Seismic onshore-offshore investigations of a passive continental margin in the RSA (west coast)

RSA

The aim of this project is to investigate the transition zone between the SE Atlantic and the African continent to reveal the history and mechanisms of the break-up and its relation to the driving magmatic processes. To achieve this goal GFZ (Potsdam),  BGR(Hannover) and the CGS (Cape Town) will conduct together a seismic onshore-offshore wideangle experiment between about 30° and 32° S latitude. The seismic signals are generated by a 52 l airgun and by 3 landshots on each of  the two profiles. On land will be deployed 40 recorders equipped with 3-component 4.5 Hz geophones. Besides these two conventional profiles Pn arrivals will be recorded along a coast-parallel receiver spread (the airgun also moves parallel to the coast) to reveal the topography of the Moho.

Principal Investigators  

• M. Weber
• A. Schulze

Cooperation  

• Dr. S. Neben, BGR Hannover
• Dr. C. Reichert, BGR Hannover
• C. de BEER, CGS (Cape Town)

Experiment time frame  

• Spring 2003 (April/May)

Methods & equipment  

• wideangle seismics
• 40 recorders with 3 - component, 4.5 Hz geophones

Publications  

• N/A

For more information contact Albrecht Schulze,  Michael Weber .