Abstract Title: Key Geological Applications of EarthScope in Nevada

Abstract Author(s): Price, Jonathan (Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology)  

Abstract: Areas of fundamental research using EarthScope equipment that would 
address applied geological problems in and around Nevada include the following. 
1. The plate boundary. Detailed 3D seismic, gravity, magnetic, and other 
geophysical data, combined with GPS, InSAR, and 1:24,000-scale geologic mapping 
and strain-field modeling, should provide a coherent view of the tectonics and 
earthquake hazards across the active plate boundary, from the Walker Lane 
across the Sierra Nevada to the coast. 2. Three-dimensional structure of the 
Carlin trend and related nearby trends of gold deposits (and apparently barren 
areas in between). Deep structure of the Carlin trend, which ranks as one of 
the top four gold-mining districts in the world is poorly understood, largely 
because of the paucity of imaging deep into and through the crust. 3. 
Three-dimensional structure of sedimentary basins experiencing phenomenal 
growth. Amplification of seismic waves, land subsidence due to ground-water 
withdrawal, and deep reservoirs of potable water are key concerns in alluvial 
basins in which populations are skyrocketing. 4. Geothermal energy resources. 
Recent structural analysis suggests intriguing links between fault 
terminations, lack of Holocene earthquake activity, fault orientation, and 
locations of geothermal reservoirs. 5. Nuclear waste isolation. Although Yucca 
Mountain has been intensely studied as the nation's proposed nuclear waste 
repository, surprisingly little is known about the geological structure deep 
below the elevation for the waste. 6. Mesozoic and early Cenozoic thrusting. On 
the basis of recent drilling for oil and gas in southeastern Nevada and western 
Utah, we question whether any Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the 
Great Basin are autochthonous. 7. Temporal variations in Basin and Range 
deformation. We simply don't understand the geology or the tectonic models well 
enough to predict the locations of future earthquakes in the human time scales 
of tens to hundreds of years. 8. Landform changes. We recognize a series of 
landform changes resulting from both slow and fast-moving hazards, ranging from 
flash floods to swelling soils, which InSAR data may help to quantify and 
understand. 9. Patterns of volcanism. We know little about the subsurface 
structure beneath Quaternary volcanoes throughout the Basin and Range province 
(including the Long Valley caldera in California and scattered basaltic and 
rhyolitic extrusions throughout the province).