Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Characterizing Mineral Crystallographic Preferred Orientations (Cpos) Along The Eastern North American Margin In The Southern Appalachians: Implications For Middle And Lower Crustal Seismic Anisotropy, Laura Robles

Wayne State University Theses

The Southern Appalachians Mountains have a complex and distinctive tectonic history, characterized by structural deformation extending from late Precambrian throughout the Paleozoic. The Southern Appalachians, known as the Blue Ridge of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, is mainly composed of schists and gneisses, granitic and ultramafic intrusives, as well as a sedimentary portion. The main tool for understanding the composition and structure of the deeper parts of the crust that cannot be directly sampled by seismology. Seismic anisotropy is the directional dependence of seismic velocity, and it is an invaluable tool for interpreting the development of sub-surficial dynamics. Seismic …