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The crustal structure from the Altai Mountains to the Altyn Tagh fault, northwest China The crustal structure from the Altai Mountains to the Altyn Tagh fault, northwest China

[1] We present a new crustal section across northwest China based on a seismic refraction profile and geologic mapping. The 1100‐km‐long section crosses the southern margin of the Chinese Altai Mountains, Junggar Accretional Belt and eastern Junggar basin, easternmost Tianshan Mountains, and easternmost Tarim basin. The crustal velocity structure and Poisson's ratio (σ), which provide a...
Authors
Y. Wang, Walter D. Mooney, X. Yuan, R. G. Coleman

Three-dimensional velocity structure of crust and upper mantle in southwestern China and its tectonic implications Three-dimensional velocity structure of crust and upper mantle in southwestern China and its tectonic implications

Using P and S arrival times from 4625 local and regional earthquakes recorded at 174 seismic stations and associated geophysical investigations, this paper presents a three‐dimensional crustal and upper mantle velocity structure of southwestern China (21°–34°N, 97°–105°E). Southwestern China lies in the transition zone between the uplifted Tibetan plateau to the west and the Yangtze...
Authors
Chun-Yong Wang, W.W. Chan, Walter D. Mooney

Tree-ring dated landslide movements and their relationship to seismic events in southwestern Montana, USA Tree-ring dated landslide movements and their relationship to seismic events in southwestern Montana, USA

To determine periods of incremental landslide movement and their possible relationship to regional seismic events, the tree-ring records of 32 titled and damaged conifers at three sites on landslides in the Gravelly Range of southwestern Montana were examined. Several signs of disturbance in the tree-ring record indicating landslide movement were observed. Commonly, the tree-ring record...
Authors
Paul E. Carrara, J.M. O’Neill

High-resolution topomapping of candidate MER landing sites with Mars Orbiter Camera narrow-angle images High-resolution topomapping of candidate MER landing sites with Mars Orbiter Camera narrow-angle images

We analyzed narrow‐angle Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC‐NA) images to produce high‐resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) in order to provide topographic and slope information needed to assess the safety of candidate landing sites for the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) and to assess the accuracy of our results by a variety of tests. The mapping techniques developed also support...
Authors
Randolph L. Kirk, Elpitha Howington-Kraus, Bonnie L. Redding, Donna M. Galuszka, Trent M. Hare, Brent A. Archinal, Laurence A. Soderblom, Janet M. Barrett

Debris-flow hazards caused by hydrologic events at Mount Rainier, Washington Debris-flow hazards caused by hydrologic events at Mount Rainier, Washington

At 4393 m, ice-clad Mount Rainier has great potential for debris flows owing to its precipitous slopes and incised steep valleys, the large volume of water stored in its glaciers, and a mantle of loose debris on its slopes. In the past 10,000 years, more than sixty Holocene lahars have occurred at Mount Rainier (Scott et al., 1985), and, in addition more than thirty debris flows not...
Authors
James W. Vallance, Michelle L. Cunico, Steve P. Schilling

Earthquake recordings from the 2002 Seattle Seismic Hazard Investigation of Puget Sound (SHIPS), Washington state Earthquake recordings from the 2002 Seattle Seismic Hazard Investigation of Puget Sound (SHIPS), Washington state

This report describes seismic data obtained during the fourth Seismic Hazard Investigation of Puget Sound (SHIPS) experiment, termed Seattle SHIPS . The experiment was designed to study the influence of the Seattle sedimentary basin on ground shaking during earthquakes. To accomplish this, we deployed seismometers over the basin to record local earthquakes, quarry blasts, and teleseisms...
Authors
Thomas L. Pratt, Karen L. Meagher, Thomas M. Brocher, Thomas Yelin, Robert Norris, Lynn Hultgrien, Elizabeth Barnett, Craig S. Weaver

Cold cratonic roots and thermal blankets: How continents affect mantle convection Cold cratonic roots and thermal blankets: How continents affect mantle convection

Two-dimensional convection models with moving continents show that continents profoundly affect the pattern of mantle convection. If the continents are wider than the wavelength of the convection cells (-3000 km, the thickness of the mantle), they cause neighboring deep mantle thermal upwellings to coalesce into a single focused upwelling. This focused upwelling zone will have a...
Authors
V.P. Trubitsyn, Walter D. Mooney, D.H. Abbott

Gaussian statistics for palaeomagnetic vectors Gaussian statistics for palaeomagnetic vectors

With the aim of treating the statistics of palaeomagnetic directions and intensities jointly and consistently, we represent the mean and the variance of palaeomagnetic vectors, at a particular site and of a particular polarity, by a probability density function in a Cartesian three-space of orthogonal magnetic-field components consisting of a single (unimoda) non-zero mean, spherically...
Authors
Jeffrey J. Love, C.G. Constable

Evaluation of airborne image data for mapping riparian vegetation within the Grand Canyon Evaluation of airborne image data for mapping riparian vegetation within the Grand Canyon

This study examined various types of remote-sensing data that have been acquired during a 12-month period over a portion of the Colorado River corridor to determine the type of data and conditions for data acquisition that provide the optimum classification results for mapping riparian vegetation. Issues related to vegetation mapping included time of year, number and positions of...
Authors
Philip A. Davis, Matthew I. Staid, Jeffrey B. Plescia, Jeffrey R. Johnson

Evaluation of airborne image data and LIDAR main stem data for monitoring physical resources within the Colorado River ecosystem Evaluation of airborne image data and LIDAR main stem data for monitoring physical resources within the Colorado River ecosystem

This study evaluated near-infrared LIDAR data acquired over the main-stem channel at four long-term monitoring sites within the Colorado River ecosystem (CRE) to determine the ability of these data to provide reliable indications in changes in water elevation over time. Our results indicate that there is a good correlation between the LIDAR water-surface elevations and ground...
Authors
Philip A. Davis, Mark R. Rosiek, Donna M. Galuszka

Comments on potential geologic and seismic hazards affecting Mare Island, Solano County, California Comments on potential geologic and seismic hazards affecting Mare Island, Solano County, California

This report was prepared in response to a written request from the City of Vallejo, California, to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). By letter of October 4, 2002, the City requested that the USGS "provide advice to the City’s LNG Health and Safety Committee on its review of a potential liquid natural gas project" on the southern portion of Mare Island. The City specifically requested...
Authors
T.L. Holzer, C. M. Wentworth, W. H. Bakun, J. Boatwright, T.E. Brocher, M. Çelebi, W.L. Ellsworth, J.P.B. Fletcher, E.L. Geist, R. W. Graymer, R. E. Kayen, D. K. Keefer, D. H. Oppenheimer, W.U. Savage, David P. Schwartz, R.W. Simpson
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