Unravelling the complex tectonics of western and northwestern Canada using broadband seismic data

我的研究计划的目标集中在有关固体地球的演化和动力学的突出问题，特别是地壳和上地幔与构造活动区。我接近这些目标，通过应用和开发的详细的，三维地震速度模型的陆上和海上获得使用网络的宽带地震仪器。内部和与密切合作者开发的复杂处理和成像工具，能够从现有的地震数据集中提取最大的结构信息，提供可靠的，统计上合理的分析和解释。具体来说，我的研究集中在加拿大西部和北方的活跃变形地区，通过地震速度和相关的物理特性，以及地震活动的位置和模式的透镜揭示。最终，这些目标将改善我们对地震和相关灾害的评估，从而改善减灾程序，并促进加拿大西部和北方的深层矿物系统知识。在加拿大西部，北美大陆与复杂的近海构造系统并列。这包括南部的卡斯卡迪亚俯冲带，在那里胡安德富卡和戈尔达板块俯冲到边缘之下。在北部，转换挤压夏洛特女王断层系统从海达-加的斯南部向北延伸到阿拉斯加。在这两个板块边界系统之间的是夏洛特女王三联点，这是一个由小板块和板块碎片组成的复杂区域，适应了这种变形方式的变化。这个位于卑诗省海岸的广阔地区是加拿大地震危险性最高的地区，在大地震（有时是巨大的）中可能会发生滑动。北方加拿大科迪勒拉山脉（NCC）和加拿大北极西南部的构造活动已经持续了约2.5亿年，拥有众多的矿产和地热能源资源，以及对北方居民至关重要的交通和能源走廊。这一地区也是地震活动频繁的地区，广泛分布在NCC上，并从麦肯齐三角洲向北延伸到博福特海。由于气候持续变暖，这一北方地区特别容易发生大规模浪费事件和永久冻土融化造成的海岸侵蚀，使其更容易受到当地和区域地震的影响。在拟议的研究中，我计划使用加拿大西部和北方所有可用的地震数据来约束这些复杂的构造系统，包括我与同事一起部署的西部北极地区地震仪网络（WARNS）。我的长期愿景包括未来在几个关键领域的离岸部署，包括博福特海和夏洛特女王三重连接，这不仅将是这项工作的高度补充，但利用加拿大地球科学界的重要机会。

The objectives of my research program focus on outstanding questions relating to the evolution and dynamics of the solid Earth, in particular the crust and upper mantle associated with tectonically active regions. I approach these objectives through the application and development of detailed, 3D seismic velocity models of the onshore and offshore obtained using networks of broadband seismic instruments. The sophisticated processing and imaging tools, developed in house and with close collaborators, enable the extraction of maximum structural information from available seismic datasets, providing robust, statistically sound analysis and interpretation. Specifically, my research focuses on the actively deforming regions of western and northern Canada, as revealed through the lens of seismic velocity and associated physical properties, as well as the location and patterns of seismicity. Ultimately, these objectives will improve our assessment of earthquake and related hazards, and therefore mitigation procedures, as well as advancing deep mineral system knowledge across western and northern Canada. In western Canada, the North American continent is juxtaposed against a complex offshore tectonic system. This includes the Cascadia Subduction Zone in the south, where the Juan de Fuca and Gorda Plates are subducting beneath the margin. In the north, the transpressional Queen Charlotte Fault system extends from southern Haida Gwaii northwards to Alaska. In between these two plate boundary systems lies the Queen Charlotte Triple Junction, a complex area of small plates and plate fragments that accommodate this change in deformation style. This broad region on the BC coast is home to the highest seismic hazard in Canada and can slip in large (and sometimes giant) earthquakes. The Northern Canadian Cordillera (NCC) and southwest Canadian Arctic has been tectonically active for ~250 Myr and is host to numerous mineral and geothermal energy resources, as well as transportation and energy corridors vital to northern residents. This region is also home to significant seismicity, distributed broadly across the NCC and extending northwards off the Mackenzie Delta into the Beaufort Sea. As a result of continued climate warming, this northern region is particularly prone to mass wasting events and coastal erosion as a result of melting permafrost, making it more susceptible to ground shaking from local and regional earthquakes. In the proposed research, I plan to use all available seismic data within western and northern Canada to constrain these complex tectonic systems, including the Western Arctic Regional Network of Seismographs (WARNS), a network I deployed with colleagues. My long-term vision includes future off-shore deployments in several key areas, including the Beaufort Sea and Queen Charlotte Triple Junction, which will not only be highly complementary to this work, but capitalize on important opportunities for the Canadian geoscience community.