Crustal structure of the Reykjanes Ridge near 62°N, on the basis of seismic refraction and gravity data

Gravity inversion concentrates on a profile across the ridge with the above seismic a priori information; with 0.2-0.5 km depth uncertainty it leads to a good fit (±2.5 mGal where seismic data exist). Best fitting densities are (in kg/m3) for sediments, 2180; upper crust, 2450-2570; lower crust, 2850-2940; mantle lithosphere, 3215-3240 with a deficit for an asthenospheric wedge of no more than −100 kg/m3. The morphological ridges and troughs superimposed on the SE ridge flank are partly correlated, partly anti-correlated with the Bouguer anomaly and suggest that variable crustal density variations accompany the morphology variations.