The PICASSO Research Initiative

4D-EuroARRAY Demonstration Experiment.

Description & Introduction

PICASSO: Program to Investigate the Cause of the Alboran-AtlaS System convective Overturn

PICASSO is a multi-disciplinary Initiative to explore the 3-dimensional structure and evolution of the Betics-Alboran-Atlas in order to develop understanding of the lithospheric processes that resulted in the present day geodynamic scenario. This is an international research program to carry out a multi-scale, multi-seismic experiment in the area which includes: ATLAS, ALBORAN, and SOUTHERN IBERIA.

The motivation is to study the litospheric processes that are affecting the area, if there is a place in the world were delamination is an active process, this is probably it. The most resolutive way to address the proposed topic is a multidisciplinary research program that includes structural geology, geodynamic modeling, magnetotellurics, gravity and multi-scale, multi-seismic experiments. These acquisition experiments would be addressed to constrain the crustal and upper mantle structure.

Objectives

The main objective is to determine the 3-dimensional internal structure of the crust and the lithosphere, with special emphasis in the geometry of the upper mantle in order to image the lithospheric processes that are taking place. The area is specially controvertial as different data sources and interpretations provide different geodynamic models that resulted in the present day tectonic scenario. The geodynamic processes suggested include: Orogenic collapse, Slab break-off, Mantle delamination, Active subduction.

The formation of Alboran basin requires relatively high heat flow input, several mechanism which can induce the appropriate physical conditions for the generation of the Alboran basin include: Convective Removal [Platt and Vissers, 1989], pure delamination [Seber et al., 1996], Slab break off [Zeck, 1997], Retreating subduction [Lonergan and White 1997] [for an extended summay and description see Calver et al., 2000].