A Three-Component Seismic Refraction Survey in Northwestern Arizona

Abstract

Three-component seismic refraction data were recorded in northwestern Arizona in the Transition Zone between the Colorado Plateau and Basin and Range provinces. A 35.4 km array received shots from both these provinces. Seismograms from the southwest shots show two prominent reflections, indicating a reflector about 20 km deep and Moho depths of 26.5-29 km in the Basin and Range and 29-31 km in the Transition Zone. A weak PmP from the northeast suggests the crust or Moho in the Colorado Plateau has different characteristics than in the Basin and Range. Raytracing yields Pn and Sn velocities of 7.95 km/s and 4.59 km/s for the Transition Zone and shows evidence of laterally increasing Pn and Sn velocities toward the Basin and Range and the Colorado Plateau. Clear Pg and Sg arrivals reveal a low Poisson's ratio of 0.217 for the upper crust of the Colorado Plateau. (edc)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 31, 1989
Accession Number
ADA216999

Entities

People

  • Vivian K. Hussey

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Colorado
  • Earth Sciences
  • Elastic Waves
  • Geography
  • Geological Surveys
  • Geology
  • Geophysics
  • New Mexico
  • North America
  • Plate Tectonics
  • Rayleigh Waves
  • Refraction
  • Rocky Mountains
  • Secondary Waves
  • Two Dimensional
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Geology

Readers

  • Seismology