Late Middle to Late Ordovician seismites of Kentucky, southwest Ohio and Virginia: Sedimentary recorders of earthquakes in the Appalachian basin

Abstract

Research Article| April 01, 1997 Late Middle to Late Ordovician seismites of Kentucky, southwest Ohio and Virginia: Sedimentary recorders of earthquakes in the Appalachian basin Mike C. Pope; Mike C. Pope 1Geology Department, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0420 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. Fred Read; J. Fred Read 1Geology Department, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0420 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Richard Bambach; Richard Bambach 1Geology Department, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0420 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Hans J. Hofmann Hans J. Hofmann 2Department of Geology, University of Montreal, P. O. Box 6128, Station A, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Mike C. Pope 1Geology Department, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0420 J. Fred Read 1Geology Department, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0420 Richard Bambach 1Geology Department, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0420 Hans J. Hofmann 2Department of Geology, University of Montreal, P. O. Box 6128, Station A, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1997) 109 (4): 489–503. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1997)109<0489:LMTLOS>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Mike C. Pope, J. Fred Read, Richard Bambach, Hans J. Hofmann; Late Middle to Late Ordovician seismites of Kentucky, southwest Ohio and Virginia: Sedimentary recorders of earthquakes in the Appalachian basin. GSA Bulletin 1997;; 109 (4): 489–503. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1997)109<0489:LMTLOS>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Synsedimentary ball-and-pillow beds, breccias, and faults in late Middle to Late Ordovician foreland basin rocks of Kentucky, southwest Ohio, and Virginia indicate broad zones of seismicity near the Cincinnati arch and Taconic orogenic front during deposition. Earthquake-induced liquefaction formed seismites, that include ball-and-pillow beds and rare sedimentary breccias that are correlative over large areas (hundreds to thousands of square kilometers). Comparison of these features with liquefaction structures in Holocene sediments indicates that the Ordovician ball-and-pillow beds were probably generated by large earthquakes (magnitudes >6). The Ordovician seismites also provide information about epicenter location and the recurrence interval of large earthquakes in the Ordovician foreland basin. Some were produced by faulting in the foreland and accretionary prism. However, horizons of resedimented lithoclastic breccias in the Jeptha knob cryptoexplosive structure appear to correlate with several ball-and-pillow beds on Jessamine dome, along the Cincinnati arch, suggesting that some of the seismites may be genetically related to this enigmatic structure. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.