Russian Journal of Earth Sciences
Vol. 3, No. 1, March 2001
Computer technologies used to obtain new information on crustal
structure in oceanic fracture zones: A case study on the active segment
of São Paulo Fracture Zone, Central Atlantic
A. O. Mazarovich, S. Yu. Sokolov, G. V. Agapova,
K. O. Dobrolyubova, and V. N. Efimov
Abstract
The paper deals with the possibility of obtaining innovative
scientific information based on computer processing of data for a well-known area,
the active segment of the São Paulo Fracture Zone (FZ), Central Atlantic, by
means of digitizing a bathymetric map and an isopach map of sedimentary cover
and supplementing the resultant mathematical models with satellite altimetry data.
Our in-depth interpretation of the data resulted in the detection of structural
heterogeneities in the rift zones and active segments of the fracture zones, of a
tract
of sedimentary cover that shows evidence of several deformation phases, and of
previously unreported volcanic edifices. In addition, a system of NW-SE trending
strike-slip faults was established. The study shows that converting information
from paper carriers to a digital format and combining the results with Internet
resources and deep sea sampling data creates an entirely new dataset amenable to
state-of-the-art processing techniques eventually leading to unexpected corollaries.