S U M M A R YWe report the crustal structure for two locations in Iraq estimated by joint inversion of P-wave receiver functions (RFs) and surface (Rayleigh) wave group velocity dispersion. RFs were computed from teleseismic recordings at two temporary broad-band seismic stations located in Mosul (MSL) in the Zagros Fold Belt and Baghdad (BHD) in the Mesopotamian Foredeep. Group velocity dispersion curves at the sites were derived from continental-scale tomography. The inversion results show that the crustal thicknesses are 39 km at MSL and 43 km at BHD. We observe a strong Ps Moho at BHD consistent with a sharp Moho discontinuity. However, at MSL we observe a weak Ps Moho suggesting a transitional Moho where crustal thickening is likely to be occurring in the deep crust. Both sites reveal low velocity surface layers consistent with sedimentary thickness of about 3 km at station MSL and 7 km at BHD and agreeing well with the previous reports. Ignoring the sediments, the crystalline crustal velocities and thicknesses are remarkably similar at both stations. The similarity of crustal structure suggests that the crust of the northeastern proto-Arabian Platform was uniform before subsidence and deposition of the sediments in the Cenozoic. If crystalline crustal structure is uniform across the northern Arabian Platform then crustal thickness variations in the Zagros Fold Belt and Thrust Zone should reveal the history of deformation and crustal shortening in the ArabianEurasian collision zone and not reflect pre-existing crustal thickness variations in the Arabian Plate.

We have developed an improved Levenburg‐Marquart technique to rapidly invert Bouguer gravity data for a 3-D density distribution as a source of the observed field. This technique is designed to replace tedious forward modeling with an automatic solver that determines density models constrained by geologic information supplied by the user. Where such information is not available, objective models are generated. The technique estimates the density distribution within the source volume using a least‐squares inverse solution that is obtained iteratively by singular value decomposition using orthogonal decomposition of matrices with sequential Householder transformations. The source volume is subdivided into a series of right rectangular prisms of specified size but of unknown density. This discretization allows the construction of a system of linear equations relating the observed gravity field to the unknown density distribution. Convergence of the solution to the system is tightly controlled by a damping parameter which may be varied at each iteration. The associated algorithm generates statistical measures of solution quality not available with most forward methods. Along with the ability to handle large data sets within reasonable time constraints, the advantages of this approach are: (1) the ease with which pre‐existing geological information can be included to constrain the solution, (2) its minimization of subjective user input, (3) the avoidance of difficulties encountered during wavenumber domain transformations, and (4) the objective nature of the solution. Application to a gravity data set from Hamilton County, Indiana, has yielded a geologically reasonable result that agrees with published models derived from interpretation of gravity, magnetic, seismic, and drilling data.

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We used teleseismic travel time residuals to determine lateral velocity variations of the crust and upper mantle in the Pamir‐Hindu Kush region in Tadjikistan and Afghanistan. Data from 29 analog seismic stations in Tadjikistan and northern Afghanistan were used to determine travel time residuals for 210 teleseismic events ranging in distance from 28° to 87° and covering a broad range of azimuths. We inverted for velocity perturbations over a rectangular grid with a block size of 99 × 99 km. The model extended to a depth of 350 km with a 50‐km‐thick first layer and two 150‐km‐thick deeper layers. The results show a strong and well‐resolved zone of high velocities in the upper mantle at depths greater than 200 km, coincident with the location of the Hindu Kush seismic zone. No clear velocity perturbations are associated with the Pamir seismic zone. Above 200 km little correlation is observed with the seismic zone, but indications of thicker crust under the Pamir and thinner crust under the Tadjik Depression are seen. The high velocities are most likely caused by the presence of oceanic lithosphere at depth.