Tectonic study of the extension of the New Madrid fault zone near its intersection with the 38th parallel lineament
Gravity, magnetic, geologic, and seismicity data have been combined in a seismotectonic analysis of the New Madrid seismic zone. Previous studies have presented evidence for several rift zones in this area (Upper Mississippi enmbayment), including the Reelfoot rift, a late precambrian-early Paleozoic failed arm which extends north-northeast from the ancient continental margin. We suggest that the northern terminus of the Reelfoot rift forms a rift complex, with arms extending northeast into southwestern Indiana, northwest along the Mississippi River, and east into western Kentucky, which appears to correlate well with the seismicity in the area. This correlation suggests that faults associated with this rift complex are being reactivated in the contemporary stress field (east-northeast compression). If this interpretation is valid, it represents a seismotectonic model which can be used to predict the extent of future seismicity in the New Madrid seismic zone. The proposed rift complex also provides a coherent model for the tectonic development of this region of the North American midcontinent.
- Research Organization:
- Purdue Research Foundation, Lafayette, IN (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 5291905
- Report Number(s):
- NUREG/CR-2741; ON: DE82906154
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
New Madrid Seismotectonic Program. Final report
Geophysical-geological studies of possible extensions of the New Madrid Fault Zone. Annual report for 1983. Volume 2