Martyn J. Unsworth

Partially molten middle crust beneath southern Tibet : Synthesis of project INDEPTH results

INDEPTH geophysical and geological observations imply that a partially molten midcrustal layer exists beneath southern Tibet. This partially molten layer has been produced by crustal thickening and behaves as a fluid on the time scale of Himalayan deformation. It is confined on the south by the structurally imbricated Indian crust underlying the Tethyan and High Himalaya and is underlain, apparently, by a stiff Indian mantle lid. The results suggest that during Neogene time the underthrusting Indian crust has acted as a plunger, displacing the molten middle crust to the north while at the same time contributing to this layer by melting and ductile flow. Viewed broadly, the Neogene evolution of the Himalaya is essentially a record of the southward extrusion of the partially molten middle crust underlying southern Tibet.

Electrically Conductive Crust in Southern Tibet from INDEPTH Magnetotelluric Surveying

The crust north of the Himalaya is generally electrically conductive below depths of 10 to 20 km. This conductive zone approaches the surface beneath the Kangmar dome (dipping north) and extends beneath the Zangbo suture. A profile crossing the northern Yadong-Gulu rift shows that the high conductivity region extends outside the rift, and its top within the rift coincides with a bright spot horizon imaged on the INDEPTH CMP (common midpoint) profiles. The high conductivity of the middle crust is atypical of stable continental regions and suggests that there is a regionally interconnected fluid phase in the crust of the region.

Internal structure of the San Andreas fault at Parkfield, California

Magnetotelluric and seismic reflection surveys at Parkfield, California, show that the San Andreas fault zone is characterized by a vertical zone of low electrical resistivity. This zone is ufffb500 m wide and extends to a depth of ufffb4000 m. The low electrical resistivity is attributed to high porosity of saline fluids present in the highly fractured fault zone. The occurrence of microearthquakes and creep in the low resistivity zone is consistent with suggestions that seismicity at Parkfield is fluid driven.

High-resolution electromagnetic imaging of the San Andreas fault in Central California

Although there is increasing evidence that fluids may play a significant role in the earthquake rupture process, direct observation of fluids in active fault zones remains difficult. Since the presence of an electrically conducting fluid, such as saline pore water, strongly influences the overall conductivity of crustal rocks, electrical and electromagnetic methods offer great potential for overcoming this difficulty. Here we present and compare results from high-resolution magnetotelluric (MT) profiles across two segments of the San Andreas Fault (SAF) which exhibit very different patterns of seismicity: Parkfield, which has regular small earthquakes and creep events, and in the Carrizo Plain, where the fault is seismically quiescent and apparently locked. In both surveys, electric fields were sampled continuously, with 100 m long dipoles laid end-to-end across the fault. From 100 to 0.1 Hz the data from both profiles are consistent with a two-dimensional (2-D) fault-parallel resistivity model. When both transverse electric and magnetic (TE and TM) mode data are included in the interpretation, narrow ({approximately}300{endash}600 m wide) zones of low resistivity extending to depths of 2{endash}4 km in the core of the fault are required at both locations. However, at Parkfield the conductance (conductivity thickness product) of the anomalous region ismorexa0» an order of magnitude larger than at Carrizo Plain, suggesting much higher concentrations of fluids for the more seismically active Parkfield segment. We also image structural differences between the two segments. At Carrizo Plain, resistive, presumably crystalline, rocks are present on both sides of the fault at depths below 3{endash}4 km. In particular, we clearly image resistive basement extending {approximately}10 km or more east of the SAF, beneath the Elkhorn Hills and Temblor Range. At Parkfield the situation is quite different with a resistive block of Salinian granite west of the fault and an electrically conductive, presumably fluid rich Franciscan complex to the east. It is possible that these structural differences control the difference in mechanical behavior of the fault, either directly by affecting fault strength or indirectly by controlling fluid supply. {copyright} 1999 American Geophysical Union«xa0less

Deep electrical conductivity structures of the Appalachian Orogen in the southeastern U.S.

Long period magnetotelluric data across the southeastern Appalachians image deep crustal and upper mantle relics of ancient orogenic events. Inversions of the responses show : (1) Beneath the Appalachian mountains there is a sub-horizontal conductor at 15-20 km depth which dips to the southeast at the surface trace of the Brevard fault. (2) At the location of the Central Piedmont suture, there is a crustal conductor which dips towards the southeast, interpreted as a structure related to the Acadian suture. (3) Upper mantle conductors were found at 80 km depth northwest of the Blue Ridge and at 140 km depth southeast of the Eastern Piedmont. Between these, there is a northwest-dipping resistive gap, possibly representing the remnant structure of the Alleghanian collision.

CSAMT exploration at Sellafield: Characterization of a potential radioactive waste disposal site

The long term disposal of radioactive waste in an underground repository requires the detailed geological evaluation of a potential site. Owing to their inherent sensitivity to the presence of fluids in rocks, electromagnetic (EM) methods have an important role in this assessment. Controlled‐source EM techniques are especially useful in strong anthropogenic noise environments such as industrial locations. However the complexity of modeling and inversion can limit the quantitative interpretation of controlled‐source EM data. A potential radioactive waste disposal site at Sellafield in Great Britain has been investigated using a variety of EM exploration techniques. Controlled‐source audio‐frequency magnetotelluric (CSAMT) data have given the best subsurface information in an environment that has a high level of cultural noise. One‐dimensional inversions of the Sellafield CSAMT data were found to be inadequate; 2.5-D forward modeling and inversion were used to interpret the data. The resulting resistivity m...

Resistivity structure of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Lowlands

Magnetotellurics has been used to study of the geo-electric structure of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Lowland. Data were collected along an west-east line extending from the Pacific Ocean to the Cascade Mountains. The smoothest resistivity model consistent with the data suggests that subduction of the Olympic Mountains accretionary complex (Core rocks) has been prevented by a 30+km thick sequence of volcanic rocks. This may effectively couple the Juan de Fuca and North American Plates and may explain the concentration of crustal earthquakes beneath the Puget Lowland.