Structure of the Canadian Cordillera from Seismic Refraction and Other Data

1975 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Berry ◽  
D. A. Forsyth
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Data ◽  
Seismic Refraction ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
Geological Structure ◽  
Canadian Cordillera ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Model Calculations ◽  
Plutonic Complex ◽  
Coast Plutonic Complex ◽  
Crustal Density

A synthesis of Canadian Cordilleran refraction data recorded prior to 1971 with other geophysical data shows major features which correlate well with the regional geological structure. The wavelength of M topography decreases from about 200 km at 54°N to about 110 km at 52°N and culminates in a major lithospheric discontinuity east of Vancouver Island. The seismic data indicate the region of the Fraser River at Quesnel, the region immediately east of and parallel to the Coast Plutonic Complex and possibly the western edge of the Hazelton Mountains are sites of significant changes in lithospheric structure.Lateral variations in the average crustal density are necessary to reconcile both gravity and seismic data. The crust beneath the central, intermontane region is characterized by a mass deficiency, whereas the density of the crust beneath Vancouver Island appears greater than average.Calculation of synthetic record sections shows that the Pn phase may propagate considerably beyond crossover in a layer a few wavelengths thick. A model for the Canadian Cordillera which includes a low velocity layer as little as 8 km below the M appears plausible. Model calculations suggest that the M approximates a discontinuity beneath the Coast Plutonic Complex, but is better modelled as a transition zone beneath the Omineca Crystalline belt.

scholarly journals Integrated magnetotelluric and seismic investigation of Cenozoic graben structure near Obrzycko, Poland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Cygal ◽  
Michał Stefaniuk ◽  
Anna Kret
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Data ◽  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Geological Structure ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Shallow Subsurface ◽  
Geophysical Model ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Loose Deposits ◽  
Static Corrections

AbstractThis article presents the results of an integrated interpretation of measurements made using Audio-Magnetotellurics and Seismic Reflection geophysical methods. The obtained results were used to build an integrated geophysical model of shallow subsurface cover consisting of Cenozoic deposits, which then formed the basis for a detailed lithological and tectonic interpretation of deeper Mesozoic sediments. Such shallow covers, consisting mainly of glacial Pleistocene deposits, are typical for central and northern Poland. This investigation concentrated on delineating the accurate geometry of Obrzycko Cenozoic graben structure filled with loose deposits, as it was of great importance to the acquisition, processing and interpretation of seismic data that was to reveal the tectonic structure of the Cretaceous and Jurassic sediments which underly the study area. Previously, some problems with estimation of seismic static corrections over similar grabens filled with more recent, low-velocity deposits were encountered. Therefore, a novel approach to estimating the exact thickness of such shallow cover consisting of low-velocity deposits was applied in the presented investigation. The study shows that some alternative geophysical data sets (such as magnetotellurics) can be used to significantly improve the imaging of geological structure in areas where seismic data are very distorted or too noisy to be used alone

Review: Receiver function studies in the southern Canadian Cordillera

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 1514-1519 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Cassidy
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Upper Mantle ◽  
Receiver Function ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
Moho Depth ◽  
Canadian Cordillera ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Strait Of Georgia ◽  
Low Velocity Zone ◽  
Velocity Zone

Receiver function analysis has proven to be a powerful, yet inexpensive tool for estimating the S-wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath three-component seismograph stations in the southern Canadian Cordillera. Receiver function studies using a portable broadband seismograph array across southwestern British Columbia provided site-specific estimates for the location of the subducting Juan de Fuca plate. The oceanic crust was imaged at 47−53 km beneath central Vancouver Island, and 60–65 km beneath the Strait of Georgia. Further, these studies revealed a prominent low-velocity zone (VS = −1.0 km/s) that coincides with the E reflectors imaged ~5–10 km above the subducting plate on Lithoprobe reflection lines. The E low-velocity zone was shown to extend into the upper mantle beneath the Strait of Georgia and the British Columbia mainland, to depths of 50–60 km. Combining the receiver function and refraction models revealed a high Poisson's ratio (0.27–0.38) for this feature. The continental Moho was estimated at 36 km beneath the Strait of Georgia, and a crustal low-velocity zone associated with the Lithoprobe C reflectors beneath Vancouver Island was interpreted to extend eastward, near the base of the continental crust, to the British Columbia mainland. Analysis of data from the recently deployed Canadian National Seismograph Network demonstrates the variations in crustal thickness and complexity across the southern Canadian Cordillera, with the Moho depth varying from 35 km in the Coast Mountains, to 33 km near Penticton, to 50 km near the Rocky Mountain deformation front.

Seismic investigation of the Coast Plutonic Complex – Insular Belt boundary beneath the Strait of Georgia

1984 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 1033-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald J. White ◽  
Ron M. Clowes
Keyword(s):  
Crustal Structure ◽  
Seismic Refraction ◽  
Unconsolidated Sediments ◽  
The West ◽  
Strait Of Georgia ◽  
Seismic Properties ◽  
Air Gun ◽  
Plutonic Complex ◽  
Major Fault ◽  
Coast Plutonic Complex

The Strait of Georgia, a topographic depression between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, is considered to be the boundary between two tectonic provinces: the Coast Plutonic Complex on the east and the Insular Belt to the west. The allochthonous nature of the Insular Belt has been established, mainly on the basis of paleomagnetic measurements. Various tectonic models to explain the geological differences between the two provinces have been proposed. One of these suggests that the boundary is an old transform fault zone and is represented currently by a thrust fault along the eastern side of the Strait of Georgia. Other models propose that the Coast Plutonic Complex is a feature superimposed by tectonic and metamorphic events after the accretion of the Insular Belt. Such models do not require a major crustal discontinuity along the Strait of Georgia.In May 1982, a seismic refraction survey using a 32 L air gun and a radio telemetering sonobuoy system was carried out in the Strait of Georgia with the objective of investigating the nature of this boundary and determining the upper crustal structure. Three reversed profiles across the strait were shot; these are supplemented by several high-resolution reflection profiles from previous experiments. Two-dimensional models of the crustal structure across the strait have been constructed using a forward modelling ray trace and synthetic seismogram algorithm to match the travel times and amplitude characteristics of the data.Three basic layers or strata form the models, for which the maximum depth of reliability is 3 km. The first layer consists of unconsolidated sediments and Pleistocene glacial deposits, and the second represents Late Cretaceous – early Tertiary basin fill sediments that form the Nanaimo Group, the Burrard–Kitsilano formations, and the Chuckanut Formation. The third layer is likely the extension of the Coast Plutonic Complex beneath the strait, but the westerly limit of this unit is undetermined because of seismic properties similar to those of the Insular Belt volcanics. A local fault is located ~15 km northeast of Galiano Island on the west side of the strait. However, our study shows no evidence for a major fault along the strait. Thus those aspects of tectonic models that require the existence of a major transform or transcurrent fault boundary along the Strait of Georgia. may have to be revised.

Broadside wide-angle seismic studies and three-dimensional structure of the crust in the southeast Canadian Cordillera

1997 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1156-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. A. Burianyk ◽  
E. R. Kanasewich ◽  
N. Udey
Keyword(s):  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Seismic Refraction ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Canadian Cordillera ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Seismic Properties ◽  
High Degree

Broadside, or fan, recordings of a Lithoprobe seismic refraction – wide-angle reflection experiment in the southeastern Canadian Cordillera show several features further illuminating the crustal structure beyond that previously derived from SCoRE '90 (Southern Cordillera Refraction Experiment of 1990) in-line data. Analysis of a nearly in-line profile centred on Castlegar, British Columbia, shows lower velocities in the upper crust associated with the Purcell Anticlinorium as well as velocity variations that may have some association with the Purcell fault zone. The depth to Moho is almost 38 km, somewhat deeper and on trend with the structure that has been established farther north. The broadside records show high signal-to-noise ratio PmP arrivals (i.e., reflections from the bottom of the crust). These PmP fan picks were analysed in regions away from in-line profiles, providing further measurements of the depth to Moho in the southeastern Cordillera. The analysis of the broadside records combined with the earlier in-line interpretations as well as older crustal seismic measurements make up a relatively high resolution database, compared with most other regions in Canada, from which we have generated maps of depth to Moho and average crustal velocity in the southeastern Cordillera of Canada. The maps show thin, low-velocity crust over much of the region and indicate a high degree of correlation between current crustal seismic properties and regional isotherms.

Interpretation of isotopic ages and 87Sr/86Sr initial ratios for plutonic rocks in the Whitehorse map area, Yukon

1979 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 1988-1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregg W. Morrison ◽  
Colin I. Godwin ◽  
Richard L. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Oceanic Crust ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Canadian Cordillera ◽  
Initial Ratio ◽  
Eastern Margin ◽  
The North ◽  
Plutonic Complex ◽  
Coast Plutonic Complex ◽  
North American Craton

Sixteen new K–Ar dates and four new Rb–Sr isochrons help define four plutonic suites in the Whitehorse map area, Yukon. The Triassic(?) suite, defined on stratigraphic evidence, is the southern extension of the Yukon Crystalline Terrane and is correlative with plutonic suites in the Intermontane Belt in British Columbia. The mid-Cretaceous (~100 Ma) suite in the Intermontane Belt in the Whitehorse map area is time equivalent to plutonic suites in the Omineca Crystalline Belt to the east. Late Cretaceous (~70 Ma) and Eocene (~55 Ma) suites include volcanic and subvolcanic as well as plutonic phases and are correlative with continental volcano–plutonic suites near the eastern margin of the Coast Plutonic Complex. The predominance of the mid-Cretaceous suite in the Intermontane Belt in Whitehorse and adjacent map areas in Yukon and northern British Columbia suggests that this area has undergone posttectonic magmatism more characteristic of the Omineca Crystalline Belt than of the Intermontane Belt elsewhere in the Canadian Cordillera.87Sr/86Sr initial ratio determinations suggest that the southern extension of the Yukon Crystalline Terrane in the western part of the Whitehorse map area and in northern British Columbia includes Precambrian crust separated from the North American craton by Paleozoic oceanic crust of the Intermontane Belt.

Paleomagnetic evidence for displacement from the south of the Coast Plutonic Complex, British Columbia

1985 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 584-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Irving ◽  
G. J. Woodsworth ◽  
P. J. Wynne ◽  
A. Morrison
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Lateral Displacement ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Time Range ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Canadian Cordillera ◽  
Western Cordillera ◽  
Plutonic Complex ◽  
Coast Plutonic Complex

The mid-Cretaceous Spuzzum and Porteau plutons of the Coast Plutonic Complex of British Columbia have two magnetizations, A and B. The A magnetization (eight sites, 83 specimens, D = 30.3°, I = 56.7°, α95 = 4.9°, paleolatitude = 37 ± 5°N, paleopole 65.0°N, 14.9°W, A95 = 6.2°) is considered to have been acquired in the age range 105–90 Ma. This result differs from the field established for cratonic North America in this time range. The difference could be caused either by previously undetected tilting about a horizontal axis of the plutons, or by their rotation about a vertical axis and lateral displacement relative to the craton. Previously observed mid-Cretaceous magnetizations from other rock units from the western Canadian Cordillera and the Cascades of Washington, United States, are similarly discordant with respect to the craton. This similarity over such a large area indicates that, although local undetected tilting could be partly responsible, it is unlikely to be the prime cause, and we argue therefore that lateral displacement and rotation have occurred. It would seem that much of the western part of the Canadian Cordillera has moved north by about 2400 km and rotated clockwise since the mid-Cretaceous. The paleolatitude of the southern Coast Plutonic Complex of British Columbia is statistically identical to that recently observed (39 ± 3°N) for three plutons from the Central Sierra Nevada of California, which raises the possibility that the two complexes were much closer together at the time of their emplacement than at present. The second magnetization called B (four sites, 27 specimens, D = 5.1°, I = 67.6°, α95 = 4.7°, paleopole 86.5°N, 51.2°W) is parallel to the mid-Tertiary field, as previously determined from nearby intrusions, and is considered to be an overprint acquired during regional heating and low-grade metasomatism. Some earlier paleomagnetic studies of mid-Cretaceous rocks from the Coast Plutonic Complex indicated either an absence of displacement or uncertain evidence for it, and we attribute this to the nonrecognition, in this earlier work, of similar magnetically stable overprints of Tertiary age. Overprints in several Triassic rock units in the western Cordillera are parallel to the A magnetization, indicating that the mid-Cretaceous and the mid-Tertiary probably were periods of severe magnetic overprinting in British Columbia. Mid-Cretaceous and Late Triassic results from the western Cordillera of British Columbia are systematically different, indicating that movements relative to the craton occurred between these times.

Crustal recycling during subduction at the Eocene Cordilleran margin of North America: a petrogenetic study from the southwestern Yukon

2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (12) ◽  
pp. 1805-1821 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A Morris ◽  
Robert A Creaser
Keyword(s):  
Partial Melting ◽  
Continental Margin ◽  
Pyroclastic Flows ◽  
Canadian Cordillera ◽  
Early Eocene ◽  
Crustal Recycling ◽  
Rock Types ◽  
Plutonic Complex ◽  
Coast Plutonic Complex ◽  
Cordilleran Margin

The early Eocene (57.3–55.4 Ma) Bennett Lake and Mount Skukum Volcanic Complexes lie on the Coast Plutonic Complex and Intermontane Belt boundary of the Canadian Cordillera at the British Columbia – Yukon border, some 200 km east of the current and Eocene continental margin. Both complexes contain rock types from basaltic andesite to rhyolite in a series of lava and pyroclastic flows. The location relative to the continental margin, the rock types, and the presence of an enhanced LILE/HFSE (large-ion lithophile / high field strength element) signatures in all samples imply that contemporaneous subduction was the controlling factor in the formation of these complexes. The majority of samples, however, return unusually low compatible element concentrations for given rock types. We interpret this data to show that partial melting of the crust was the major source of erupted magmas. One formation of andesites at Mount Skukum and one late dyke at Bennett Lake do show higher concentrations of compatible trace elements, suggesting the presence of primitive magmas in the crust at the time of eruption, which contaminated and were erupted with the crustal melts. Sr–Nd isotopic data at both complexes are consistently primitive regardless of rock type and compatible element content, requiring a primitive crustal source for these magmas. We propose that the complexes were formed as a result of early Eocene subduction of the Kula Plate beneath the Canadian Cordillera. Intrusion of hot primitive melts caused partial melting of young crust to produce the majority of lavas observed. Contamination of these melts by primitive magmas is observed at both Mount Skukum and Bennett Lake.

scholarly journals No mafic layer in 80 km thick Tibetan crust

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaochun Wang ◽  
Hans Thybo ◽  
Irina M. Artemieva
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Data ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Indian Plate ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Crustal Earthquakes ◽  
Tectonic Processes ◽  
P Wave Velocity ◽  
Juvenile Crust ◽  
Mafic Lower Crust ◽  
Thick Crust

AbstractAll models of the magmatic and plate tectonic processes that create continental crust predict the presence of a mafic lower crust. Earlier proposed crustal doubling in Tibet and the Himalayas by underthrusting of the Indian plate requires the presence of a mafic layer with high seismic P-wave velocity (Vp > 7.0 km/s) above the Moho. Our new seismic data demonstrates that some of the thickest crust on Earth in the middle Lhasa Terrane has exceptionally low velocity (Vp < 6.7 km/s) throughout the whole 80 km thick crust. Observed deep crustal earthquakes throughout the crustal column and thick lithosphere from seismic tomography imply low temperature crust. Therefore, the whole crust must consist of felsic rocks as any mafic layer would have high velocity unless the temperature of the crust were high. Our results form basis for alternative models for the formation of extremely thick juvenile crust with predominantly felsic composition in continental collision zones.

scholarly journals Crustal deformation and regional metamorphism across a terrane boundary, Coast Plutonic Complex, British Columbia

Tectonics ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. Crawford ◽  
L. S. Hollister ◽  
G. J. Woodsworth
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Crustal Deformation ◽  
Regional Metamorphism ◽  
Plutonic Complex ◽  
Coast Plutonic Complex

Geological Structure of The Pre-Jurassic Complex Within The Elizarovsky Trough of The Frolov Megadepression and The Galyanovsky Nose of The Krasnoleninsky Arch According to Seismic Data CDP 3D

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.I Khisamutdinova ◽  
Yu.A Tissen ◽  
P.A Alekseeva ◽  
D.E Miroshnichenko ◽  
A.S Grinevsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Data ◽  
Geological Structure
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document