Moho Depth Determination of the Adriatic Sea Region Using a New Bouguer Anomaly Database

In the present work we examine the crustal structure in the wider Adriatic Sea region using a newly presented Bouguer database derived from the integration of satellite, marine and inland gravity measurements. The observed large-wavelength Bouguer anomalies clearly correlate with the deeper crustal - upper mantle structural features, revealing new information on the Moho undulations, allowing the quantitative assessments of the Moho geometry in the study area. This task was performed using three different approaches, namely the multiple source Werner deconvolution (MSWD), the isostatic admittance method and the Parker-Oldenburg algorithm. The interpretation of the MSWD estimates was performed along nine selected Bouguer gravity profiles, leading to a pseudo-3D Moho map, as opposed to the other two methodologies from which 3D models are derived. All three maps exhibit similar large scale features but also local differences for the Moho structure in the Adriatic Sea area. Since this region exhibits complex geotectonic features, such as a double plate subduction, the main goal of the present work is to highlight the main areas of crustal thinning and thickening, using the aforementioned results. Moreover, the results provided by the different methods are evaluated against the current geological and geophysical data and models developed for the area.