Seismic studies of Ontario and Quebec - probing the architecture of eastern Laurentia

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The aim of this research programme is to study the crust and upper mantle structure of the eastern Canadian Shield. Data from large distant earthquakes will be used to investigate variations in seismic wave speed and upper mantle alignments across the regions of interest. Recent analysis of surface wave propagation across northern and eastern Ontario sheds light on the complex structure of the Canadian Shield, and is paving the way for analysis of past and present structural alignments and mantle flow patterns. A variety of seismic analysis techniques will be applied to regions of Canada whose structure is not yet well known, in order to study 3-D seismic structure at several scales. I intend to lead detailed studies of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt across the Ontario-Quebec border, and to take an active part in collaborative research into the deep structure of Hudson Bay (in conjunction with the Hudson Bay Lithospheric Experiment). Expansion of the POLARIS (Portable Observatories for Lithospheric Analysis and Research Investigating Seismicity) seismograph network throughout Quebec will allow crust and upper mantle studies of the eastern Canadian Shield, resulting in a more complete picture of the seismic structure of the entire Superior Province and its surroundings. The resulting 3-D models will be combined with information from other geophysical disciplines to provide new insights into the tectonic history of eastern and central Canada, and the interaction of the thick continental root with regional and global mantle flow patterns.