MOHO DISCONTINUITY 657 Figure 12 (Left) Contour map of the depth to the base of the lithosphere of Europe, derived from an interpretation of surface wave data Numbers refer to S wave velocities above and below the base of the lithosphere Shaded areas indicate thickened lithosphere Reproduced with permission from Panza (1992) (Right) North to south cross section of Europe, demonstrating very clearly the basic differences of lithospheric thickness between the Baltic Shield in the north and the Variscan and Alpine part in Central and Southern Europe Note the lithospheric root beneath the Alps Modified from Blundell et al (1992) Tyrrhenian Sea, the asthenosphere is thin (10–20 km) Due to the very different tectonic situation, the heat flow varies strongly between 50 and 150 mW m Fourth, there is relatively thin lithosphere (about 50–80 km) in the Baltic Shield, but a thick one (about 200 km) exists beneath Central Europe Although recent tectonic and magmatic events in Europe are mainly concentrated in the Mediterranean region, there has been some recent activity in Central and Western Europe Late Cretaceous to Holocene volcanism is found in an east- to west-trending belt that extends from western Poland to western Germany, continuing southwards across the French Massif Central to the Mediterranean Recent seismological studies in the Eifel region and in the northern Massif Central have revealed low-velocity anomalies in the lithosphere and down to at least depths of 300–400 km These findings support the concept that deep-seated mantle plumes can produce intraplate mantle volcanism