly lithospheric growth, possibly in a slow or stagnant convection regime. A heterogeneous, anisotropic transitional zone may also be present at the base of the keel. The detection of multiple lithospheric fabrics at different periods with distinct tectonic origins supports growing evidence that cratonization processes may be episodic and are not exclusively an Archean phenomenon.

The multitemporal nonlinear Schrödinger PDE (with oblique derivative) was stated for the first time in our research group as a universal amplitude equation which can be derived via a multiple scaling analysis in order to describe slow modulations of the envelope of a spatially and temporarily oscillating wave packet in space and multitime (an equation which governs the dynamics of solitons through meta-materials). Now we exploit some hypotheses in order to find important explicit families of exact solutions in all dimensions for the multitime nonlinear Schrödinger PDE with a multitemporal directional derivative term. Using quite effective methods, we discovered families of ODEs and PDEs whose solutions generate solutions of multitime nonlinear Schrödinger PDE. Each new construction involves a relatively small amount of intermediate calculations.

This work was funded by Leverhume Trust research project grant RPG-2013- 332. Equipment was provided by the NERC’s GEF, SEIS-UK: Loan 986. Many thanks to residents of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick for allowing us to install seismometers on their land, and for their interest and hospitality: Ben and Elizabeth Pooley, Calvin and Mary Fraser, Kirk Munn, Mary Guptill and Delbe Comeau, Simeon Comeau, George Klass, Greg McHone and the Grand Manan Museum, Heiner and Alison Josenhans, Bev and Ian Cameron, Maurice Mazerolle, Russell and Debbie Parrott. Thanks to Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, especially to Mladen Nedimovic, Darlene van de Rijt and Anne Bannon for logistical assistance.

International audience; The geological record of SE Canada spans more than 2.5Ga, making it a natural laboratory for the study of crustal formation and evolution over time. We estimate the crustal thickness, Poisson's ratio, a proxy for bulk crustal composition, and shear velocity (V-s) structure from receiver functions at a network of seismograph stations recently deployed across the Archean Superior Craton, the Proterozoic Grenville, and the Phanerozoic Appalachian provinces. The bulk seismic crustal properties and shear velocity structure reveal a correlation with tectonic provinces of different ages: the post-Archean crust becomes thicker, faster, more heterogeneous, and more compositionally evolved. This secular variation pattern is consistent with a growing consensus that crustal growth efficiency increased at the end of the Archean. A lack of correlation among elevation, Moho topography, and gravity anomalies within the Proterozoic belt is better explained by buoyant mantle support rather than by compositional variations driven by lower crustal metamorphic reactions. A ubiquitous approximate to 20km thick high-V-s lower crustal layer is imaged beneath the Proterozoic belt. The strong discontinuity at 20km may represent the signature of extensional collapse of an orogenic plateau, accommodated by lateral crustal flow. Wide anorthosite massifs inferred to fractionate from a mafic mantle source are abundant in Proterozoic geology and are underlain by high-V-s lower crust and a gradational Moho. Mafic underplating may have provided a source for these intrusions and could have been an important post-Archean process stimulating mafic crustal growth in a vertical sense.