A seismic refraction survey along the southern Rocky Mountain Trench, Canada

abstract An unreversed seismic refraction profile has been recorded in the southern Rocky Mountain Trench from 50°N to 53°N. Using blasts from two open-pit coal mines, 44 recordings were obtained over a distance of 540 km. These were combined into a record section in which instrument and shot variations were included to show amplitude variations along the profile. Interpretation involved Weichert-Herglotz integration of p-delta curves to obtain a velocity-depth structure and the calculation of synthetic seismograms for comparison with the record section. Refractors with apparent P-wave velocities of 6.5 to 6.6 km/sec and 8.22±0.04 km/sec are interpreted as the surface of the Precambrian basement and the Mohorovičić discontinuity, respectively. A prominent travel-time delay associated with the 6.5 km/sec branch is interpreted in two possible ways. One explanation is the existence of a crustal low-velocity zone beginning 3 km beneath the basement, depth of 6.5 km, and having a depth extent of 9 to 15 km with associated velocities of 5.5 to 6.1 km/sec, respectively. The second interpretation proposes a high-angle crustal fault near Radium. The resultant model has an up-fault structure with depth to basement of 6.5 km and depth to the M-discontinuity of 51 km and a down-fault structure with corresponding values of 12.1 and 58 km. On the basis of gravity and magnetic trends, the fault strikes northeasterly. In either interpretation, a velocity gradient is present in the lower crustal section and the thickness of the crust is in excess of 50 km. Analysis of larger amplitude arrivals shortly after the Pn phase is consistent with the interpretation of a low-velocity zone, 8 km beneath the M-discontinuity and approximately 7 km thick.