Seismological investigation of the Bangui anomaly and its relation to the margin of the Congo craton

The inversion of teleseismic arrival times of P waves recorded by a temporary linear array of seismological stations in Central African Republic shows that structural variations persist down to a depth of 160 km at least. Crustal thickness is about 40 km. Lateral inhomogeneities may be related to the northern margin of the Congo craton where up to 4% higher velocities are observed. Similar patterns of the Bangui magnetic anomaly, one of the largest features occurring over a stable continent, and of the seismic velocity distribution indicate a close relation. The abnormal magnetic field would be due to deep structure with higher susceptibility.