Collaborative Research Between the University of Kentucky and the University of Memphis: High-Resolution P- and S-Waves Velocity Structure of the Post-Paleozoic Sediments in the Upper Mississippi Embayment: 2009 Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program

The New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) (Figure 1) is currently the most seismically active region in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains (Johnston, 1982). Potential for future damaging earthquakes along the NMSZ is the highest in the central and eastern U.S. The active seismic zone lies beneath the thick sediments in the upper Mississippi Embayment. Site response, sedimentary basin geometry, earthquake induced strong ground motion, distribution of earthquake hypocenters, and geometry and characteristic features of active faults are among the most essential elements for a successful seismic hazard assessment in the upper Mississippi Embayment. However, these elements cannot be successfully evaluated without reliable Vp and Vs information for the embayment sediments.