Preliminary seismic reflection studies of the Brevard Zone near Rosman, North Carolina

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1974
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Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Abstract

A seismic reflection study was carried out southeast of the Brevard Zone in the Inner Piedmont province of southwestern North Carolina. Two geophone spreads approximately transverse to the regional strike were located 7 km and 9.25 km southeast of the Brevard Zone. The area of the study is underlain by Henderson Gneiss. Based on ultrasonic velocities from surface rock samples, early reflections on the seismograms from the two sites indicate that the Henderson Gneiss is approximately 2.8 km thick and the Brevard Zone is about 0.9 km thick. The inferred geometry of the reflecting interfaces indicates that the attitude of the Brevard Zone shallows to the southeast due to folding. Later large-amplitude reflections, beginning at about 6 km depth, are tentatively associated with the Lower Paleozoic sedimentary section as it exists in the Valley and Ridge province of northeastern Tennessee, implying that these sediments have been overridden by the Blue Ridge thrust sheet. A stratified igneous complex, or a gneiss with interlayered amphibolites, might also account for the large-amplitude reflections; however, regional geologic information seems to support the Lower Paleozoic section interpretation.

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