Discipline: Ecology Environmental and Earth Sciences
Subcategory: Geosciences and Earth Sciences
Ronald Lipscomb - North Carolina Central University
Co-Author(s): Enrico Brandmayr, Gordana Vlahovic, North Carolina Central University, NC
The study aims to image the upper-crust structural details of the East Coast passive margin along North and South Carolina by means of inversion of the magnetic and gravity anomaly in the region. The East Coast passive margin exhibits the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly (ECMA), a prominent magnetic high located offshore the East Coast and spatially correlated with transitional igneous-crust. Within the Coastal Plain of South Carolina, the Charleston area is also characterized by a well- defined relatively high magnetic anomaly. Potential fields studies successfully improve the structural knowledge of the uppermost crust, especially in areas of sparse seismicity, where seismic tomography studies are limited or lacking. In particular, the inversion of magnetic data has been proven useful to map the interface between the base of the sediment and the top of the basement, while inversion of gravity data can help locate faults or other major geological discontinuities. The 1886 Charleston, South Carolina earthquake was located in the study area. Although the occurrence of such an earthquake in modern times would be catastrophic, our knowledge of the seismotectonic setting in which the earthquake originated is still poor. Previous studies suggest that the Charleston seismic area is characterized of a mafic rock intruded extensional basin that underwent extensive faulting over different geological eras. Nevertheless, the location and extension of the faults is not yet constrained and this information is crucial for the assessment of future seismic hazard. Expected results of the study are the mapping of the location and depth of sedimentary basin with improved spatial resolution and, possibly, the mapping of potentially seismogenic faults in the basement.
Not SubmittedFunder Acknowledgement(s): This work was in part supported by National Science Foundation CREST award HRD-0833184. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this abstract are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Enrico Brandmayr, ebrandma@nccu.edu
Role: I am responsible for planning and preparing materials, including programs and maps, for the experiment. I also carry out the procedure and conduct the experiment.