Abstract We studied the 3‐D shear wave velocity ( V s ) structure in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) and adjacent onshore areas to 20 km depth by inverting Rayleigh wave dispersion extracted from the vertical components of continuous ambient seismic noise waveforms. The region is divided into three broad zones based on their V s characteristics. In the northwest, the Grenville Province (i.e., the exposed edge of predominantly Middle‐Proterozoic Laurentian crust) is dominated by high V s , except for well‐known anorthosite sites, which are characterized by relatively lower V s . In contrast, the central segment of the GSL region corresponds to a belt with generally low V s at upper crustal levels. In the southeastern part of the GSL, prominent low V s in the uppermost crust are found to coincide with locations of subsidiary basins of the Canadian Maritime Basin, while higher V s characterize the accreted Appalachian terranes where they are exposed on land. The Grenville Province is wedged out at depth by the Red Indian Line, which is the suture between composite Laurentia and peri‐Godwanan Ganderia in the Canadian Appalachians. The geometry and V s characteristics of the south‐easternmost peri‐Gondwanan terranes of Avalonia and Meguma suggest that they may be fully or partially structurally overlying a basement with distinct seismic characteristics, which could be a vestige of the West African craton that was underthrust beneath composite Laurentia during the terminal Alleghenian continent‐continent collision. In the middle of the GSL, the 3‐D geometry of the Canadian Maritimes sedimentary basins overlying the Appalachian terranes shows that the depth to the top of basement is in excess of 8 km.
Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 led to a widespread lockdown that restricted human activities, particularly land, air, and maritime traffic. The “quietness” on land and ocean that followed presents an opportunity to measure an unprecedented reduction in human-related seismic activities and study its effect on the short-period range of ambient noise cross-correlation functions (NCFs). We document the variations in seismic power levels and signal quality of short-period NCFs measured by four seismographs located near Canadian cities across the pandemic-defined timeline. Significant drops in seismic power levels are observed at all the locations around mid-March. These drops coincide with lockdown announcements by the various Canadian provinces where the stations are located. Mean seismic power reductions of ∼24% and ∼17% are observed near Montreal and Ottawa, respectively, in eastern Canada. Similar reductions of ∼27% and 17% are recorded in western Canada near Victoria and Sidney, respectively. None of the locations show full recovery in seismic power back to the pre-lockdown levels by the end of June, when the provinces moved into gradual reopening. The overall levels of seismic noise during lockdown are a factor of 5–10 lower at our study locations in western Canada, relative to the east. Signal quality of NCF measured in the secondary microseism frequency band for the station pair in western Canada is maximum before lockdown (late February–early March), minimum during lockdown (mid–late March), and increased to intermediate levels in the reopening phase (late May). A similar pattern is observed for the signal quality of the eastern Canada station pair, except for a jump in levels at similar periods during the lockdown phase. The signal quality of NCF within the secondary microseism band is further shown to be the lowest for the western Canada station pair during the 2020 lockdown phase, when compared with similar time windows in 2018 and 2019.
We study the characteristics, geometry and provenance of major sedimentary basins and their host tectonic belts in western Canada based on a comprehensive 3-D shear wave velocity (Vs) model derived from ambient seismic noise tomography. Within the Insular belt, the offshore Queen Charlotte (QCB) and Georgia Basins (GB) have a maximum depth exceeding 10 km and 7 km respectively, with variable Moho depths underneath. Within the Intermontane belt, the maximum basin depth is 7.5 and 7 km for Nechako and Bowser/Sustut Basins, respectively. The Moho is 34 – 48 and 33 km in the northern and southern parts of the Intermontane belt, respectively, but is obscured in other areas by shallow high-Vs structures associated with relatively high uncertainty estimates. The high-Vs structure is likely related to structural complexity at the edge of an underthrust craton. Within the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, the deepest part of the Alberta Basin is located between the Montney and Duvernay Basins, with a maximum depth >6 km. At greater depths, the Moho is observed to dip slightly toward the southwest, but some local variations exist beneath the Montney Basin. The deepest basins estimated in this study are found beneath the QCB (>10 km), Williston Basin (>10 km) and the Alberta Deep Basin (>6 km), while the deepest Moho underlies the Williston Basin (~46 km), parts of the QCB (~44 km), Alberta Deep Basin (>45 km), and northern British Columbia (~46 km).
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