Studies of deep crustal layers by explosive shots

Abstract

Our broad objective in beginning this program was to try and learn more about the nature of the Earth's crust, such as the kind of compensation occurring under mountain regions, the geological nature of large gravity anomalies and the correlation of isostatic adjustment with crustal structure. The immediate objective began as a project to determine the layering of the crustal structure underlying the region around Washington, D.C., and the Appalachian Highlands. The methods proposed were to use the best combination of refraction, vertical, and critical angle reflection of seismic waves resulting from controlled detonations of high explosives.