TY - JOUR A1 - Heit, Benjamin A1 - Yuan, Xiaohui A1 - Weber, Michael H. A1 - Geissler, Wolfram H. A1 - Jokat, Wilfried A1 - Lushetile, Bufelo A1 - Hoffmann, Karl-Heinz T1 - Crustal thickness and V-p/V-s ratio in NW Namibia from receiver functions: Evidence for magmatic underplating due to mantle plume-crust interaction JF - Geophysical research letters N2 - A seismological network was operated at the junction of the aseismic Walvis Ridge with the northwestern Namibian coast. We mapped crustal thickness and bulk V-p/V-s ratio by the H-k analysis of receiver functions. In the Damara Belt, the crustal thickness is similar to 35km with a V-p/V-s ratio of <1.75. The crust is similar to 30km thick at the coast in the Kaoko Belt. Strong variations in crustal thickness and V-p/V-s ratios are found at the landfall of the Walvis Ridge. Here and at similar to 150km northeast of the coast, the crustal thickness increases dramatically reaching 44km and the V-p/V-s ratios are extremely high (similar to 1.89). These anomalies are interpreted as magmatic underplating produced by the mantle plume during the breakup of Gondwana. The area affected by the plume is smaller than 300km in diameter, possibly ruling out the existence of a large plume head under the continent during the breakup. KW - crustal thickness KW - V-p KW - V-s ratios KW - magmatic underplating KW - Walvis Ridge KW - continental breakup Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL063704 SN - 0094-8276 SN - 1944-8007 VL - 42 IS - 9 SP - 3330 EP - 3337 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Washington ER -