Continental Passive Margin West of Svalbard and Barents Sea in Polish Arctic Seismic Studies

Deep seismic sounding measurements were performed in the continent-ocean transition zone of the western Svalbard and Barents Sea margin, during the Polish-international expeditions in 1976-2008. Seismic energy (airgun and TNT shots) was recorded along several profiles by onshore seismic stations, ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) and hydrophone systems (OBH). Good quality reflected and refracted P waves provided an excellent data base for a seismic modelling along the profiles. TNT sources were recorded up to 300 km distances. A minimal depth of about 6 km of the Moho interface was found east of the Molloy Deep. The Moho discontinuity dips down to 28 km beneath the continental part of the northernmost profile and down to maximum 32 km beneath other profiles. The evolution of the region is considered to be within a shear-rift tectonic setting.