Shear-wave splitting across the central Appalachian Mountains using USARRAY and PASEIS data

Abstract:

The dense network of the USARRAY Transportable Array provides the eastern United States an unprecedented and important opportunity for structural investigations. We utilize recordings on TA and permanent stations within Pennsylvania and surrounding states in addition to the 22 PASEIS network temporary stations. Shear-wave splitting parameters are obtained using the standard methods of Silver and Chan for 90 to 140 epicentral degree distant events of Mw ≥ 5.5 to determine seismic anisotropy of this transitional region between the northern and southern Appalachian orogens. Understanding the source of the seismic anisotropy may provide additional insight, including the role of the mantle, into the anomalous Cenozoic uplift of the Appalachian Mountains.