Electrical conductivity structure of north-west Fennoscandia from three-dimensional inversion of magnetotelluric data

• Regional (350 × 480 km2) magnetotelluric array data were acquired in NW Fennoscandia.
• The rocks of the Precambrian upper crust and the Caledonian nappes are resistive.
• Middle and lower crust in the Svecofennian province are conductive.
• Crustal conductors are revealed in the Skellefteå and Kittilä mining areas and Caledonides.

New magnetotelluric (MT) data in north-west Fennoscandia were acquired within the framework of the project “Magnetotellurics in the Scandes” (MaSca). The project focuses on the investigation of the crustal and upper mantle lithospheric structure in the transition zone from stable Precambrian cratonic interior to passive continental margin beneath the Caledonian orogen and the Scandinavian Mountains in western Fennoscandia. An array of 59 simultaneous long period and 220 broad-band MT sites were occupied in the summers of 2011 to 2013.The 3-D inversion of the MaSca data was obtained using the ModEM 3-D code. The full impedance and tipper data were used for the inversion. The rocks of Archaean and Proterozoic basement towards east and the Caledonian nappes towards west are modelled as resistive structures. In the central and southern parts, the whole crust is resistive and reflects the Trans-Scandinavian Igneous Belt granitoids. The middle to lower crust of the Svecofennian province is conductive. An uppermost crustal conductor is revealed in the Skellefteå Ore District. The south end of the Kittilä Greenstone Belt is seen in the models as a strong upper to middle crustal conductor. In the Caledonides, the highly conductive alum shales are observed along the Caledonian Thrust Front. A map of the crustal conductance for the north-west Fennoscandian Shield is presented.