RT Journal Article
T1 Three-Dimensional Architecture of Foreland Basins from Seismic Noise Recording: Tectonic Implications for theWestern End of the Guadalquivir Basin
A1 Amador Luna, David
A1 Macau, Albert
A1 Fernández Rodríguez, Carlos
A1 Alonso Chaves, Francisco Manuel
AB The Variscan and Mesozoic basement are covered by Neogene and Quaternary sediments belonging to the Guadalquivir foreland Basin (southern Spain). This study explores the subsurface of the northern margin of its westernmost sector using the HVSR method, recording seismic noise at 334 stations between the mouths of the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir rivers, near Doñana National Park. Fundamental frequency and basement measurements enabled the estimation of an empirical formula for basement depth: h = 80.16·f0−1.48. Five distinct HVSR responses were obtained: (a) low-frequency peaks, indicating deep substratum; (b) high-frequency peaks, shallow bedrock; (c) broad peaks, potential critical zones (3D-2D effects, suggesting faults); (d) double peaks (marshlands); and (e) no peaks, near-outcropping bedrock. The soil fundamental frequencies range from 0.23 to 18 Hz, with bedrock depth ranges from 1 to 5 m in the northwest to over 600 m in the southeast. Borehole data correlate strongly with HVSR-derived results, with typical discrepancies of only a few tens of meters, likely due to the presence of non-geological basement acting as a mechanical basement. Although the possibility of ancient fluvial terraces of the Guadalquivir River contributing to abrupt slope changes is considered, H/V spectra with broad peaks suggest tectonic origins. This study presents the first regional three-dimensional model of the basin basement over an area exceeding 2300 km2, revealing a horst-and-graben system formed by foreland deformation linked to the westward advance of the Rif-Betic orogenic front.
PB MDPI
SN 2076-3263 (electrónico)
YR 2025
FD 2025-09
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27133
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27133
LA eng
NO Amador Luna, D., Macau, A., Fernández, C., & Alonso-Chaves, F. M. (2025). Three-Dimensional Architecture of Foreland Basins from Seismic Noise Recording: Tectonic Implications for the Western End of the Guadalquivir Basin. Geosciences, 15(9), 345. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15090345
NO The data acquisition of this project was funded through the following projects: ALERTES-RIM (CGL2013-4572h-C3-2-R), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and “Multidisciplinary and multiscale analysis of the mechanisms of localization and distribution of crustal deformation in oblique convergence”, PGC2018-100914-B-I00, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Additional funding was provided by the Research and Transfer Policy Strategy (Estrategia Política de Investigación y Transferencia, EPIT) of the University of Huelva, through the predoctoral contract to promote the hiring of early-stage research staff (EPIT20/00832), which supported the recruitment of David Amador Luna.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 30 may 2026