Tectonic interpretation of measured recent movements of the earth surface of sedimentary basin

Abstract

The recent vertical and horizontal movements of the Earth’s surface are measured in the cratonic sedimentary basins. The nature of those movements may be different, though the tectonic factor is commonly considered as the main driving mechanism. Benchmarks used for geodetic observations are established on the Earth’s surface. The measured amplitudes are a sum of tectonic crustal movements and non-tectonic deformations of sediments. The conceptual model assuming that recent movements are of the tectonic nature and are accordingly inherited from ancient trends was checked applying statistical techniques. The correlation and regression analysis of measured vertical movements vs. geological parameters was performed. The multi-criteria analysis was applied to prove the hypothesis of the tectonic nature of vertical surface movements registered in westernmost Lithuania. GIS techniques enabled quick inventory and collection of the geological parameters from the available digital maps at the points of the geodetic measurements (thickness of the sedimentary cover, intensity of the gravity and magnetic fields, thickness of the Alpine, Variscan, Caledonian structural complexes, depth of the sub-Quaternary surface, etc.). The models of the recent tectonic activity of the sedimentary basins can be constructed applying mathematical statistical and multi-criteria approaches.