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Volume 57 Supplement 8

Special Issue: Applications and Interpretation of Modern Magnetic Surveys

Utility of aeromagnetic studies for mapping of potentially active faults in two forearc basins: Puget Sound, Washington, and Cook Inlet, Alaska

Earth, Planets and Space volume 57, pages 781–793 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

High-resolution aeromagnetic surveys over forearc basins can detect faults and folds in weakly magnetized sediments, thus providing geologic constraints on tectonic evolution and improved understanding of seismic hazards in convergent-margin settings. Puget Sound, Washington, and Cook Inlet, Alaska, provide two case histories. In each lowland region, shallow-source magnetic anomalies are related to active folds and/or faults. Mapping these structures is critical for understanding seismic hazards that face the urban regions of Seattle, Washington, and Anchorage, Alaska. Similarities in aeromagnetic anomaly patterns and magnetic stratigraphy between the two regions suggest that we can expect the aeromagnetic method to yield useful structural information that may contribute to earth-hazard and energy resource investigations in other forearc basins.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, Mail Stop 964, Denver, CO, 80225-0046, USA

    R. W. Saltus

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Mail Stop 989, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA

    R. J. Blakely

  3. U.S. Geological Survey, 4200 University Drive, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA

    P. J. Haeussler

  4. U.S. Geological Survey, Mail Stop 973, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA

    R. E. Wells

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  1. R. W. Saltus
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  2. R. J. Blakely
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  3. P. J. Haeussler
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  4. R. E. Wells
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Correspondence to R. W. Saltus.

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Saltus, R.W., Blakely, R.J., Haeussler, P.J. et al. Utility of aeromagnetic studies for mapping of potentially active faults in two forearc basins: Puget Sound, Washington, and Cook Inlet, Alaska. Earth Planet Sp 57, 781–793 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03351857

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03351857

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