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U.S. Geological Survey Crustal Studies Technical Letter Number 11

In cooperation with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Crustal Structure from San Francisco, California, to Eureka, Nevada, from Seismic-Refraction Measurements

By Jerry P. Eaton

1963

Thumbnail of and link to report PDF (19.9 MB)Abstract

Seismic-refraction measurements from chemical explosions near San Francisco, California, and Fallon and Eureka, Nevada, were made along a line extending nearly 700 km inland from San Francisco across the Coast Ranges, Great Valley, Sierra Nevada, and Basin and Range Province. The velocity of Pg in the Basin and Range Province was found to be 6.0 km/sec. Between Fallon and Eureka the velocity of Pn is 7.8 km/sec, and just east of the Sierra Nevada it is about 7.9 km/sec. Two prominent phases closely following the first arrival between 50 and 250 km from the source in the Basin and Range Province were interpreted as reflections from an intermediate layer and from the Mohorovičić discontinuity. The velocity of P in the possible intermediate layer, deduced from the reflected phases be cause the refracted wave expected from this layer is nowhere a first arrival, seems to be 6.6 km/sec at the top of the layer and probably increases with depth.

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Menlo Park, California 94025
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Suggested citation:

Eaton, J.P., 1963, Crustal Structure from San Francisco, California, to Eureka, Nevada, from Seismic-Refraction Measurements: U.S. Geological Survey Crustal Studies Technical Letter Number 11, 55 p. (Available at https://pubs.usgs.gov/misc/tl/0011/.)



Contents

Abstract

Introduction

Information from the Seismograms

P in the Sialic Crust of the Basin and Range Provence

Traveltime Corrections

Traveltime Curves

Seismic Profiles: Traveltimes and Amplitudes of Observed Waves and Structure of the Crust

Basin and Range

Fallon to Eureka

Fallon to Owens Valley

Fallon to San Francisco

San Francisco to Fallon

Sumary

Acknowledgments

References


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