Crustal Reflection Profiling in Contrasting Archean Terrainsin Minnesota: The Oldest Crust in the U.S.

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One of the greatest challenges facing earth scientists is to decipher the nature and origin of Archean crust, believed to have formed during the greatest crustal-forming episode. Some of the major questions regarding early crustal genesis involve crustal thickness, horizontal vs vertical tectonic regimes and evolution (i.e., underplating), crustal accretion and the nature of the Moho. COCORP data from Minnesota and its reanalysis have provided important new information on the subsurface structure of the Archean. This project involves a series of seismic reflection experiments designed to answer some of the fundamental questions raised about Archean crustal evolution and the nature of the Moho. These experiments are based on an innovative recording program involving multiple sources p- and s-wave recording and 200-400 receivers in the spirit of PASSCAL and using PASSCAL as well as the principal investigators own recording systems.