HR: 08:15h
AN: T11F-02 [Abstracts]
TI: Seismic Velocity Structure From a Refraction - Reflection Survey Across the San Andreas Fault at
SAFOD
AU: * Hole, J A
EM: hole@vt.edu
AF: Virginia Tech, Dept. of Geosciences,
4044 Derring Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061
United States
AU: Ryberg, T
EM: trond@gfz-potsdam.de
AF: GeoForschungsZentrum, Telegrafenberg, E322, Potsdam, 14471
Germany
AU: Sharma, A K
EM: arsharma@vt.edu
AF: Virginia Tech, Dept. of Geosciences,
4044 Derring Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061
United States
AU: Fuis, G S
EM: fuis@usgs.gov
AF: U. S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Rd, MS977, Menlo Park, CA 94025
United States
AB:
Detailed characterization of the subsurface geology surrounding the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) drill site
is required to plan drilling and to interpret down-hole results. A 46-km long seismic refraction and reflection line was
acquired in November 2003 perpendicular to the San Andreas Fault centered on the SAFOD drill site. The line was deployed
straight across country assisted by helicopters. A fixed array of 912 three-component stations at a 25-50 m spacing recorded
68 explosive 25-100 kg shots at a 0.5-1 km spacing. Piggyback deployments recorded the shots on seismographs in the SAFOD
pilot hole, on permanent and temporary earthquake arrays, and on a high-resolution (5-m) refraction array between the drill
site and the fault. First arrival travel times from the main line were inverted to obtain a 2-D seismic velocity model of
the upper crust. The model contains strong variations from $<$2 km/s at the surface to $>$6 km/s in granitic basement.
Granitic rocks of the Salinian terrane west of the San Andreas Fault are substantially faster than adjacent predominantly
sedimentary rock of the Franciscan terrane east of the fault. Salinian basement slopes westward from 0.7 km subsurface at
SAFOD to $\sim$2.5 km depth at the Salinas River, with suggestions of two faulted steps. A small velocity contrast and
reflections indicate the position of the Coast Range fault, which juxtaposes the Great Valley Sequence sedimentary rocks and
the Franciscan terrane. A body of late Cenozoic sedimentary rocks indicated by low seismic velocity lies immediately west of
the surface trace of the San Andreas Fault, between SAFOD and the fault. This body is bounded to the west by the Buzzard
Canyon Fault or similar structure just east of SAFOD. It extends much deeper than sedimentary rocks at the SAFOD site and
approaches the depth of the shallowest earthquakes. Saline water in these rocks could explain the previously observed zone
of high electrical conductivity. In August, SAFOD drilled laterally from granitic into sedimentary rocks northeast of the
drill site. Detailed structure of the San Andreas and Buzzard Canyon faults is critical to linking down-hole observations to
surface geology.
DE: 8010 Fractures and faults
DE: 8015 Local crustal structure
DE: 8110 Continental tectonics--general (0905)
DE: 7205 Continental crust (1242)
DE: 0905 Continental structures (8109, 8110)
SC: Tectonophysics [T]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting