3-D geometry of the Lonar impact crater, India, imaged from cultural seismic noise

Abstract

The Lonar impact crater in the Deccan Volcanic Province of India is an excellent analogue for impact-induced structures on the Moon and other terrestrial planets. We present a detailed architecture of the crater using a high-resolution 3-D seismic velocity image to a depth of 1.5 km through the inversion of high-frequency ambient noise data recorded over 20 broadband seismographs operating around the crater. The ambient noise waveform is dominated by cultural noise in the 1–10 Hz band. The shear wave velocity (Vs) model is created from Rayleigh wave group velocity data with a horizontal resolution of 0.5–1 km in the period range of 0.1–1.2 s. A key feature of the model is a velocity reduction of 10–15 per cent below the crater compared to outside the ejecta zone. The low-velocity zone below the crater is nearly circular and extends to a depth of ∼500 m. This estimated crater’s depth is consistent with global depth–diameter scaling relations for simple craters. The basement, with a Vs of more than 2.5 km s−1, lies beneath the Deccan basalt, which has a Vs of ∼2.4 km s−1. These results are consistent with laboratory-measured data from the Lonar crater and borehole data in the western Deccan trap. This study opens a new window for exploring impact craters and sub-basalt structures using high-frequency ambient noise tomography.