REPROCESSING OF USGS
MISSISSIPPI RIVER SHALLOW SEISMIC SURVEY
FASOLA, C.C. and LANGSTON, C.A., Center for
Earthquake Research and information, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, concilia82@hotmail.com,
The United States Geological Survey acquired shallow seismic reflection data in 1981 as part of Earthquake Reduction Program. These data were processed by Shedlock and others in 1997. We reprocessed these data to produce an image of the stratigraphy, correlate the observed reflectors with the stratigraphy, delineate structures on the upper Cretaceous - Paleozoic boundary and identify possible faults in the NMSZ within the unconsolidated sediment. After this data was first processed, the Dow Wilson research well was drilled and logged; the geophysical information from this well was used for well correlation. Although the data contain considerable noise, it shows a number of reflectors from Upper Cretaceous to Eocene. These reflectors are correlated with nearby well logs. It is observed that the upper Cretaceous has more deformation than the Paleocene above it, which is relatively flat and faulted by the Reelfoot fault. The sinuous nature of the profile shows the dip of the Mississippi embayment when viewed in 3-D. Variation in thickness of the reflectors and the apparent increase in deformation of older reflectors suggests continuous deformation since the Cretaceous.