Crustal structure of the Columbia Plateau region, Washington

Conference · Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:6249831

Rohay, A C; Malone, S D

Refraction data from blasts recorded in eastern Washington between 1980 and 1983 are used to determine the upper crustal structure of the Columbia Plateau. Fourteen blast sites with over 25 individual shots were recorded on the University of Washington regional seismic network made up of 36 short-period seismograph stations recorded digitally at 100 samples/s. Additional data were obtained from a 12-station dense digital network in the central plateau operated by the Rockwell Hanford Operations Basalt Waste Isolation Project. Major crustal refractors of 5.1 and 6.05 km/s are observed at distances of 15 to 50 km and 50 to 120 km, respectively. A time-term method is used to model layer thicknesses below the stations for each major refractor. A statistical source-receiver separation operation is used to handle the inherent nonindependence of the data. Constraints are used to fix the mean values of the time terms. Ray tracing through two-dimensional velocity structures is used to augment the interpretation of the time-term solutions for areas where the lateral velocity changes are large. Station delays for the 5.1-km/s layer show a good correlation with elevation and surficial geology. The areal extent of the 5.1-km/s layer roughly coincides with the Columbia River basalts. Time terms from the 6.05-km/s layer indicate a nearly uniform depth of 1 to 2 km in the northern plateau. Time terms in the central plateau indicate a depth to the 6.05-km/s layer of over 8 km, and a systematic thinning away from its center. Magnetotelluric studies indicate that the basalts are probably no thicker than 5 km in the central Columbia Plateau region.

• Research Organization: Rockwell International Corp., Richland, WA (USA). Rockwell Hanford Operations
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-77RL01030
• OSTI ID: 6249831
• Report Number(s): RHO-BW-SA-289-P; CONF-830596-1; ON: DE83013478
• Resource Relation: Conference: Seismological Society of America meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, USA, 2 May 1983; Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
BASALT
WASHINGTON
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
EARTH CRUST
SEISMIC SURVEYS
FEDERAL REGION X
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
IGNEOUS ROCKS
NORTH AMERICA
ROCKS
SURVEYS
USA
VOLCANIC ROCKS
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