Development of 3-D Gravity-Magnetic Models of the Earth’s Crust of Azerbaijan and Adjacent Areas: an Overview

Abstract

Azerbaijan is located in the Alpine Himalayan collisional zone and is characterized by its complex and variable geo- logical structure. To study Azerbaijan’s deep structure, twelve main regional interpreting profiles were selected for comprehensive 3D combined gravity-magnetic modeling. The development of the initial physical-geological models (PGMs) was based on known surface geology, drilling data, previous seismic, magnetotelluric and thermal data analy- sis, examination of the richest petrophysical data, as well as quantitative and qualitative gravity/magnetic data exami- nation. The PGMs thus reflect the key structural-formational specifics of Azerbaijan’s geological structure, beginning from the subsurface (hundreds of meters) up to the Moho discontinuity (40 - 60 km). The PGMs revealed common fac- tors controlling ore- and hydrocarbon bearing formations, primarily the boundaries of tectonic blocks, masked faults, and buried uplifts of magmatic rocks. Many of these factors can be used to investigate long-term geodynamic activity at a depth. The article summarizes many years of investigation by exemplifying the most typical PGMs for the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, the Kura depression, and central and northern Azerbaijan.