Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Crustal structure beneath the southern Appalachians: Nonuniqueness of gravity modeling

December 27, 1982

Gravity models computed for a profile across the long-wavelength paired negative-positive Bouguer anomalies of the southern Appalachian Mountains show that the large negative anomaly can be explained by a crustal root zone, whereas the steep gradient and positive anomaly east of the root may be explained equally well by three different geometries: a suture zone, a mantle upwarp, or a shallow body. Seismic data support the existence of a mountain root but are inadequate to resolve differences among the three possible geometries for the positive anomaly. The presence of outcropping mafic and ultramafic rocks in the southern Appalachians and the inferred tectonic history of the Appalachian orogen are most consistent with the suture-zone model. Crust similar to continental crust probably exists beneath the Coastal Plain and inner continental shelf where the gravity anomalies return to near-zero values.

Publication Year 1983
Title Crustal structure beneath the southern Appalachians: Nonuniqueness of gravity modeling
DOI 10.1130/0091-7613(1983)11<611:CSBTSA>2.0.CO;2
Authors Deborah R. Hutchinson, John A. Grow, Kim D. Klitgord
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Geology
Index ID 70135757
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Coastal and Marine Geology Program