Geology topics

R.J. Blakely

Publications and source records attributed to R.J. Blakely.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2018

Sedimentary basins reconnaissance using the magnetic Tilt-Depth method

We compute the depth to the top of magnetic basement using the Tilt-Depth method from the best available magnetic anomaly grids covering the continental USA and Australia. For the USA, the Tilt-Depth estimates were compared with sediment thicknesses based on drilling data and show a correlation of 0.86 between the datasets. If random data were used then the correlation value goes to virtually zero. There is little to no lateral offset of the depth of basinal features although there is a tendency for the Tilt-Depth results to be slightly shallower than the drill depths. We also applied the Tilt-Depth method to a local-scale, relatively high-resolution aeromagnetic survey over the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The Tilt-Depth method successfully identified a variety of important tectonic elements known from geological mapping. Of particular interest, the Tilt-Depth method illuminated deep (3km) contacts within the non-magnetic sedimentary core of the Olympic Mountains, where magnetic anomalies are subdued and low in amplitude. For Australia, the Tilt-Depth estimates also give a good correlation with known areas of shallow basement and sedimentary basins. Our estimates of basement depth are not restricted to regional analysis but work equally well at the micro scale (basin scale) with depth estimates agreeing well with drill hole and seismic data. We focus on the eastern Officer Basin as an example of basin scale studies and find a good level of agreement between previously-derived basin models. However, our study potentially reveals depocentres not previously mapped due to the sparse distribution of well data. This example thus shows the potential additional advantage of the method in geological interpretation. The success of this study suggests that the Tilt-Depth method is useful in estimating the depth to crystalline basement when appropriate quality aeromagnetic anomaly data are used (i.e. line spacing on the order of or less than the expected depth to basement). The method is especially valuable as a reconnaissance tool in regions where drillhole or seismic information are either scarce, lacking, or ambiguous.

Exploration Geophysics↗

USGS2012

Crustal magnetic anomalies

This Quadrennial Report departs in format from its predecessors. Earlier reports provided brief descriptions of the entire range of topics on “crustal magnetic anomalies.” Following guidelines established by the AGU, we instead focus our discussion on only a few selected topics. Our abbreviated list of references reflects this restricted focus. A more comprehensive bibliography can be obtained from the authors as noted subsequently. The past quadrennium was distinguished by a significant change in the scale and scope of crustal magnetic anomaly research. Advances in instrumentation, navigation, and data processing techniques resulted in increasing use of two-dimensional anomaly maps rather than profile data. Although maps are commonly used in aeromagnetic studies of continental areas, their use in the ocean basins has been limited until recently. The other important change has been a trend towards increased integration of magnetic anomaly data with gravity, seismic, geochemical, remote sensing, and geologic data to enhance the interpretation and reduce the ambiguity of magnetic field data.

Reviews of Geophysics↗

USGS2012

Statistical averaging of marine magnetic anomalies and the aging of oceanic crust

Visual comparison of Mesozoic and Cenozoic magnetic anomalies in the North Pacific suggests that older anomalies contain less short-wavelength information than younger anomalies in this area. To test this observation, magnetic profiles from the North Pacific are examined from crust of three ages: 0–2.1, 29.3–33.1, and 64.9–70.3 m.y, B.P. For each time period, at least nine profiles were analyzed by (1) calculating the power density spectrum of each profile, (2) averaging the spectra together, and (3) computing a ‘recording filter’ for each time period by assuming a hypothetical seafloor model. The model assumes that the top of the source is acoustic basement, the source thickness is 0.5 km, and the time scale of geomagnetic reversals is according to Ness et al. (1980). The calculated power density spectra of the three recording filters are complex in shape but show an increase of attenuation of short-wavelength information as the crust ages. These results are interpreted using a multilayer model for marine magnetic anomalies in which the upper layer, corresponding to pillow basalt of seismic layer 2A, acts as a source of noise to the magnetic anomalies. As the ocean crust ages, this noisy contribution by the pillow basalts becomes less significant to the anomalies. Consequently, magnetic sources below layer 2A must be faithful recorders of geomagnetic reversals.

Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth↗

USGS2012

Curie temperature isotherm analysis and tectonic implications of aeromagnetic data from Nevada

Estimates of the depth to the Curie temperature isotherm in Nevada are in accordance with other regional geologic and geophysical information and together can be explained in the context of present-day tectonism. A method to estimate the depth extent of magnetic sources from the statistical properties of magnetic anomalies was applied to a statewide compilation of aeromagnetic data from Nevada. Basal depths of magnetic sources show no apparent correlation with the so-called magnetic quiet zone, which trends northerly through the eastern part of the state, or with basin-and-range topography. However, certain correlations with published heat flow measurements are apparent and suggest that undulations in basal depth of magnetic sources are related in part to undulations in the Curie temperature isotherm. For example, an area of shallow basal depth (<10 km) near Battle Mountain corresponds to an area of exceptionally high conductive heat flow and indicates a shallow depth to the Curie temperature isotherm in this region. A narrow zone of shallow basal depth extends south from the Battle Mountain area along the 118°W meridian to at least latitude 38°N, which also is a zone of historic surface offsets and high-magnitude earthquakes. The correspondence along the 118° meridian of shallow basal depth, high heat flow, high lower crustal seismic velocities, attenuated P and S wave arrivals, historic faulting, and large earthquakes suggests that they each are related to an active north trending spreading zone in this part of the Basin and Range province.

Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth↗

USGS2012

Volcanism, isostatic residual gravity and regional tectonic setting of the Cascade volcanic province

A technique to locate automatically boundaries between crustal blocks of disparate densities was applied to upward continued isostatic residual gravity data. The boundary analysis delineates a narrow gravitational trough that extends the length of the Pliocene and Quaternary volcanic arc from Mount Baker in northern Washington to Lassen Peak in California. Gravitational highs interrupt the trough at two localities: a northwest trending high in southern Washington and a northeast trending high between Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak. The latter anomaly is one of a set of northeast trending anomalies that, within the Quaternary arc, appear related to volcanic segmentation proposed previously on the basis of spatial and compositional distributions of volcanoes. These northeast trending anomalies extend hundreds of kilometers northeast of the arc, are caused by sources in the upper crust, and in some cases are related to exposed pre-Tertiary rocks. Segmentation models invoke geometric characteristics of the subducting plate as the primary factor controlling location and chemistry of volcanism, and these northeast trending gravity sources also may be a product of disturbance of the upper crust by the subduction process. More likely, the gravity sources may reflect upper crustal structures older than the High Cascades, possibly relicts from earlier accretionary events or more recent crustal deformation, that have actively influenced the spatial location of more recent volcanism. Much of the Pliocene and Quaternary volcanism of the Cascade arc has concentrated on or near contacts between crustal blocks of disparate density. These contacts may promote the ascension of magma to the Earth's surface.

Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth↗

USGS2011

Connecting the Yakima fold and thrust belt to active faults in the Puget Lowland, Washington

High-resolution aeromagnetic surveys of the Cascade Range and Yakima fold and thrust belt (YFTB), Washington, provide insights on tectonic connections between forearc and back-arc regions of the Cascadia convergent margin. Magnetic surveys were measured at a nominal altitude of 250 m above terrain and along flight lines spaced 400 m apart. Upper crustal rocks in this region have diverse magnetic properties, ranging from highly magnetic rocks of the Miocene Columbia River Basalt Group to weakly magnetic sedimentary rocks of various ages. These distinctive magnetic properties permit mapping of important faults and folds from exposures to covered areas. Magnetic lineaments correspond with mapped Quaternary faults and with scarps identified in lidar (light detection and ranging) topographic data and aerial photography. A two-dimensional model of the northwest striking Umtanum Ridge fault zone, based on magnetic and gravity data and constrained by geologic mapping and three deep wells, suggests that thrust faults extend through the Tertiary section and into underlying pre-Tertiary basement. Excavation of two trenches across a prominent scarp at the base of Umtanum Ridge uncovered evidence for bending moment faulting possibly caused by a blind thrust. Using aeromagnetic, gravity, and paleoseismic evidence, we postulate possible tectonic connections between the YFTB in eastern Washington and active faults of the Puget Lowland. We suggest that faults and folds of Umtanum Ridge extend northwestward through the Cascade Range and merge with the Southern Whidbey Island and Seattle faults near Snoqualmie Pass 35 km east of Seattle. Recent earthquakes (M W ≤ 5.3) suggest that this confluence of faults may be seismically active today.

Washington↗

USGS2011

Aeromagnetic survey over U.S. to advance geomagnetic research

A proposed high‐altitude survey of the United States offers an exciting and cost effective opportunity to collect magnetic‐anomaly data. Lockheed Martin Missile and Space Company is considering funding a reimbursable ER‐2 aircraft (Figure 1) mission to collect synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery at an altitude of about 21 km over the conterminous United States and Alaska. The collection of total and vector magnetic field data would be a secondary objective of the flight. Through this “piggyback approach,” the geomagnetic community would inherit invaluable magnetic data at a nominal cost. These data would provide insight on fundamental tectonic and thermal processes and give a new view of the structural and lithologic framework of the crust and upper mantle.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗

USGS2011

Unique geologic insights from "non-unique" gravity and magnetic interpretation

Interpretation of gravity and magnetic anomalies is mathematically non-unique because multiple theoretical solutions are always possible. The rigorous mathematical label of "nonuniqueness" can lead to the erroneous impression that no single interpretation is better in a geologic sense than any other. The purpose of this article is to present a practical perspective on the theoretical non-uniqueness of potential-field interpretation in geology. There are multiple ways to approach and constrain potential-field studies to produce significant, robust, and definitive results. The "non-uniqueness" of potential-field studies is closely related to the more general topic of scientific uncertainty in the Earth sciences and beyond. Nearly all results in the Earth sciences are subject to significant uncertainty because problems are generally addressed with incomplete and imprecise data. The increasing need to combine results from multiple disciplines into integrated solutions in order to address complex global issues requires special attention to the appreciation and communication of uncertainty in geologic interpretation.

GSA Today↗

USGS2010

A simple algorithm for sequentially incorporating gravity observations in seismic traveltime tomography

The geologic structure of the Earth's upper crust can be revealed by modeling variation in seismic arrival times and in potential field measurements. We demonstrate a simple method for sequentially satisfying seismic traveltime and observed gravity residuals in an iterative 3-D inversion. The algorithm is portable to any seismic analysis method that uses a gridded representation of velocity structure. Our technique calculates the gravity anomaly resulting from a velocity model by converting to density with Gardner's rule. The residual between calculated and observed gravity is minimized by weighted adjustments to the model velocity-depth gradient where the gradient is steepest and where seismic coverage is least. The adjustments are scaled by the sign and magnitude of the gravity residuals, and a smoothing step is performed to minimize vertical streaking. The adjusted model is then used as a starting model in the next seismic traveltime iteration. The process is repeated until one velocity model can simultaneously satisfy both the gravity anomaly and seismic traveltime observations within acceptable misfits. We test our algorithm with data gathered in the Puget Lowland of Washington state, USA (Seismic Hazards Investigation in Puget Sound [SHIPS] experiment). We perform resolution tests with synthetic traveltime and gravity observations calculated with a checkerboard velocity model using the SHIPS experiment geometry, and show that the addition of gravity significantly enhances resolution. We calculate a new velocity model for the region using SHIPS traveltimes and observed gravity, and show examples where correlation between surface geology and modeled subsurface velocity structure is enhanced.

Washington↗

USGS2009

Mapping Curie temperature depth in the western United States with a fractal model for crustal magnetization

We have revisited the problem of mapping depth to the Curie temperature isotherm from magnetic anomalies in an attempt to provide a measure of crustal temperatures in the western United States. Such methods are based on the estimation of the depth to the bottom of magnetic sources, which is assumed to correspond to the temperature at which rocks lose their spontaneous magnetization. In this study, we test and apply a method based on the spectral analysis of magnetic anomalies. Early spectral analysis methods assumed that crustal magnetization is a completely uncorrelated function of position. Our method incorporates a more realistic representation where magnetization has a fractal distribution defined by three independent parameters: the depths to the top and bottom of magnetic sources and a fractal parameter related to the geology. The predictions of this model are compatible with radial power spectra obtained from aeromagnetic data in the western United States. Model parameters are mapped by estimating their value within a sliding window swept over the study area. The method works well on synthetic data sets when one of the three parameters is specified in advance. The application of this method to western United States magnetic compilations, assuming a constant fractal parameter, allowed us to detect robust long-wavelength variations in the depth to the bottom of magnetic sources. Depending on the geologic and geophysical context, these features may result from variations in depth to the Curie temperature isotherm, depth to the mantle, depth to the base of volcanic rocks, or geologic settings that affect the value of the fractal parameter. Depth to the bottom of magnetic sources shows several features correlated with prominent heat flow anomalies. It also shows some features absent in the map of heat flow. Independent geophysical and geologic data sets are examined to determine their origin, thereby providing new insights on the thermal and geologic crustal structure of the western United States.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗

USGS2009

Earthquake hazards and lifelines in the Interstate 5 urban corridor: Woodburn, Oregon, to Centralia, Washington

The Interstate 5 highway (I-5) corridor, which stretches from Mexico to Canada, is both the main economic artery of the Pacific Northwest and home to the majority of Oregonians and Washingtonians. Accordingly, most regional utility and transportation systems have major components located within the I-5 corridor. For the purposes of this map, we refer to these essential systems as lifeline systems. The Pacific Northwest section of I-5, the I-5 urban corridor, extends from Eugene, Oregon, to the border of Canada. The population of this region is rapidly increasing with the bulk of growth and economic development centered in the cities of Eugene, Salem, and Portland, Oregon, and Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, Everett, and Bellingham, Washington.

Oregon, Washington↗

USGS2009

Earthquake hazards and lifelines in the Interstate 5 urban corridor: Cottage Grove to Woodburn, Oregon

Oregon↗

USGS2007

Crustal controls on magmatic-hydrothermal systems: A geophysical comparison of White River, Washington, with Goldfield, Nevada

The White River altered area, Washington, and the Goldfield mining district, Nevada, are nearly contemporaneous Tertiary (ca. 20 Ma) calc-alkaline igneous centers with large exposures of shallow (<1 km depth) magmatic-hydrothermal, acid-sulfate alteration. Goldfield is the largest known high-sulfidation gold deposit in North America. At White River, silica is the only commodity exploited to date, but, based on its similarities with Goldfield, White River may have potential for concealed precious and/or base metal deposits at shallow depth. Both areas are products of the ancestral Cascade arc. Goldfield lies within the Great Basin physiographic province in an area of middle Miocene and younger Basin and Range and Walker Lane faulting, whereas White River is largely unaffected by young faults. However, west-northwest–striking magnetic anomalies at White River do correspond with mapped faults synchronous with magmatism, and other linear anomalies may reflect contemporaneous concealed faults. The White River altered area lies immediately south of the west-northwest–striking White River fault zone and north of a postulated fault with similar orientation. Structural data from the White River altered area indicate that alteration developed synchronously with an anomalous stress field conducive to left-lateral, strike-slip displacement on west-northwest–striking faults. Thus, the White River alteration may have developed in a transient transtensional region between the two strike-slip faults, analogous to models proposed for Goldfield and other mineral deposits in transverse deformational zones. Gravity and magnetic anomalies provide evidence for a pluton beneath the White River altered area that may have provided heat and fluids to overlying volcanic rocks. East– to east-northeast–striking extensional faults and/or fracture zones in the step-over region, also expressed in magnetic anomalies, may have tapped this intrusion and provided vertical and lateral transport of fluids to now silicified areas. By analogy to Goldfield, geophysical anomalies at the White River altered area may serve as proxies for geologic mapping in identifying faults, fractures, and intrusions relevant to hydrothermal alteration and ore formation in areas of poor exposure.

Nevada, Washington↗

USGS2006

Testing the use of aeromagnetic data for the determination of Curie depth in California

Using California as a test region, we have examined the feasibility of using Curie-isotherm depths, estimated from magnetic anomalies, as a proxy for lithospheric thermal structure. Our method follows previous studies by dividing a regional aeromagnetic database into overlapping subregions and analyzing the power-density spectrum of each subregion, but we have improved on previous studies in two important ways: We increase subregion dimensions in a stepwise manner until long-wavelength anomalies are appropriately sampled, and each subregion spectrum determined from the magnetic anomalies is manually fit with a theoretical expression that directly yields the depth to the bottom of the magnetic layer. Using this method, we have obtained Curie-isotherm depths for California that show a general inverse correlation with measured heat flow, as expected. The Coast Ranges of California are characterized by high heat flow (80-85 mW/m2) and shallow Curie depths (20-30 km), whereas the Great Valley has low heat flow (less than 50 mW/m2) and deeper Curie depths (30-45 km). ?? 2006 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

Geophysics↗

USGS2005

Subduction-zone magnetic anomalies and implications for hydrated forearc mantle

Continental mantle in subduction zones is hydrated by release of water from the underlying oceanic plate. Magnetite is a significant byproduct of mantle hydration, and forearc mantle, cooled by subduction, should contribute to long-wavelength magnetic anomalies above subduction zones. We test this hypothesis with a quantitative model of the Cascadia convergent margin, based on gravity and aeromagnetic anomalies and constrained by seismic velocities, and find that hydrated mantle explains an important disparity in potential-field anomalies of Cascadia. A comparison with aeromagnetic data, thermal models, and earthquakes of Cascadia, Japan, and southern Alaska suggests that magnetic mantle may be common in forearc settings and thus magnetic anomalies may be useful in mapping hydrated mantle in convergent margins worldwide. ?? 2005 Geological Society of America.

Geology↗

USGS2005

Lifelines and earthquake hazards along the Interstate 5 Urban Corridor: Woodburn, Oregon to Centralia, Washington

The Interstate 5 highway corridor, stretching from Mexico to Canada, is not only the economic artery of the Pacific Northwest, but is also home to the majority of Oregonians and Washingtonians. Accordingly, most regional utility and transportation systems, such as railroads and electrical transmission lines, have major components in the I-5 corridor. The section of I-5 from Cottage Grove, Oregon, to Blaine, Washington, is rapidly urbanizing, with population growth and economic development centered around the cities of Eugene, Salem, Portland, Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, Everett, and Bellingham. For the purposes of this map, we refer to this area as the I-5 Urban Corridor.

Oregon, Washington↗

USGS2004

Active shortening of the Cascadia forearc and implications for seismic hazards of the Puget Lowland

Margin-parallel shortening of the Cascadia forearc is a consequence of oblique subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate beneath North America. Strike-slip, thrust, and oblique crustal faults beneath the densely populated Puget Lowland accommodate much of this north-south compression, resulting in large crustal earthquakes. To better understand this forearc deformation and improve earthquake hazard, assessment, we here use seismic reflection surveys, coastal exposures of Pleistocene strata, potential-field data, and airborne laser swath mapping to document and interpret a significant structural boundary near the City of Tacoma. This boundary is a complex structural zone characterized by two distinct segments. The northwest trending, eastern segment, extending from Tacoma to Carr Inlet, is formed by the broad (??? 11.5 km), southwest dipping (??? 11??-2??) Rosedale monocline. This monocline raises Crescent Formation basement about 2.5 km, resulting in a moderate gravity gradient. We interpret the Rosedale monocline as a fault-bend fold, forming above a deep thrust fault. Within the Rosedale monocline, inferred Quaternary strata thin northward and form a growth triangle that is 4.1 to 6.6 km wide at its base, suggesting ??? 2-3 mm/yr of slip on the underlying thrust. The western section of the >40-km-long, north dipping Tacoma fault, extending from Hood Canal to Carr Inlet, forms the western segment of the Tacoma basin margin. Structural relief on this portion of the basin margin may be several kilometers, resulting in steep gravity and aeromagnetic anomalies. Quaternary structural relief along the Tacoma fault is as much as 350-400 m, indicating a minimum slip rate of about 0.2 mm/yr. The inferred eastern section of the Tacoma fault (east of Carr Inlet) crosses the southern part of the Seattle uplift, has variable geometry along strike, and diminished structural relief. The Tacoma fault is regarded as a north dipping backthrust to the Seattle fault, so that slip on a master thrust fault at depth could result in movement on the Seattle fault, the Tacoma fault, or both.

Tectonics↗

USGS2004

Holocene fault scarps near Tacoma, Washington, USA

Airborne laser mapping confirms that Holocene active faults traverse the Puget Sound metropolitan area, northwestern continental United States. The mapping, which detects forest-floor relief of as little as 15 cm, reveals scarps along geophysical lineaments that separate areas of Holocene uplift and subsidence. Along one such line of scarps, we found that a fault warped the ground surface between A.D. 770 and 1160. This reverse fault, which projects through Tacoma, Washington, bounds the southern and western sides of the Seattle uplift. The northern flank of the Seattle uplift is bounded by a reverse fault beneath Seattle that broke in A.D. 900-930. Observations of tectonic scarps along the Tacoma fault demonstrate that active faulting with associated surface rupture and ground motions pose a significant hazard in the Puget Sound region.

Geology↗