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Science 20 April 1990:
Vol. 248. no. 4953, pp. 351 - 354
DOI: 10.1126/science.248.4953.351
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Articles

Seismic-Wave Attenuation Associated with Crustal Faults in the New Madrid Seismic Zone

R. M. Hamilton 1 and W. D. Mooney 2

1 U.S. Geological Survey, 922 National Center, Reston, VA 22092
2 U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025

The attenuation of upper crustal seismic waves that are refracted with a velocity of about 6 kilometers per second varies greatly among profiles in the area of the New Madrid seismic zone in the central Mississippi Valley. The waves that have the strongest attenuation pass through the seismic trend along the axis of the Reelfoot rift in the area of the Blytheville arch. Defocusing of the waves in a low-velocity zone and/or seismic scattering and absorption could cause the attenuation; these effects are most likely associated with the highly deformed rocks along the arch. Consequently, strong seismic-wave attenuation may be a useful criterion for identifying seismogenic fault zones.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Numerical Analysis of Overpressure Development in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
L. W. Wolf, M.-K. Lee, S. Browning, and M. P. Tuttle (2005)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 95, 135-144
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Attenuative Dispersion of P Waves in and near the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
(2000)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 90, 679-689
Attenuation of body waves in the central New Madrid seismic zone.
Z. Liu, M. E. Wuenscher, and R. B. Herrmann (1994)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 84, 1112-1122
   Abstract »    PDF »


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