Seismic Reflection Imaging of Fluid-Filled Sills in the West Eifel Volcanic Field, Germany

Abstract

We applied state-of-the-art seismic processing and imaging techniques to crustal-scale seismic reflection data from the BELCORP/DEKORP87 lines 1A and 1B. The aim of the presented work was to identify structural evidence in the Earth's crust and upper mantle related to the ongoing magmatic activity in the Quaternary West Eifel Volcanic Field (WEVF) in Central Europe where ca. 70 eruptions happened since 65 ka. Following careful signal-processing, Fresnel volume migration was applied and yielded images with exceptionally strong lithospheric reflectors in the SE of the WEVF. Sparse signal representation revealed numerous reversed polarities. Using petrophysical relations, the corresponding reflections can be interpreted as reflections from melt and/or volatile-bearing (supercritical CO₂) zones which appear as horizontally elongated lens-shaped sills. Furthermore, we observed reflections with similarly inverted polarities from structural features located around the Moho at of 31 km depth, indicating fluids or melts from the uppermost mantle and supporting magmatic underplating models.