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Continental crustal evolution observations

How has the continental crust evolved? What are the primary processes responsible for its composition, structure, and mode of deformation? What role do fluids play in deep crustal processes? In the last dozen years, geophysicists have obtained images of the deep continental crust that can be used to examine these questions and refine geologic models of crustal evolution. In this report we summariz
Authors
Walter D. Mooney, R. Meissner

Strain accumulation along the Denali Fault at the Nenana River and Delta River Crossings, Alaska

Surveys of trilateration networks across the Denali fault at the Nenana River in 1982, 1984, and 1988 and at the Delta River in 1975, 1979, 1982, and 1984 indicate a minor (0.10±0.04 μstrain/yr) northeastward uniaxial extension. The component of right‐lateral shear‐strain accumulation across the fault is not significant at the two‐standard‐deviation level. At the Delta River network the strain acc
Authors
James C. Savage, Michael Lisowski

The Loma Prieta earthquake, ground motion, and damage in Oakland, Treasure Island, and San Francisco

The basis of this study is the acceleration, velocity, and displacement wave-forms of the Loma Prieta earthquake (18 October 1989; M = 7.0) at two rock sites in San Francisco, a rock site on Yerba Buena Island, an artificial-fill site on Treasure Island, and three sites in Oakland underlain by thick sections of poorly consolidated Pleistocene sediments. The waveforms at the three rock sites displa
Authors
Thomas C. Hanks, A. Gerald Brady

Application of GIS technology to seismic zonation of the San Francisco Bay region, California

No abstract available.
Authors
Carl M. Wentworth, Roger D. Borcherdt, T.T. Fitzgibbon, P. K. Showalter

Comparative observation of soil amplification from long-period micro tremor and earthquake recordings for seismic microzonation

No abstract available.
Authors
Hiroyuki Kameda, Mehmet Çelebi, Roger D. Borcherdt, Junpei Akamatsu, M. Fujita

Archean and Proterozoic crustal evolution: Evidence from crustal seismology

Seismic-velocity models for Archean and Proterozoic provinces throughout the world are analyzed. The thickness of the crust in Archean provinces is generally found to be about 35 km (except at collisional boundaries), whereas Proterozoic crust has a significantly greater thickness of about 45 km and has a substantially thicker high-velocity (>7.0 km/s) layer at the base. We consider two models tha
Authors
R. Durrheim, Walter D. Mooney

Basin and range crustal and upper mantle structure, northwest to central Nevada

We present an interpretation of the crustal and uppermost mantle structure of the Basin and Range of northwestern Nevada based on seismic refraction/wide‐angle reflection, near‐vertical reflection, and gravity data. In comparison to most previous estimates, we find that the crust is somewhat thicker (32–36 km versus 22–30 km), and the uppermost mantle velocity is somewhat higher (8.0 km/s versus 7
Authors
Rufus D. Catchings, Walter D. Mooney

Probing the Earth's strength: Can we measure small stress at high pressure?

Simulating the conditions and processes that occur in the Earth's deep interior has been a major goal of experimental geophysics since the 1920s. In particular, pioneers such as P. W. Bridgman, David Griggs, Hugh Heard, Mervyn Paterson, William Brace, and their colleagues sought to establish the basic relations between differential stresses and rock and mineral deformation under pressure-temperatu
Authors
A. Kronenberg, Stephen H. Kirby

A C language implementation of the SRO (Murdock) detector/analyzer

A signal detector and analyzer algorithm was described by Murdock and Hutt in 1983. The algorithm emulates the performance of a human interpreter of seismograms. It estimates the signal onset, the direction of onset (positive or negative), the quality of these determinations, the period and amplitude of the signal, and the background noise at the time of the signal. The algorithm has been coded in
Authors
James N. Murdock, Scott E. Halbert

Crustal structure of accreted terranes in southern Alaska, Chugach Mountains and Copper River Basin, from seismic refraction results

Seismic refraction data were collected along a 320-km-long "transect' line in southern Alaska, crossing the Prince William, Chugach, Peninsular, and Wrangellia terranes, and along several shorter lines within individual terranes. Velocity structure in the upper crust (less than 9-km depth) differs among the four terranes. In contrast, layers in the middle crust (9- to 25-km depth) in some case ext
Authors
G. S. Fuis, E. L. Ambos, Walter D. Mooney, N.I. Christensen, E. Geist

Large-scale variation in lithospheric structure along and across the Kenya rift

The Kenya rift is one of the classic examples of a continental rift zone: models for its evolution range from extension of the lithosphere by pure shear1, through extension by simple shear2, to diapiric upwelling of an asthenolith3. Following a pilot study in 19854, the present work involved the shooting of three seismic refraction and wide-angle reflection profiles along the axis, across the marg
Authors
C. Prodehl, J. Mechie, W. Kaminski, K. Fuchs, C. Grosse, H. Hoffmann, R. Stangl, R. Stellrecht, M.A. Khan, Peter K.H. Maguire, W. Kirk, Gordon R. Keller, A. Githui, M. Baker, Walter D. Mooney, E. Criley, J. Luetgert, B. Jacob, H. Thybo, M. Demartin, S. Scarascia, A. Hirn, J. R. Bowman, I. Nyambok, S. Gaciri, J. Patel, E. Dindi, D.H. Griffiths, R.F. King, A. E. Mussett, L.W. Braile, G. Thompson, K. Olsen, S. Harder, R. Vees, D. Gajewski, A. Schulte, J. Obel, F. Mwango, J. Mukinya, D. Riaroh