Structural variation along the Devil's Mountain fault zone, northwestern Washington

2006 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Hayward ◽  
Mladen R Nedimović ◽  
Matthew Cleary ◽  
Andrew J Calvert
Keyword(s):  
Fault Zone ◽  
Structural Variation ◽  
Puget Sound ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
Juan De Fuca Plate ◽  
The North ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Juan De Fuca ◽  
Main Fault ◽  
Juan De Fuca Strait

The eastern Juan de Fuca Strait is subject to long-term, north–south-oriented shortening. The observed deformation is interpreted to result from the northward motion of the Oregon block, which is being driven north by oblique subduction of the oceanic Juan de Fuca plate. Seismic data, acquired during the Seismic Hazards Investigation in Puget Sound survey are used, with coincident first-arrival tomographic velocities, to interpret structural variation along the Devil's Mountain fault zone in the eastern Juan de Fuca Strait. The Primary fault of the Devil's Mountain fault zone developed at the northern boundary of the Everett basin, during north–south-oriented Tertiary compression. Interpretation of seismic reflection data suggests that, based on their similar geometry including the large magnitude of pre-Tertiary basement offset, the Primary fault of the Devil's Mountain fault west of ~122.95°W and the Utsalady Point fault represent the main fault of the Tertiary Devil's Mountain fault zone. The Tertiary Primary fault west of ~122.95°W was probably kinematically linked to faults to the east (Utsalady Point, Devil's Mountain, and another to the south), by an oblique north–northeast-trending transfer zone or ramp. Left-lateral transpression controlled the Quaternary evolution of the Devil's Mountain fault zone. Quaternary Primary fault offsets are smaller to the east of ~122.95°W, suggesting that stress here was in part accommodated by the prevalent oblique compressional structures to the north. Holocene deformation has focussed on the Devil's Mountain, Utsalady Point, and Strawberry Point faults to the east of ~122.8° but has not affected the Utsalady Point fault to the west of ~122.8°W.

scholarly journals Sevier Fault at Red Canyon

Geosites ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Robert Biek
Keyword(s):  
Lava Flow ◽  
Fault Zone ◽  
Hanging Wall ◽  
Slip Rate ◽  
Normal Fault ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
The North ◽  
Total Displacement ◽  
Reflection Data

The Sevier fault is spectacularly displayed on the north side of Utah Highway 12 at the entrance to Red Canyon, where it offsets a 500,000-year-old basaltic lava flow. The fault is one of several active, major faults that break apart the western margin of the Colorado Plateau in southwestern Utah. The Sevier fault is a “normal” fault, a type of fault that forms during extension of the earth’s crust, where one side of the fault moves down relative to the other side. In this case, the down-dropped side (the hanging wall) is west of the fault; the upthrown side (the footwall) lies to the east. The contrasting colors of rocks across the fault make the fault stand out in vivid detail. Immediately south of Red Canyon, the 5-million-year-old Rock Canyon lava flow, which erupted on the eastern slope of the Markagunt Plateau, flowed eastward and crossed the fault (which at the time juxtaposed non-resistant fan alluvium against coarse-grained volcaniclastic deposits) (Biek and others, 2015). The flow is now offset 775 to 1130 feet (235-345 m) along the main strand of the fault, yielding an anomalously low vertical slip rate of about 0.05 mm/yr (Lund and others, 2008). However, this eastern branch of the Sevier fault accounts for only part of the total displacement on the fault zone. A concealed, down-to-the-west fault is present west of coarse-grained volcaniclastic strata at the base of the Claron cliffs. Seismic reflection data indicate that the total displacement on the fault zone in this area is about 3000 feet (900 m) (Lundin, 1987, 1989; Davis, 1999).

Structural Relations and Earthquake Hazards of the Crittenden County Fault Zone, Northeastern Arkansas

1992 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Crone
Keyword(s):  
Fault Zone ◽  
Crystalline Basement ◽  
Normal Faults ◽  
Reverse Fault ◽  
Seismic Zone ◽  
Earthquake Hazards ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Magnetic Basement ◽  
Structural Relations

Abstract A preliminary interpretation of about 135 km of seismic-reflection data provides new information on the structural relations between the the Crittenden County fault zone and the subjacent rift-bounding faults along the southeastern margin of the Reelfoot rift in the New Madrid seismic zone. On the reflection data, the rift boundary is marked by a 4- to 8-km-wide zone of incoherent reflected energy and disrupted reflectors in the lower part of the well-stratified, lower Paleozoic sedimentary rocks and in the underlying Precambrian crystalline basement. In places, the zone of disrupted reflectors extends into the upper part of the Paleozoic rocks, and, on some lines, disrupted reflectors and distinct faults are present in the Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks of the Mississippi Embayment. The Crittenden County fault zone is interpreted as a northwest-dipping, high-angle reverse fault with an up-to-the-northwest throw, which is opposite to the net structural relief in the subjacent graben. The fault zone is at least 32 km long and coincides with the rift margin in southwestern Crittenden County, but to the northeast, it diverges away from the aeromagnetically defined margin of the rift by almost 4 km. Most faults in the Crittenden County fault zone are apparently ancient rift-bounding normal faults that were reactivated with a significant amount of reverse slip during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. On the basis of its apparent connection with the rift-bounding faults, the evidence of its long history of recurrent movement, and its orientation with respect to the modern stress field, the Crittenden County fault zone might be considered to potentially generate major earthquakes. In contrast, the possibility that the Crittenden County fault zone could be a bending-moment fault argues against it being extremely hazardous. Precambrian crystalline basement interpreted on the profiles is commonly deeper than magnetic basement by as much as 2.5 km. This discrepancy between shallow magnetic basement and deeper crystalline basement could be explained by the presence of igneous intrusions in the Paleozoic strata immediately above Precambrian basement.

EXTENDED ARRAYS FOR MARINE SEISMIC ACQUISITION

Geophysics ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Lofthouse ◽  
G. T. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Data Quality ◽  
Data Acquisition ◽  
Signal Amplitude ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
The North ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Formed Part ◽  
Marine Seismic ◽  
Receiver Arrays

In‐line arrays for both source and receiver have been implemented for marine seismic reflection data acquisition. The in‐line array dimensions (variable within limits) are considerably greater than any previously used system of which we are aware. The arrays were designed to attenuate extremely strong sea‐bottom multiples during the data acquisition phase. The source comprised 25 airguns arranged in five identical in‐line subarrays. Each subarray produced a signal of better than 6 barmeters acoustic intensity with a primary‐to‐bubble ratio of approximately 4.4 from guns totaling 297 cu in. When this source was delivered in 1973, it constituted the most powerful production airgun source for which we had seen calibration measurements. Receiver arrays were implemented by a “weighting‐mixing” box (which formed part of the DFS IV instrument), the input to which comprised 53 channels of data each from a 50 m live section in the streamer cable. Processing techniques which are complementary to the field procedures have been developed. Comparisons with “conventional” data (and such data processed to simulate field arrays) show significant improvements in “data quality” from the new field techniques, that is, the new data are easier to interpret geologically because interfering multiples have been attenuated relative to desired energy. Whilst the large outgoing signal amplitude will have made some contribution to the data quality, the major improvement is believed to result from the use of arrays in the recording phase. This system, first used for production in August 1973, was subsequently used successfully during recording of 17,000 km of offshore seismic data from Eastern Canada, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean.

Hydrocarbon Prospect of Block VI, East Gobi Basin

2013 ◽  
Vol 827 ◽  
pp. 148-152
Author(s):  
Lian Jin Wang ◽  
Yan Jun Chen ◽  
Chou Chou Yang
Keyword(s):  
Fault Zone ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Facies Analysis ◽  
Gravity Data ◽  
Sedimentary Facies ◽  
Western Slope ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Stratigraphic Sequences ◽  
Electrical Data

2D seismic reflection data and magnetism data, gravity data and electrical data together define the overall subsurface structure of the East Gobi basin (EGB), and reflect Jurassic-Cretaceous intracontinental rift evolution through deposition of at least five distinct stratigraphic sequences. Three major NE-SW trending fault zones divide the basin[. In the paper, through strata sequence description and sedimentary facies analysis, as well as zone appraisal for the oil and gas in the study area, we conclude that western step-fault zone of the block VI of EGB was most favorable pay, then the reverse faulted-nose structure in the east, while in the western slope and eastern fault zone, their hydrocarbon prospect need further proved.

Upper mantle structure of the northern Cascadia subduction zone

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Bostock ◽  
J. C. Vandecar
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Subduction Zone ◽  
Upper Mantle ◽  
Puget Sound ◽  
Cascadia Subduction Zone ◽  
Mantle Structure ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Juan De Fuca Plate ◽  
Upper Mantle Structure ◽  
Juan De Fuca

Previous knowledge of the structure of the Cascadia subduction zone north of the Canada–United States border has been derived from a variety of geophysical studies that accurately delineated the downgoing Juan de Fuca plate from the offshore deformation front to depths of ~50–60 km beneath south-central Vancouver Island and the Georgia Strait. Little is known, however, of the structure of the Cascadia subduction zone farther westward and to greater depths in the upper mantle. We have assembled a set of some 1100 teleseismic traveltimes from events recorded on the Western Canadian Telemetered Network to augment a previously existing data set recorded on the Washington Regional Seismograph Network. The composite data set is inverted for upper mantle structure below Washington, Oregon, and southwestern British Columbia. We analyze the new northern portion of the model between 48.5–50°N and 118–127°W, which provides the first images of the deep slab structure in this region. The model is parameterized using splines under tension over a dense grid of knots. The nonlinearity of the inverse problem is treated by iteratively performing three-dimensional ray tracing and linear inversion. Resolution tests performed with a synthetic slab model indicate that the deep structure is resolved by the data north to at least 50°N. The inversions are characterized by a quasi-planar, high-velocity body inferred to represent the thermal and compositional anomaly of the subducted Juan de Fuca plate. This body exhibits velocity deviations of up to 3% from the background reference model and extends to depths of at least 400–500 km. The depth contours of the slab in the upper mantle mimic those of the shallow slab by changing strike, in the latitude range 48.0–48.5°N, from north–south in Washington to northwest–southeast in southern British Columbia. This forces the development of two arch-type structures: a main arch observed in previous studies trending east–west over Puget Sound and a possible second arch extending northeasterly from the Georgia Strait into the British Columbia interior. A steepening of the deep slab dip from British Columbia south towards Puget Sound and complexity in the evolution of the arches in depth may be the result of a change in plate motions at 3.5 Ma associated with the detachment of the Explorer plate.

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