Global Continental Residual Topography from Crustal Structure Analysis

A 2024 study by Stephenson et al. provides 4,120 measurements of continental residual topography, derived by correcting for crustal thickness and density variations. The data is based on a global inventory of 26,725 crustal thickness estimates and a parametrization using 1,136 laboratory measurements of seismic velocity and density. It excludes Antarctica and is associated with software for converting seismic velocity to density.

Use Cases

• Modeling mantle convection patterns based on long-wavelength residual topography anomalies.
• Correlating lithospheric thickness variations with observed residual topography.
• Validating geodynamic models against spot measurements of emergent marine strata and intraplate magmatism.
• Analyzing the relationship between residual topography and upper mantle seismic velocity anomalies.

Strengths

• Derived from a substantial global inventory of 26,725 continental crustal thickness estimates.
• Uses a physical parametrization grounded in 1,136 laboratory measurements of seismic velocity and density.
• Provides 4,120 specific measurements of residual topography with defined wavelength ranges (1,000–5,000 km).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count for the underlying databases is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data excludes Antarctica, limiting global continental coverage.

Provenance

Source

Stephenson et al. (2024), Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth; data hosted by Geoscience Australia.

Collection Method

Assembled from local seismological datasets (wide-angle/refraction surveys, calibrated reflection profiles, receiver functions) and laboratory measurements.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 02:57:44.223924; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage for major continents, excluding Antarctica.