Tomographic Study of the Adriatic Plate

Two well-known methodologies have been used, for the first time, to derive a detailed and reliable lithospheric model of the Adriatic Plate, consistent with the thus far available data: non linear inversion of phase and group velocity dispersion curve obtained from surface-wave tomography, and body-waves tomography. To carry out the body-waves tomography, about 16500 P phases and 2000 S phases from 1219 seismic events, 73 seismic stations located at the border of the investigated region and a vertically heterogeneous starting model derived from the nonlinear inversion of average dispersion measurements, are used. The 3-D velocity model of the upper lithosphere, obtained from the combined analysis, shows a rather clear structural anomaly on the northeastern side, where the crust is thicker, and an uprising of the top of the lid in the northern part of the plate with a very thin, if any, transition zone from crust to mantle.