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Vertical seismic profiling in the southern Appalachian deep drill hole

Conference · · Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States)
OSTI ID:6070512
A vertical seismic profile (VSP) in a Southern Appalachian drill hole that penetrates the Brevard zone and the crystalline allochthon offers a number of important goals which include calibration of surface deep crustal reflection profiles, wave propagation, tomography, fluids in the crust, and prediction ahead of the bit. The major targets here are the Brevard fault zone itself, and the postulated autochthonous (meta.) sedimentary rocks underneath the overthrust sheet. This would be the first step toward understanding the difference in character between the flat-lying reflectors underneath the Blue Ridge and the dipping reflectors that may represent the ancient continental margin or a crustal duplex beneath the Inner Piedmont. A VSP will lead to a far better understanding of wave-propagation effects such as S-waves, mode conversion, multiples, sideswipe, and source calibration, which alone might pay for the cost of the VSP. Tomography will extend the volume of knowledge around the drill hole. Prediction ahead of the bit consists of extensive recording experiments to study such targets below TD as fluids in the deep crust, the Conrad discontinuity, the Moho and sub-Noho layering. Synthetic seismograms have been calculated to simulate the data that might be obtained from a VSP. Experiments discussed above are complicated and will require the development of new technology.
Research Organization:
Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie (USA)
OSTI ID:
6070512
Report Number(s):
CONF-8510489-
Conference Information:
Journal Name: Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States) Journal Volume: 17
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English