DOI: 10.5880/gfz.dekorp-3b_mve_west.001
title: Deep seismic reflection profile DEKORP 1990-3B/MVE (West) from the Kellerwald to the Bohemian Massif, West Germany

description: The 208 km long profile 3B/MVE (West) was recorded in 1990 as part of the joint seismic reflection venture DEKORP 1990-3/MVE (Muenchberg-Vogtland-Erzgebirge) between the two former German Republics shortly before their unification. The aim of DEKORP 1990-3/MVE was to explore the structure of the crust from the Rhenish Shield through the Bohemian Massif to the Ore Mountains. The entire profile consists of DEKORP 3A, DEKORP 3B/MVE (West) and its prolongation to the east DEKORP 3B/MVE (East). Its total length amounts to about 600 km. 24 short seismic cross lines and associated 3D blocks with single fold coverage were also recorded. The seismic survey of 3B/MVE (West) was performed to investigate the deep crustal structure and the transition zone between the Rhenohercynian and Saxothuringian units with high-fold near-vertical incidence vibroseis acquisition. The results were compared with the results from the surveys DEKORP 1 and DEKORP 2, running nearly parallel to the line 3B/MVE (West). Details of the 3B/MVE (West) experiment, its preliminary results and interpretations may be obtained from DEKORP Research Group (A) et al. (1994) and DEKORP Research Group (C) et al. (1994). The Technical Report of line 3B/MVE (West) gives complete information about acquisition and processing parameters. The European Variscides, extending from the French Central Massif to the East European Platform, originated during the collision between Gondwana and Baltica in the Late Palaeozoic. Due to involvement of various crustal blocks in the orogenesis, the mountain belt is subdivided into distinct zones. The external fold-and-thrust belts of the Rhenohercynian and Saxothuringian as well as the predominantly crystalline body of the Moldanubian dominate the central European segment of the Variscides. Polyphase tectonic deformation, magmatism and metamorphic processes led to a complex interlinking between the units. The mainly NW-SE running DEKORP 3B/MVE (West) runs perpendicular to the Variscan strike direction and traverses the southern part of the Rhenohercynian unit with the Northern Phyllite Zone and the northern part of the Saxothuringian unit including the Mid-German Crystalline High. Starting in the Kellerwald the profile crosses the Hessian Depression, the Tertiary volcanic Rhoen Mountains and the Mesozoic of the Franconian Basin (DEKORP Research Group (C) et al., 1994). East of Staffelstein the profile turns to the east and ends on the Franconian Line, the southwestern boundary fault zone of the Bohemian Massif. The line 3B/MVE (West) is intersected by ten cross lines along the profile and by DEKORP 3A at its northwestern end. To the east the profile is extended by DEKORP 3B/MVE (East).
description: The German Continental Seismic Reflection Program DEKORP (DEutsches KOntinentales Reflexionsseismisches Programm) was carried out between 1984 – 1999 as the German national reflection seismic program funded by the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology (BMFT), Bonn [now: the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)]. DEKORP was administrated by the former Geological Survey of Lower Saxony (NLfB), Hannover [now: the State Authority for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG)]. In 1994 the DEKORP management was taken over by the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. The aim of DEKORP was to investigate the deep crustal structure of Germany with high-resolution near-vertical incidence (mostly vibro)seismic acquisition, supplemented by wide-angle seismic and other target-oriented piggy-back experiments, all complemented by optimized methods of data processing and interpretation. The DEKORP project was closely linked with the KTB (German continental deep-drilling program) and was an equivalent to many other deep-seismic programs world-wide such as COCORP, BIRPS, LITHOPROBE, ECORS, CROP, BELCORP, IBERSEIS and many more. The DEKORP-Atlas (Meissner & Bortfeld, 1990) gives a detailed overview about most of the different campaigns and results. In sum, the resulting DEKORP database includes approximately 40 crustal-scale 2D-seismic reflection lines covering a total of ca. 4 700 km and one 3D-seismic reflection survey covering ca. 400 km². Each DEKORP survey is provided with all datasets that are necessary for either a re-processing (i.e. raw unstacked field records in SEGY) or a re-interpretation (i.e. finally processed sections in SEGY or PNG). The raw data are sorted by records or by CDPs. The final data are available as unmigrated or migrated stacks without or with coherency enhancement. Automatical line-drawings are also included. All data come with additional meta information for each domain (source, receiver, CDP) like coordinates, elevations, locations and static corrections combined in ASCII-tables for geometry assignment. Furthermore, all metadata originating from paper copies are made available as scanned files in PNG or PDF, e.g. field and observer reports, location maps in different scales, near-surface profile headers and others. The DEKORP datasets provide unique and deep insights into the subsurface below Germany covering the earth’s crust from the surface to the upper mantle and are increasingly requested by academic institutions and commercial companies. Fields of applications are geothermal development, hazard analysis, hydrocarbon/shale gas exploration, underground gas storage, tunnel construction and much more.