RAPID: Seismic Imaging of the Salton Sea

索尔顿海槽是两种截然不同的变形方式交汇的关键构造；加利福尼亚湾以南以扩张中心为主的形变和圣安德烈亚斯断层系的右走滑形变。极高的热流、年轻的火山活动、浅变质作用和微地震活动使早期的研究人员将南索尔顿海解释为一个具有北东向正断层系统的埋藏扩张中心。然而，到目前为止，由于缺乏索尔顿海的地震成像，人们对该系统的关键部分仍知之甚少，该部分位于索尔顿海南部的圣安德烈亚斯断层与布劳利地震带（BSZ）之间的交汇处。为了解决这个问题，美国国家科学基金会资助了两个项目，一个是索尔顿海槽的海洋地震研究，另一个是陆上研究。这些项目是高度互补的，因为来自陆上和海上的地震信号都将被两个实验记录下来，但是项目中气枪的部署需要一艘足够大的船来部署海底地震仪并安全操作气枪。该项目计划于2011年3月开始，该奖项将为实施该项目的合适平台提供资金。联合项目的更广泛影响包括提高对南加州地震灾害的了解，以及对加州索尔顿海研究的好处，通过加州海洋科学教育卓越中心（CACOSEE）为科学教育工作者提供研究经验，并为研究生提供支持。

The Salton Trough is a critical structure where two very different styles of deformation meet; spreading-center dominated deformation to the south in the Gulf of California and dextral strike-slip deformation along the San Andreas fault system. Extremely high heat flow, young volcanism, shallow metamorphism and micro-seismicity led early researchers to interpret the southern Salton Sea as a buried spreading center with a NE-striking system of normal faults. To date, however, a critical portion of this system at the intersection between the San Andreas Fault with the Brawley Seismic Zone (BSZ) in the southern Salton Sea remains poorly understood, in large part, due to a lack of seismic imaging in the Salton Sea. To address this problem, the NSF has funded two projects, one a marine seismic study of the Salton Trough and the other an onshore study. These projects are highly complementary in that seismic signals from both onshore and offshore will be recorded by both experiments, but the deployments of airguns for the projects requires a boat of sufficient size to deploy the ocean bottom seismometers and safely operate the airguns. The project is scheduled to commence in March, 2011, and this award will provide funds for a suitable platform to carry out the project. The broader impacts of the combined projects include improved understanding of earthquake hazards in southern California and benefits to State of California studies of the Salton Sea, a research experience for a science educator through the California Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (CACOSEE), and support for a graduate student.