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Title: Reflection imaging with earthquake sources and dense arrays: Earthquake Reflection Imaging
NSF-PAR ID:
10034988
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
Volume:
122
Issue:
4
ISSN:
2169-9313
Page Range / eLocation ID:
3076 to 3098
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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  1. Abstract

    Unaweep Canyon (Uncompahgre Plateau, Colorado) represents an enigmatic landscape with a complex evolution. Interpretations for its origin have ranged from ancestral fluvial erosion in the late Cenozoic to glacial erosion in the Paleozoic, or some combination thereof, with significant implications for global climatic and large‐scale tectonic reconstructions. To address the conflicting interpretations, we acquired a high‐resolution seismic reflection profile to investigate the depth, structure, and sedimentary infill in the canyon. The data set is further complemented with an electrical resistivity survey. Integrated with other geophysical and geological data, the results show an overdeepened Precambrian basement with transverse U shape and support the hypothesis of a pre‐Quaternary glacial origin. Our data constitute the first detailed image of a buried pre‐Quaternary glacial valley in North America; if substantiated with core studies, these results have far‐reaching implications for our understanding of global ice houses as well as the tectonic conditions, enabling preservation of such systems.

     
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