Structure and Geomechanical Properties of the Earth’s Crust and Upper Mantle of the Foothill Part of North Ossetia

Using the receiver function method applied to data from broadband seismic stations in the foothill part of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, the structure of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle of the region is obtained, and an equivalent four-layer model is constructed. A complex, “nonstandard” crustal structure is revealed. It is characterized by extremely low VS values and high VP/VS ratios in its upper part. The crust-mantle transition is gradational, with a conventionally defined depth of approximately 35 km. In the upper mantle, at a depth of about 100 km, a layer of reduced VS values is observed, which is likely to correspond to a Mid-Lithospheric Discontinuity (MLD). The values of the physicomechanical properties of the rocks, necessary for setting the boundary conditions in the 3D modeling of the stress-strain state of the geological environment in the region, are estimated.