Crustal structure of the southern Rio Grande Rift determined from seismic refraction profiling

Abstract

As part of a major cooperative seismic experiment, a series of seismic refraction profiles have been recorded in south ‐ central New Mexico with the goal of determining the crustal structure in the southern Rio Grande rift. The data gathered greatly expand the seismic data base in the area and consist of three interlocking regional profiles: a reversed E‐W line across the rift, an unreversed N‐S axial line, and an unreversed SW‐SE line. The reversed E‐W line shows no significant dip along the Moho (′32 km thick crust) and a 7.7 km/s Pn velocity. Results from the N‐S axial line and the NW‐SE line indicate an apparent Pn velocity of 7.95 km/s and significant dip along the Moho with crustal thinning toward the south and southeast. When interpreted together, these data indicate a crustal thinning in the southern rift of 4–6 km with respect to the northern rift and the adjacent Basin and Range province and establish the regional Pn velocity to be approximately 7.7 km/s. These results suggest that the Rio Grande rift can be identified as a crustal feature separate and distinct from the Basin and Range province.