Dynamic topography of the East European craton: Shedding light upon lithospheric structure, composition and mantle dynamics

Most of the East European Craton lacks surface relief; however, the amplitude of topography at the top of the basement exceeds 20 km, the amplitude of topography undulations at the crustal base reaches almost 30 km with an amazing amplitude of ca. 50 km in variation in the thickness of the crystalline crust, and the amplitude of topography variations at the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary exceeds 200 km. This paper examines the relative contributions of the crust, the subcrustal lithosphere, and the dynamic support of the sublithospheric mantle to maintain surface topography, using regional seismic data on the structure of the crystalline crust and the sedimentary cover, and thermal and large-scale P- and S-wave seismic tomography data on the structure of the lithospheric mantle. For the Precambrian lithosphere, an analysis of Vp/Vs ratio at 100, 150, 200, and 250 km depths does not show any age-dependence, suggesting that while Vp/Vs ratio can be effectively used to outline the cratonic margins, it is not sensitive to compositional variations within the cratonic lithosphere.Statistical analysis of age-dependence of velocity, density, and thermal structure of the continental crust and subcrustal lithosphere in the study area (0–62E, 45–72N) allows to link lithospheric structure with the tectonic evolution of the region since the Archean. Crustal thickness decreases systematically with age from 42–44 km in regions older than 1.6 Ga to 37–40 km in the Paleozoic–Mesoproterozoic structures, and to ca. 31 km in the Meso-Cenozoic regions. However, the isostatic contribution of the crust to the surface topography of the East European Craton is almost independent of age (ca. 4.5 km) due to an interplay of age-dependent crustal and sedimentary thicknesses and lithospheric temperatures.On the contrary, the contribution of the subcrustal lithosphere to the surface topography strongly depends on the age, being slightly positive (+ 0.3 + 0.7 km) for the regions older than 1.6 Ga and negative (− 0.5–1 km) for younger structures. This leads to age-dependent variations in the residual topography, i.e. the topography which cannot be explained by the assumed thermal and density structure of the lithosphere, and which can (at least partly) originate from the dynamic component caused by the mantle flow. Positive dynamic topography at the cratonic margins, which exceeds 2 km in the Norwegian Caledonides and in the Urals, clearly links their on-going uplift with deep mantle processes. Negative residual topography beneath the Archean-Paleoproterozoic cratons (− 1–2 km) indicates either a smaller density deficit (ca. 0.9%) in their subcrustal lithosphere than predicted by global petrologic data on mantle-derived xenoliths or the presence of a strong convective downwelling in the mantle. Such mantle downflows can effectively divert heat from the lithospheric base, leading to a long-term survival of the Archean-Paleoproterozoic lithosphere.