Bruce C. Beaudoin

Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect and continental evolution involving subduction underplating and synchronous foreland thrusting

We investigate the crustal structure and tectonic evolution of the North American continent in Alaska, where the continent has grown through magmatism, accretion, and tectonic under-plating. In the 1980s and early 1990s, we conducted a geological and geophysical investigation, known as the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect (TACT), along a 1350-km-long corridor from the Aleutian Trench to the Arctic coast. The most distinctive crustal structures and the deepest Moho along the transect are located near the Pacific and Arctic margins. Near the Pacific margin, we infer a stack of tectonically underplated oceanic layers interpreted as remnants of the extinct Kula (or Resurrection) plate. Continental Moho just north of this underplated stack is more than 55 km deep. Near the Arctic margin, the Brooks Range is underlain by large-scale duplex structures that overlie a tectonic wedge of North Slope crust and mantle. There, the Moho has been depressed to nearly 50 km depth. In contrast, the Moho of central Alaska is on average 32 km deep. In the Paleogene, tectonic underplating of Kula (or Resurrection) plate fragments overlapped in time with duplexing in the Brooks Range. Possible tectonic models linking these two regions include flat-slab subduction and an orogenic-float model. In the Neogene, the tectonics of the accreting Yakutat terrane have differed across a newly interpreted tear in the subducting Pacific oceanic lithosphere. East of the tear, Pacific oceanic lithosphere subducts steeply and alone beneath the Wrangell volcanoes, because the overlying Yakutat terrane has been left behind as underplated rocks beneath the rising St. Elias Range, in the coastal region. West of the tear, the Yakutat terrane and Pacific oceanic lithosphere subduct together at a gentle angle, and this thickened package inhibits volcanism.

Ophiolitic basement to the Great Valley forearc basin, California, from seismic and gravity data: Implications for crustal growth at the North American continental margin

The nature of the Great Valley basement, whether oceanic or continental, has long been a source of controversy. A velocity model (derived from a 200-km-long east-west reflection-refraction profile collected south of the Mendocino triple junction, northern California, in 1993), further constrained by density and magnetic models, reveals an ophiolite underlying the Great Valley (Great Valley ophiolite), which in turn is underlain by a westward extension of lower-density continental crust (Sierran affinity material). We used an integrated modeling philosophy, first modeling the seismic-refraction data to obtain a final velocity model, and then modeling the long-wavelength features of the gravity data to obtain a final density model that is constrained in the upper crust by our velocity model. The crustal section of Great Valley ophiolite is 7–8 km thick, and the Great Valley ophiolite relict oceanic Moho is at 11–16 km depth. The Great Valley ophiolite does not extend west beneath the Coast Ranges, but only as far as the western margin of the Great Valley, where the 5–7-km-thick Great Valley ophiolite mantle section dips west into the present-day mantle. There are 16–18 km of lower-density Sierran affinity material beneath the Great Valley ophiolite mantle section, such that a second, deeper, “present-day” continental Moho is at about 34 km depth. At mid-crustal depths, the boundary between the eastern extent of the Great Valley ophiolite and the western extent of Sierran affinity material is a near-vertical velocity and density discontinuity about 80 km east of the western margin of the Great Valley. Our model has important implications for crustal growth at the North American continental margin. We suggest that a thick ophiolite sequence was obducted onto continental material, probably during the Jurassic Nevadan orogeny, so that the Great Valley basement is oceanic crust above oceanic mantle vertically stacked above continental crust and continental mantle.

GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF THE TECTONIC BOUNDARY BETWEEN EAST AND WEST ANTARCTICA

The Transantarctic Mountains (TAM), which separate the West Antarctic rift system from the stable shield of East Antarctica, are the largest mountains developed adjacent to a rift. The cause of uplift of mountains bordering rifts is poorly understood. One notion based on observations of troughs next to many uplifted blocks is that isostatic rebound produces a coeval uplift and subsidence. The results of an over-snow seismic experiment in Antarctica do not show evidence for a trough next to the TAM but indicate the extension of rifted mantle lithosphere under the TAM. Furthermore, stretching preceded the initiation of uplift, which suggests thermal buoyancy as the cause for uplift.

Transition from slab to slabless: Results from the 1993 Mendocino triple junction seismic experiment

Three seismic refraction-reflection profiles, part of the Mendocino triple junction seismicexperiment,allowustocompareandcontrastcrustanduppermantleoftheNorth American margin before and after it is modified by passage of the Mendocino triple junction. Upper crustal velocity models reveal an asymmetric Great Valley basin overlying Sierran or ophiolitic rocks at the latitude of Fort Bragg, California, and overlying Sierran or Klamath rocks near Redding, California. In addition, the upper crustal velocity structure indicates that Franciscan rocks underlie the Klamath terrane east of Eureka, California.TheFranciscancomplexis,onaverage,laterallyhomogeneousandisthickestinthe triple junction region. North of the triple junction, the Gorda slab can be traced 150 km inboardfromtheCascadiasubductionzone.Southofthetriplejunction,strongprecritical reflections indicate partial melt and/or metamorphicfluids at the base of the crust or in theuppermantle.BreaksinthesereflectionsarecorrelatedwiththeMaacamaandBartlett Springs faults, suggesting that these faults extend at least to the mantle. We interpret our datatoindicatetectonicthickeningoftheFranciscancomplexinresponsetopassageofthe Mendocino triple junction and an associated thinning of these rocks south of the triple junction due to assimilation into melt triggered by upwelling asthenosphere. The region of thickenedFranciscancomplexoverliesazoneofincreasedscattering,intrinsicattenuation, or both, resulting from mechanical mixing of lithologies and/or partial melt beneath the onshore projection of the Mendocino fracture zone. Our data reveal that we have crossed thesouthernedgeoftheGordaslabandthatthisedgeand/ortheoverlyingNorthAmerican crust may have fragmented because of the change in stress presented by the edge.

Thin, low‐velocity crust beneath the southern Yukon‐Tanana Terrane, east central Alaska: Results from Trans‐Alaska crustal transect refraction/wide‐angle reflection data

A seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection survey for the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect program reveals a thin, reflective crust beneath the southern Yukon-Tanana terrane (YTT) in east central Alaska. These data are the first detailed refraction survey of the southern YTT and compose a 130-km-long reversed profile along the Alaska and Richardson highways. Results from this study indicate that low-velocity (≤ 6.4 km/s) rocks extend to approximately 27 km in depth. Based on these low velocities and an average Poissons ratio of 0.23 determined for depths of ≤27 km, an overall silicic composition is interpreted for this portion of the crust beneath the Yukon-Tanana terrane. From approximately 8 to 27 km depth the crust exhibits an increase in reflectivity. This middle to lower crustal reflectivity is modeled as alternating high- and low-velocity lamellae with an average velocity of 6.1 km/s at 10 km depth to an average velocity of 6.4 km/s at 27 km depth. Beneath these reflective, low-velocity rocks a 3- to 5-km-thick, 7.0 km/s basal crustal layer produces a prominent reflection that extends to offsets of up to 280 km. The crust-mantle boundary, modeled at an average depth of 30 km, produces a variable PmP reflection, which may indicate lateral heterogeneity of this boundary, and a weak and emergent Pn refraction with a velocity of 8.2 km/s. We interpret the crustal section as follows: the low-velocity rocks of the southern YTT extend from the surface to depths of approximately 10 km; underthrust Mesozoic flysch of the Kahiltna terrane, rocks of the Gravina arc, and basement of the Wrangellia(?) terrane extend from 10 to 27 km depth; a 3- to 5-km-thick layer of mantle-derived mafic rocks, relic oceanic crust, or Wrangellia(?) terrane lower crust extends from 27 to approximately 30 km depth; a tectonically young Moho beneath the southern YTT is found at an average depth of 30 km; and it is underlain by a mantle that may be relatively cool and/or olivine rich. In this interpretation, the Yukon-Tanana terrane is a thin-skinned terrane. Our results indicate that tectonic, and possibly magmatic, underplating has played a significant role in crustal growth for central Alaska.

Fluids in the lower crust following Mendocino triple junction migration: Active basaltic intrusion?

Geodynamic and plate tectonic models for the Mendocino triple junction, a fault-fault-trench triple junction in northwestern California, predict a slab-free zone south of the triple junction in which asthenospheric mantle upwells to the base of the crust. A variety of geological and geophysical data support this model, although fine-scale (<20 km) details of the lithospheric structure have been unknown previously. Seismic investigations in the onshore transform regime south of the Mendocino triple junction region reveal very strong short-offset reflections from the lower crust and at the crust-mantle boundary beneath the entire width of the Coast Range, particularly near Lake Pillsbury, California. Seismic analysis suggests that these reflections are from discrete zones of fluid. The reflector geometry implies that the source of the fluid is within the upper mantle. In this tectonic context it is likely that the fluids are largely partial melt, segregated from asthenospheric mantle upwelling into the slab-free zone. The tectonic setting and the location of Lake Pillsbury relative to the estimated position of the southern edge of the Gorda slab and the Clear Lake volcanic field suggest that volcanism may initiate in this region within the next 400 k.y.

Seismic characterization of an active metamorphic massif, Nanga Parbat, Pakistan Himalaya

Earthquakes recorded by a dense seismic array at Nanga Parbat, Pakistan, provide new insight into synorogenic metamorphism and mass flow during mountain building. Micro- seismicity beneath the massif drops off sharply with depth and defines a shallow transition between brittle failure and ductile flow. The base of seismicity bows upward, mapping a thermal boundary with 3 km of structural relief over a lateral distance of 12 km. Anom- alously low seismic velocities are observed at the core of the massif and extend to depth through the crust. The main locus of seismicity and low velocities correlates with a region of high topography, rapid exhumation, high geothermal gradients, young metamorphic and igneous ages, and crustal fluid flow. We suggest a genetic link between these phenom- ena in which hot rocks, rapidly advected from depth, are pervasively modified at relatively shallow levels in the crust.

Wide‐angle seismic constraints on the evolution of the deep San Andreas plate boundary by Mendocino triple junction migration

Recent, wide-angle seismic observations that constrain the existence and structure of a mafic layer in the lower crust place strong constraints on the evolution of the San Andreas plate boundary system in northern and central California. Northward migration of the Mendocino Triple Junction and the subducted Juan de Fuca lithospheric slab creates a gap under the continent in the new strike-slip system. This gap must be filled by either asthenospheric upwelling or a northward migrating slab attached to the Pacific plate. Both processes emplace a mafic layer, either magmatic underplating or oceanic crust, beneath the California Coast Ranges. A slab of oceanic lithosphere attached to the Pacific plate is inconsistent with the seismic observation that the strike-slip faults cut through the mafic layer to the mantle, detaching the layer from the Pacific plate. The layer could only be attached to the Pacific plate if large vertical offsets and other complex structures observed beneath several strike-slip faults are original oceanic structures that are not caused by the faults. Otherwise, if oceanic slabs exist beneath California, they do not migrate north to fill the growing slab gap. The extreme heat pulse created by asthenospheric upwelling is inconsistent with several constraints from the seismic data, including a shallower depth to the slab gap than is predicted by heat flow models, seismic velocity and structure that are inconsistent with melting or metamorphism of the overlying silicic crust, and a high seismic velocity in the upper mantle. Yet either the Pacific slab model or the asthenospheric upwelling model must be correct. While the mafic material in the lower crust could have been emplaced prior to triple junction migration, the deeper slab gap must still be filled. A preexisting mafic layer does not reduce the inconsistencies of the Pacific slab model. Such material could, however, compensate for the decrease in mafic magma that would be produced if asthenospheric upwelling occurred at a lower temperature. These low temperatures, however, may be inconsistent with asthenospheric rheology.

Crustal velocity structure of the northern Yukon-Tanana upland, central Alaska: Results from TACT refraction/wide-angle reflection data

The Fairbanks North seismic refraction/ wide-angle reflection profile, collected by the U.S. Geological Survey Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect (TACT) project in 1987, crosses the complex region between the Yukon-Tanana and Ruby terranes in interior Alaska. This region is occupied by numerous small terranes elongated in a northeast-southwest direction. These seismic data reveal a crustal velocity structure that is divided into three upper-crustal and at least two middle- to lower-crustal domains. The upper-crustal domains are delineated by two steeply dipping low-velocity anomalies that are interpreted as signatures of the Victoria Creek fault, and the Beaver Creek fault or a fault buried by the Beaver Creek fault. This tripartite upper crust extends to 8-10 km depth where a subhorizontal interface undercuts the northern and central domains. Beneath the northern domain, this interface is interpreted as the southeastwardly dipping boundary between the Tozina and Ruby terranes. The continuation of this interface beneath the central domain suggests that it may represent the detachment or basal thrust for thin-skinned tectonic amalgamation of the terranes caught between the Yukon-Tanana and Ruby terranes. The lower crust and Moho reflection exhibit differences from north to south that define at least two lower-crustal domains, interpreted as the Yukon-Tanana and Ruby terranes. Finally, the crustal thickness along the profile is nearly uniform and ranges from 31 to 34 km. Our data suggest that after initial thin-skinned amalgamation of the various terranes, this region experienced thick-skinned tectonic reorganization via strike-slip faulting. This interpretation supports a model in which at least one strand of the Tintina fault exists in this important region of Alaska.

Characteristics and processing of seismic data collected on thick, floating ice: Results from the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Coincident reflection and refraction data, collected in the austral summer of 1988/89 by Stanford University and the Geophysical Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Zealand, imaged the crust beneath the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica. The Ross Ice Shelf is a unique acquisition environment for seismic reflection profiling because of its thick, floating ice cover. The ice shelf velocity structure is multilayered with a high velocity‐gradient firn layer constituting the upper 50 to 100 m. This near surface firn layer influences the data character by amplifying and frequency modulating the incoming wavefield. In addition, the ice‐water column introduces pervasive, high energy seafloor, intra‐ice, and intra‐water multiples that have moveout velocities similar to the expected subseafloor primary velocities. Successful removal of these high energy multiples relies on predictive deconvolution, inverse velocity stack filtering, and frequency filtering. Removal of the multiples reveals...