The Earth’s Crust of the West Orenburg Region Derived from Receiver Function Data

In this article, the properties of the Earth’s crust of the Western Orenburg region are discussed. The data of the broadband seismic station ORR (Orenburg), which is part of the Neftegaz–Seismika network, were analyzed using the receiver function method. The Zhu and Kanamori method was used to estimate the average parameters of the crust—the thickness and ratio of the longitudinal and transverse seismic wave velocities—using a single-layer model. A one-dimensional velocity section of seismic waves under the station was obtained by inversion of the waveforms of the receiver function. It is shown that the upper part of the constructed section is characterized by low transverse wave velocities. This is consistent with the presence of terrigenous and oil-and gas-containing rocks under the seismic station ORR. The resulting section in general does not contradict the results of the interpretation of the two profiles obtained by the DSS method performed in this region. However, the thickness of the crust calculated by the receiver function method, approximately 35–37 km, is 7–10 km less, compared with the results of the DSS method. To draw a final conclusion about the magnitude of the thickness of the crust, additional research is required.