Reelfoot Rift: Reactivated Precursor to the Mississippi Embayment

Ervin, C. Patrick; McGinnis, L.D.

doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1975)86<1287:rrrptt>2.0.co;2

Cited by 223 publications

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“…The anomaly is localized within the Reelfoot rift and generally follows its trend, and therefore may be genetically linked to the rift. On the other hand, given that the Reelfoot rift initiated in late Precambrian [Ervin and McGinnis, 1975] and the NMSZ lacks clear thermal anomaly [McKenna et al, 2007], the low-velocity anomaly is unlikely to have a thermal origin. Alternatively the low-velocity zone might represent compositional variations across the rift, perhaps related to the magmatism during the Reelfoot rifting.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The NMSZ is located within the Reelfoot rift [Ervin and McGinnis, 1975] which may be related to the seismicity [Johnston and Kanter, 1990], but not all rifts in the CEUS are seismic [Li et al, 2007]. The surface deformation associated with the NMSZ is minimal, and recent GPS studies, while differing in details, show near zero site velocities outside the NMSZ [Newman et al, 1999;Smalley et al, 2005;Calais et al, 2005;Calais and Stein, 2009].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lithospheric velocity structure of the New Madrid Seismic Zone: A joint teleseismic and local P tomographic study

Zhang¹,

Sandvol²,

Liu³

2009

Geophysical Research Letters

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[1] The enigmatic seismicity in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) has been attributed to some abnormal lithospheric structure, including the presence of dense mafic intrusions and a low-viscosity lower crust. However, the area's detailed lithospheric structure remains unclear. Here we invert 2,056 teleseismic P and 12,226 local P first arrival times from a recent nine-year dataset to infer the lithospheric velocity structure beneath the NMSZ. Our results show that the seismically active zone is associated with a local, NE -SW trending low-velocity anomaly in the lower crust and upper mantle, instead of high-velocity intrusive bodies proposed in previous studies. The lowvelocity anomaly is on the edge of a high-velocity lithospheric block, consistent with the notion of stress concentration near rheological boundaries. This lithospheric weak zone may shift stress to the upper crust when loaded, thus leading to repeated shallow earthquakes.Citation: Zhang, Q., E. Sandvol, and M. Liu (2009), Lithospheric velocity structure of the New Madrid Seismic Zone: A joint teleseismic and local P tomographic study, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L11305,

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithospheric velocity structure of the New Madrid Seismic Zone: A joint teleseismic and local P tomographic study

Zhang¹,

Sandvol²,

Liu³

2009

Geophysical Research Letters

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“…The Ervin and McGinnis [4] gravity profile ( Fig. 1) [8] as the result of an analysis of group and phase velocity dispersion from Rayleigh waves recorded near St. Louis, Missouri and Oxford, Mississippi.…”

Section: Crustal Profilementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a recent paper, von Frese et al [7] completed preliminary modeling of the Mississippi Embayment POGO magnetic anomaly utilizing the Austin and Keller [8] modification of a regional geophysical analysis by Ervin and McGinnis [4]. By assigning a negative magnetization contrast to a proposed mantle-derived intrusion, von Frese et al, were able to match the amplitude of the satellite magnetic anomaly but not the sp :iiai aspects of its source region.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The aulacogen, thought to be the failed arm of a late Precambrian [4] or late Paleozoic [5] triple junction associated with the opening of the Gulf of Mexico, is an area of continuing or renewed seismic activity. Interest in the Mississippi Embayment stems not only from its seismicity (the highest in the eastern United States), but also from its tectonics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Petrologic model of the northern Mississippi Embayment based on satellite magnetic and ground-based geophysical data

Thomas

1984

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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Quaternary deformation and fault structure in the Northern Mississippi Embayment as imaged by near‐surface seismic reflection data

et al. 2014

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Seismicity in the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) in the central United States constrains the location of present deformation at depth along four main distinct arms, while the surface expression of the ongoing deformation is still unclear. To better constrain the surface deformation in the NMSZ, we integrate existing seismic reflection data with a new~300 km-long high-resolution seismic reflection profile acquired along the Mississippi River from Cape Girardeau, MO, to Caruthersville, MO. Based on the data, we interpret the Reelfoot Thrust and the New Markham Fault as upward splays of a blind master fault defined by the seismicity and extending at depth farther north. To the south, two faults, the Axial Fault and the Cottonwood Grove Fault, are imaged above the southern arm of the NMSZ. Both fault display deformation of the Paleozoic through the Tertiary sediments, and a relief of~20-25 m at the base of the Quaternary alluvium, which we interpret as the result of strike-slip motion along a complex fault plane geometry. We propose two alternative interpretations for the relationship between the shallow faults and the seismicity in this area: (1) the faults merge at depth and are presently both active and (2) the faults are distinct at depth and were active during the Quaternary and only the Axial Fault is presently deforming. Geological structures mapped at the surface as part of this study show that Quaternary deformation is accommodated along a fault network that is more complex than the simple four-arm system illuminated by the seismicity, a behavior predicted by analog and computer models.

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Reelfoot Rift: Reactivated Precursor to the Mississippi Embayment

Cited by 223 publications

References 0 publications

Lithospheric velocity structure of the New Madrid Seismic Zone: A joint teleseismic and local P tomographic study

Lithospheric velocity structure of the New Madrid Seismic Zone: A joint teleseismic and local P tomographic study

Petrologic model of the northern Mississippi Embayment based on satellite magnetic and ground-based geophysical data

Quaternary deformation and fault structure in the Northern Mississippi Embayment as imaged by near‐surface seismic reflection data

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