Wide-angle seismic imaging of pristine Archean crust in the Nain Province, Labrador

1998 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 672-685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Funck ◽  
Keith E Louden
Keyword(s):  
Lower Crust ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Basal Layer ◽  
Magnetic Data ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
Quartz Content ◽  
Middle Crust ◽  
Archean Crust ◽  
Poisson's Ratios ◽  
Poisson’S Ratios

A detailed refraction - wide-angle reflection seismic experiment was carried out in northern Labrador to determine the velocity structure of relatively unaltered Archean crust in the Nain Province. Six 3-component land seismometers were used to record an airgun source along a profile parallel to the coast. Forward modeling of traveltimes and amplitudes yields a P- and S-wave velocity model that shows two crustal blocks separated by a fault. Magnetic data suggest, but do not prove, that the fault is the offshore continuation of the Handy fault. A southwards thickening of the lower crust across the fault indicates that a transcurrent component might have been associated with the faulting. The total crustal thickness is 33 km to the north and 38 km to the south of the fault. The presence of PmS reflections imply a sharp transition at the Moho. Upper crustal velocities of 5.8-6.3 km/s and Poisson's ratios of 0.20 and 0.24, north and south of the fault respectively, are consistent with a gneissic composition, but suggest a higher quartz content in the northern block. Velocities in the middle crust increase to 6.5 km/s, where a discontinuity at a depth between 16 and 18 km marks the transition to the lower crust with velocities between 6.6 and 6.9 km/s. Poisson's ratios of 0.24 and 0.26 indicate, respectively, a felsic middle crust and an intermediate composition for the lower crust. The absence of a high-velocity basal layer is in accordance with other examples of Archean crust.

Crust and upper mantle velocity structure of the Intermontane belt, southern Canadian Cordillera

1992 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1530-1548 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. C. Zelt ◽  
R. M. Ellis ◽  
R. M. Clowes ◽  
E. R. Kanasewich ◽  
I. Asudeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Upper Mantle ◽  
Lower Crust ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Seismic Reflection Profile ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Crust And Upper Mantle ◽  
Middle Crust ◽  
Refraction Data

As part of the Lithoprobe Southern Cordillera transect, seismic refraction data were recorded along a 330 km long strike profile in the Intermontane belt. An iterative combination of two-dimensional traveltime inversion and amplitude forward modelling was used to interpret crust and upper mantle P-wave velocity structure. This region is characterized by (i) a thin near-surface layer with large variations in velocity between 2.8 and 5.4 km/s, and low-velocity regions that correlate well with surface expressions of Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks; (ii) an upper and middle crust with low average velocity gradient, possibly a weak low-velocity zone, and lateral velocity variations between 6.0 and 6.4 km/s; (iii) a distinctive lower crust characterized by significantly higher average velocities relative to midcrustal values beginning at 23 km depth, approximately 8 km thick with average velocities of 6.5 and 6.7 km/s at top and base; (iv) a depth to Moho, as defined by wide-angle reflections, that averages 33 km with variations up to 2 km; and (v) a Moho transition zone of depth extent 1–3 km, below which lies the upper mantle with velocities decreasing from 7.9 km/s in the south to 7.7 km/s in the north. Where the refraction line obliquely crosses a Lithoprobe deep seismic-reflection profile, good agreement is obtained between the interpreted reflection section and the derived velocity structure model. In particular, depths to wide-angle reflectors in the upper crust agree with depths to prominent reflection events, and Moho depths agree within 1 km. From this comparison, the upper and middle crust probably comprise the upper part of the Quesnellia terrane. The lower crust from the refraction interpretation does not show the division into two components, parautochthonous and cratonic North America, that is inferred from the reflection data, indicating that their physical properties are not significantly different within the resolution of the refraction data. Based on these interpretations, the lower lithosphere of Quesnellia is absent and presumably was recycled in the mantle. At a depth of ~ 16 km below the Moho, an upper mantle reflector may represent the base of the present lithosphere.

Shallow velocity structure and poisson's ratio at the Tarzana, California, strong-motion accelerometer site

1996 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 1704-1713 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Catchings ◽  
W. H. K. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
P Wave ◽  
S Wave ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Velocity Models ◽  
Wave Velocities ◽  
Poisson's Ratios ◽  
Poisson’S Ratios

Abstract The 17 January 1994, Northridge, California, earthquake produced strong ground shaking at the Cedar Hills Nursery (referred to here as the Tarzana site) within the city of Tarzana, California, approximately 6 km from the epicenter of the mainshock. Although the Tarzana site is on a hill and is a rock site, accelerations of approximately 1.78 g horizontally and 1.2 g vertically at the Tarzana site are among the highest ever instrumentally recorded for an earthquake. To investigate possible site effects at the Tarzana site, we used explosive-source seismic refraction data to determine the shallow (<70 m) P-and S-wave velocity structure. Our seismic velocity models for the Tarzana site indicate that the local velocity structure may have contributed significantly to the observed shaking. P-wave velocities range from 0.9 to 1.65 km/sec, and S-wave velocities range from 0.20 and 0.6 km/sec for the upper 70 m. We also found evidence for a local S-wave low-velocity zone (LVZ) beneath the top of the hill. The LVZ underlies a CDMG strong-motion recording site at depths between 25 and 60 m below ground surface (BGS). Our velocity model is consistent with the near-surface (<30 m) P- and S-wave velocities and Poisson's ratios measured in a nearby (<30 m) borehole. High Poisson's ratios (0.477 to 0.494) and S-wave attenuation within the LVZ suggest that the LVZ may be composed of highly saturated shales of the Modelo Formation. Because the lateral dimensions of the LVZ approximately correspond to the areas of strongest shaking, we suggest that the highly saturated zone may have contributed to localized strong shaking. Rock sites are generally considered to be ideal locations for site response in urban areas; however, localized, highly saturated rock sites may be a hazard in urban areas that requires further investigation.

An improved velocity model for the crust and upper mantle along the central mobile belt of the Newfoundland Appalachian orogen and its offshore extension

1998 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 1238-1251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deping Chian ◽  
François Marillier ◽  
Jeremy Hall ◽  
Garry Quinlan
Keyword(s):  
Upper Mantle ◽  
Lower Crust ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Mobile Belt ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
Crust And Upper Mantle ◽  
Angle Data ◽  
Appalachian Orogen

New modelling of wide-angle reflection-refraction data of the Canadian Lithoprobe East profile 91-1 along the central mobile belt of the Newfoundland Appalachian orogen reveals new features of the upper mantle, and establishes links in the crust and upper mantle between existing land and marine wide-angle data sets by combining onshore-offshore recordings. The revised model provides detailed velocity structure in the 30-34 km thick crust and the top 30 km of upper mantle. The lower crust is characterized by a velocity of 6.6-6.8 km/s onshore, increasing by 0.2 km/s to the northeast offshore beneath the sedimentary basins. This seaward increase in velocity may be caused by intrusion of about 4 km of basic rocks into the lower crust during the extension that formed the overlying Carboniferous basins. The Moho is found at 34 km depth onshore, rising to 30 km offshore to the northeast with a local minimum of 27 km. The data confirm the absence of deep crustal roots under the central mobile belt of Newfoundland. Our long-range (up to 450 km offset) wide-angle data define a bulk velocity of 8.1-8.3 km/s within the upper 20 km of mantle. The data also contain strong reflective phases that can be correlated with two prominent mantle reflectors. The upper reflector is found at 50 km depth under central Newfoundland, rising abruptly towards the northeast where it reaches a minimum depth of 36 km. This reflector is associated with a thin layer (1-2 km) unlikely to coincide with a discontinuity with a large cross-boundary change in velocity. The lower reflector at 55-65 km depths is much stronger, and may have similar origins to reflections observed below the Appalachians in the Canadian Maritimes which are associated with a velocity increase to 8.5 km/s. Our data are insufficient for discriminating among various interpretations for the origins of these mantle reflectors.

scholarly journals Vestiges of underplating and assembly in the central North China Craton based on S-wave velocities

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haoyu Tian ◽  
Chuansong He
Keyword(s):  
Group Velocity ◽  
Wave Velocity ◽  
Crustal Structure ◽  
North China Craton ◽  
Lower Crust ◽  
North China ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
S Wave ◽  
Middle Crust ◽  
Wave Velocities

AbstractThe destruction of the North China Craton (NCC) is a controversial topic among researchers. In particular, the crustal structure associated with the craton’s destruction remains unclear, even though a large number of seismic studies have been carried out in this area. To investigate the crustal structure and its dynamic implications, we perform noise tomography in the central part of the NCC. In this study, continuous vertical-component waveforms spanning one year from 112 broadband seismic stations are used to obtain the group velocity dispersion curves of Rayleigh waves at different periods, and surface wave tomography is employed to extract the Rayleigh wave group velocity distributions at 9–40 s. Finally, the S-wave velocity structure at depths of 0–60 km is determined by the inversion of pure-path dispersion data. The results show obvious differences in the crustal structure among the Western Block (WB), the Trans-North China Orogen (TNCO) and the Eastern Block (EB). The lower crust of the northern part of the EB exhibits a high-velocity S-wave anomaly, which may be related to magmatic underplating in the lower crust induced by an upwelling mantle plume. The S-wave velocity of the WB is lower than that of the TNCO in the upper and middle crust and is lower than that of both the TNCO and the EB in the lower crust. The crust of the TNCO shows higher S-wave velocities than the WB and EB in the upper and middle crust, and its overall S-wave velocity structure is clearly different from those of the WB and EB, implying that the crustal structure of the TNCO may contain vestiges of the Paleoproterozoic collision between the WB and EB and their subsequent assembly. This study marks the first time these findings are identified for the NCC.

Velocity structure of the UK continental shelf from a compilation of wide-angle and refraction data

2003 ◽  
Vol 140 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
BARBARA CLEGG ◽  
RICHARD ENGLAND
Keyword(s):  
Lower Crust ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Irish Sea ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
Isostatic Equilibrium ◽  
Magmatic Underplating ◽  
Lateral Extent ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Refraction Data ◽  
Thick Layers

Maps showing depth to the Moho, the 6 km/s and 7 km/s isovelocity surfaces and the thickness of the crust with a velocity greater than 7.0 km/s for the UK and surrounding continental crust have been generated from a compilation of wide-angle/refraction data. The data show that the crust beneath northwestern Scotland is thinner and of higher velocity than that beneath southern Britain. The lower crust beneath the East Irish Sea and parts of the southern North Sea is formed from thick layers of high velocity rock. The lateral extent of these layers cross-cuts the downward projection of major structures mapped at the surface. This suggests that the major structures do not bound regions of lower crust with contrasting properties at depth. Instead these structures may be overprinted by modification of the lower crust, for example, by magmatic underplating, which is not observed directly at the surface. Mapped variations in crustal thickness do not mirror the variations in surface topography, which appears to contradict the view that the crust is in Airy isostatic equilibrium.

Crustal velocity models for the Archean Abitibi greenstone belt from seismic refraction data

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles Grandjean ◽  
Hua Wu ◽  
Donald White ◽  
Marianne Mareschal ◽  
Claude Hubert
Keyword(s):  
Lower Crust ◽  
Greenstone Belt ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Seismic Refraction ◽  
Seismic Energy ◽  
Crustal Layer ◽  
Middle Crust ◽  
Velocity Models ◽  
Abitibi Greenstone Belt

We present velocity models for two seismic wide–angle-refraction profiles across the Archean Abitibi greenstone belt and the Pontiac Subprovince. The seismic profiles are 210 and 220 km long. Traveltime inversion and amplitude forward modelling were used to obtain two-dimensional velocity structure and interface geometry. The main features of the velocity models include (1) three crustal layers; (2) variable velocities (5.6–6.4 km/s) in the upper crust (~0–12 km), with the higher velocities generally associated with mafic metavolcanics and the lower velocities with metasediments and granitic plutons; (3) a relatively uniform middle crust (~12–30 km) with velocities ranging from 6.4 to 6.6 km/s; (4) a velocity increase of 0.3 km/s across the middle crust–lower crust boundary; (5) a lower crust (~30–40 km) with velocities increasing from 6.9 km/s at the top to 7.3 km/s at the base; (6) an average upper mantle velocity of 8.15 km/s; (7) depth to Moho of about 40 km in the north-central Abitibi belt, decreasing southward to 37 km beneath the Pontiac Subprovince; and (8) observed attenuation of seismic energy propagating through the Casa–Berardi deformation zone, suggesting a complex structure in this fault zone. The velocity model is generally consistent with seismic reflection interpretations that suggest that the shallow supracrustal assemblages form an allochthonous veneer, overlying a mid-crustal imbricate sequence of metaplutonic and metasedimentary rocks. The uniform-velocity structure below 12 km depth indicates that the tectonic zones juxtaposing disparate crustal blocks may have limited depth extent. The 40 km thick crust and 10 km thick high-velocity lower crustal layer exceed the thicknesses observed in other studies of Archean crust.

scholarly journals Magnetic modeling of the West Iberian Margin constrained by new geophysical data

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Neres ◽  
César Ranero ◽  
Ingo Grevemeyer ◽  
Irene Merino ◽  
Valenti Sallares ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
Seismic Profile ◽  
Abyssal Plain ◽  
Magnetic Data ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
Magnetic Modeling ◽  
Reflection Seismics ◽  
Geophysical Imaging ◽  
Iberian Margin

<p>The nature of the J magnetic anomaly off West Iberia and its implications on the kinematic and geodynamic evolution of the margin has been addressed by several studies, with several distinct interpretations and resulting models. The main reason for this is that one single geophysical dataset (the IAM-9 seismic profile on the Iberia Abyssal Plain) has until now imaged the respective crust and was available as constraint, leaving a large degree of uncertainty for interpretation and modeling. New geophysical imaging of the structure of J anomaly and nearby domains, preferably in different margin sectors, would then be essential to cast new light on the discussion on the Iberian margin evolution. We here present new constrained magnetic modeling for two profiles across the J anomaly off Iberia, in the Tagus and in the Iberia Abyssal Plain, respectively. These profiles were recently surveyed for wide angle and reflection seismics and for magnetic data, during the FRAME-2018 survey. The joint processing of wide angle and reflection seismic data revealed with unprecedented detail the velocity structure and the tectono-stratigraphy along the profiles. Here, we use these results as constraints for magnetic modeling of the measured anomalies, namely for detailed definition of the basement topography and identification of the different domains. Magnetic modeling allowed inferring the relative contribution of each layer and the existence of additional magnetic sources, such as intrusive bodies in exhumed mantle domains. Regarding the J anomaly, we show that it cannot be attributed only to magnetization contrasts between different layers. The J anomaly is rather the result of an anomalous highly magnetized source body, associated with a locally thicker crust, which claims for an abnormal magmatic composition with strong enrichment in iron oxides. We discuss possible origins for the found structure and composition of the J anomaly off Iberia, as well as implications of the new magnetic modeled profiles for the margin conjugation and kinematics.</p><p><span>The author would like to acknowledge the financial support  FCT through project</span><span> UIDB/50019/2020 – IDL.</span></p>

scholarly journals Giant negative Poisson’s ratio in two-dimensional V-shaped materials

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xikui Ma ◽  
Jian Liu ◽  
Yingcai Fan ◽  
Weifeng Li ◽  
Jifan Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Poisson’S Ratio ◽  
Poisson's Ratio ◽  
Negative Poisson’S Ratio ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Auxetic Materials ◽  
Negative Poisson's Ratio ◽  
Poisson's Ratios ◽  
Poisson’S Ratios

Two-dimensional (2D) auxetic materials with exceptional negative Poisson’s ratios (NPR) are drawing increasing interest due to the potentials in medicine, fasteners, tougher composites and many other applications. Improving the auxetic...

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