Seven and a half kilometers of high-resolution SH-wave seismic reflection profiles were collected across the Mt. Vernon graben, a 35 km by 3 km graben (bounded by the Wabash Island (WIF) and Hovey Lake faults (HLF)) in the southern Wabash Valley fault system (WVFS) of southern Indiana. Forty-six discrete faults were imaged that displaced Quaternary horizons in the vicinity of the WIF and HLF. The structural styles associated with faults include: 1) normal displacement, 2) reverse displacement and other compressional features, 3) varying magnitudes of slip along fault planes, and 4) different senses of slip along individual fault planes. Carbon 14 dating of displaced horizons suggests movement between approximately 26,000 and 42,000 YBP. The style and timing of Quaternary deformation within the WVFS, the close association of soil faults to documented post-Pennsylvanian bedrock faults (HLF and WIF), and focal mechanism studies of current seismicity in the Wabash Valley seismic zone are all direct evidence that the extensionally-formed faults of the WVFS are being transpressionally reactivated: a manner consistent with the current east-northeast westsouthwest regional compressive stress field.

Deep troughs and ridges of the Arctic Basin are some of the least known features of the Earth's crust. Some of the ridges, eg. Chukchi and Nordwind, are connected directly to the continental shelves and are certainly submarine promontories of the latter. The character of the Lomonosov Ridge as a narrow slice of continental crust that separated from the Eurasian margin in the early Cenozoic (by opening of the Eurasian Basin), is not in doubt. Recent drilling (ACEX) and piston coring have confirmed this interpretation. However there are many other ridges and some of the troughs that are of uncertain origin. Seismic research in combination with potential field data over the East-Siberian margin, Podvodnikov and Makarov basins and the Mendeleev Ridge, presented here, provides a framework for understanding this enigmatic part of the Earth. The constrained models of the crust illustrate their structure. The crust beneath the East Siberian margin is up to 40 km thick; it thins to about 20 km towards to the Podvodnikov Basin. The models over the Arlis Gap, in the middle of the Podvodnikov Basin, and the Mendeleev Ridge have shown that the crust beneath both these features is anomalously thick (up to 28–32 km) and has a velocity structure that suggests the presence of highly attenuated continental crust. The crustal thickness over the Makarov Basin varies from 8 km to 15 km. Reflection profiles provide evidence of the character and thickness of the sedimentary cover (mostly Cenozoic and late Mesozoic), both on the ridges and beneath the troughs. Presented here is evidence that some of the ridges (eg. Marvin Spur) appear to be fragments of continental crust rifted off the Lomonosov Ridge (with a similar, unconformable Cenozoic cover); however, they gently plunge into and beneath troughs (eg. Makarov Basin). Reflection seismic data collected by the HOTRAX expedition in 2005 over the central part of the Lomonosov Ridge illustrate the sedimentary structure on the top of the Ridge and in an internal basin. The main sedimentary units can be interpreted by correlation with the ACEX results. The major fault separating the surrounding ridges from the internal basin appears to have a roll over anticline in the hanging wall, suggesting that the basin was created by a growth fault. The seismic lines provide evidence of gently folded basement beneath the Lomonosov Ridge with intra basement reflections are usually parallel to the upper surfaces; in combination with velocities (c. 4–5 km/s), these suggest the presence of old well-consolidated sediments.

Carbonatites are carbonate-rich magmatic rocks that are rare and of great relevance for our understanding of crustal and mantle processes. Although found on all continents and in settings ranging from Archaean to present-day, their deeper plumbing system is still poorly understood. Therefore, the main goal of this thesis is to broaden the existing knowledge of carbonatite systems, often limited to surface geological observations, by providing depth constraints using a number of geophysical methods and petrophysical measurements. The Alnö alkaline and carbonatite complex in central Sweden was chosen for this purpose. Data from three reflection seismic lines, ground gravity and magnetic measurements are presented. These data are complemented by a series of petrophysical measurements, including ultrasonic velocities, density, magnetic bulk susceptibility, anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), and magnetic remanence, to aid in the interpretation of the geophysical data. The reflection seismic data indicate a solidified saucer-shaped fossil magma chamber at about 3 km depth. Caldera-style volcanism, constrained by surface geological observations, provides a plausible scenario to explain the emplacement of the complex, suggesting that carbonatite magmas have been stored, transported and erupted in a similar manner to known emplacement mechanisms for silicic calderas, although these are compositionally different. The AMS data from most of the carbonatite sheets in Alnö show a strong degree of anisotropy and oblate-shaped susceptibility ellipsoids. A set of syn- and post-emplacement processes that may control the AMS signature is evaluated based on the dataset. Overprinting of the primary flow patterns by processes related to sheet closure at the terminal stage of magma transport may explain the AMS observations. A complementary study using 3D inversion of ground gravity and aeromagnetic data was then carried out to better delineate the 3D internal architecture of the complex. Resulting models indicate a depth extent of the complex to about 3-4 km, consistent with the interpretation of the reflection seismic data. The modelling results of a ring-shaped magnetic anomaly observed in the Klingefjärden bay adjacent to Alnö Island further suggest that the complex may extend laterally about 3 km towards the north.

This MSc thesis reprocessed seismic data collected at a site near the Gota River in 2011, focusing on two lines. The two seismic lines ran through a landslide scar zone for a total length of 1 km, both of which used dynamite as the seismic source. The thesis used a standard seismic processing tool for this purpose, with the main processes including static corrections, bandpass filtering, velocity analysis, NMO corrections, stack, and migration. Analysis of the resulting images reveals a coarse-grained layer near the surface, which is in contact with the quick clays overlying them. Bedrock is close to the surface at high elevations and reaches a depth of 90 m under the landslide scar. The reflections are discontinuous at some locations. The first breaks were inverted using tomography methods and the resulting inversion models was correlated with the reflection images. Analysis of the subsurface topography suggests a situation where the quick-clay landslide hazard may be present, the specifics of which need to be combined with other geological and geotechnical investigations and scenario buildings. The high-resolution reflection seismic imaging method has a great promise for quick-clay landslide studies.

Volcanic rifting environments, such as in Iceland, are challenging for conventional seismic reflection methods using active surface seismic sources. This study demonstrates the potential of a novel technique, called Virtual Reflection Seismic Profiling (VRSP) for imaging reflections in geothermal regions, like Hverahlíð, where a dense seismic array recorded a number of local microearthquakes for cross-correlation. Uppsala University, in collaboration with Reykjavik Energy, recorded seismicity in Hverahlíð using both seismometers and geophones. Acquired data were processed using the VRSP method, which applies seismic interferometry only to selected events, in this thesis local microearthquakes. Cross-correlation of the signal from a microearthquake recorded at one of the stations, which acts as a virtual source, with a ghost reflection recorded by the remaining receivers, produces a virtual shot gather. Stacking each station’s result, for all available events, and following a conventional multichannel processing sequence resulted in two stacked seismic images. Potential reflections observed in the obtained sections could be associated with major feed zones identified in the area by the borehole measurements. Eight dynamite explosions were processed with a conventional seismic reflection method, as a complementary source to the microearthquakes. In the produced stacked seismic section two potential reflections could be observed. Results from both passive and active datasets were 3D visualised to verify whether the reflections correspond to each other between sections. Two horizons were traced throughout all three stacked sections. One more interface appeared on two images obtained from processing the passive data. This study shows promising results for using natural sources to image the subsurface in a challenging environment.

The Collisional Orogeny in the Scandinavian Caledonides (COSC) project aims to provide a deeper understanding of mountain belt dynamics through scientific deep drilling in the central parts of the mountain belt of western Sweden. The main targets include a subduction related allochthon, the basal orogenic detachment and the underlying partially subducted Precambrian basement. Research covered by this thesis, focusing primarily on reflection seismic data, was done within the framework of the COSC project. The 55 km long composite COSC Seismic Profile (CSP) images the upper crust in high resolution and established the basis for the selection of the optimum location for the two 2.5 km deep COSC boreholes. Together with potential field and magnetotelluric data, these profiles allowed the construction of a constrained regional interpretation of the major tectonic units. Non-conventional pseudo 3D processing techniques were applied to the 2D data prior to the drilling of the first borehole, COSC-1, to provide predictions about the 3D geometry of subsurface structures and potential zones of interest for the sampling programs. COSC-1 was drilled in 2014 and reached the targeted depth with nearly complete core recovery. A continuous geological section and a wealth of information from on-site and off-site scientific investigations were obtained. A major post-drilling seismic survey was conducted in and around the borehole and included a 3D reflection seismic experiment. The structurally and lithologically complex Lower Seve Nappe proved difficult to image in detail using standard processing techniques, but its basal mylonite zone and underlying structures are well resolved. The 3D data, from the surface down to the total drilled depth, show good correlation with the initial mapping of the COSC-1 core as well as with preliminary results from on-core and downhole logging.   Good correlation is also observed between the 2D and 3D reflection seismic datasets. These will provide a strong link between the two boreholes and a means to extrapolate the results from the cores and boreholes into the surrounding rock. Ultimately, they will contribute to the deeper understanding of the tectonic evolution of the region, the Scandinavian Caledonides and the formation of major orogens. / Collisional Orogeny in the Scandinavian Caledonides

This study presents two new seismic testing methods for engineering application, a new shallow seismic reflection method and Time Filtered Analysis of Surface Waves (TFASW). Both methods are described in this dissertation. The new shallow seismic reflection was developed to measure reflection at a single point using two to four receivers, assuming homogeneous, horizontal layering. It uses one or more shakers driven by a swept sine function as a source, and the cross-correlation technique to identify wave arrivals. The phase difference between the source forcing function and the ground motion due to the dynamic response of the shaker-ground interface was corrected by using a reference geophone. Attenuated high frequency energy was also recovered using the whitening in frequency domain. The new shallow seismic reflection testing was performed at the crest of Porcupine Dam in Paradise, Utah. The testing used two horizontal Vibroseis sources and four receivers for spacings between 6 and 300 ft. Unfortunately, the results showed no clear evidence of the reflectors despite correction of the magnitude and phase of the signals. However, an improvement in the shape of the cross-correlations was noticed after the corrections. The results showed distinct primary lobes in the corrected cross-correlated signals up to 150 ft offset. More consistent maximum peaks were observed in the corrected waveforms. TFASW is a new surface (Rayleigh) wave method to determine the shear wave velocity profile at a site. It is a time domain method as opposed to the Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves (SASW) method, which is a frequency domain method. This method uses digital filtering to optimize bandwidth used to determine the dispersion curve. Results from testings at three different sites in Utah indicated good agreement with the dispersion curves measured using both TFASW and SASW methods. The advantage of TFASW method is that the dispersion curves had less scatter at long wavelengths as a result from wider bandwidth used in those tests.

The Brunswick No. 6 area, which is located in the Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick, Canada, is the focus of this thesis. Almost a decade ago, in order to improve the understanding of the crustal structures and explore for new mineral deposits at depth, three 2D seismic profiles totaling about 30 km and 3D seismic data covering an area of about 38 km2 were acquired from the study area. Petrophysical properties including compressional-wave velocity and density were also measured in two deep boreholes in the area. These data were recovered and reanalyzed, and the improved seismic images interpreted as the main part of this PhD thesis. A prestack DMO and poststack migration algorithm was considered for processing both 2D and 3D data. Processing of 2D data revealed shallow and deep reflections, which correlate well with surface geology. Steeply-dipping reflections, some of which could host mineral deposits, were imaged down to a depth of 6-7 km. Processing of 3D data showed similar results to the processed 2D profiles. Nevertheless, the non-orthogonal nature of the 3D survey, combined with irregular distribution of offsets, azimuths and trace midpoints, caused a severe acquisition footprint masking reflections in the DMO-corrected unmigrated stacked cube. An FK-dip filter in the wavenumber domain was designed to reduce the effects of the acquisition footprint. To better understand wave propagation and scattering effects, calculated acoustic impedance log from the available borehole data was used to estimate vertical scale length using a von Karman autocorrelation function. 2D synthetic models representative of heterogeneity in the area were generated accounting for the estimated scale length. Numerical modeling was used to study the scattering effects on the synthetic models, where some predefined targets were superimposed in the provided 2D heterogeneous medium. The effects of variable source frequency, longer horizontal scale length and petrophysical fluctuations of heterogeneous medium were also investigated. The modeling results indicate that, in the presence of large horizontal, but small vertical scale lengths (structural anisotropy), the identification of mineral deposits is possible in the unmigrated stacked sections, but can be challenging in the migrated sections.

The Forsmark area, the main study area in this thesis, is located about 140 km north of Stockholm, central Sweden. It belongs to the Paleoproterozoic Svecokarelian orogen and contains several major ductile and brittle deformation zones including the Forsmark, Eckarfjärden and Singö zones. The bedrock between these zones, in general is less deformed and considered suitable for a nuclear waste repository. While several site investigations have already been carried out in the area, this thesis focuses primarily on (i) re-processing some of the existing reflection seismic lines to improve imaging of deeper structures, (ii) acquiring and processing high-resolution reflection and refraction data for better characterization of the near surface geology for the planning of a new access ramp, (iii) studying possible seismic anisotropy from active sources recorded onto sparse three-component receivers and multi-offset-azimuth vertical seismic profiling data (VSP). Reflection seismic surveys are an important component of these investigations. The re-processing helped in improving the deeper parts (1-5 km) of the seismic images and allowing three major deeper reflections to be better characterized, one of which is sub-horizontal while the other two are dipping moderately. These reflections were attributed to originate from either dolerite sills or brittle fault systems. First break traveltime tomography allowed delineating an undulating bedrock-surface topography, which is typical in the Forsmark area. Shallow reflections imaged in 3D, thanks to the acquisition design were compared with existing borehole data and explained by fractured or weak zones in the bedrock. The analysis of seismic anisotropy indicates the presence of shear-wave splitting due to transverse isotropy with a vertical symmetry axis in the uppermost hundreds of meters of crust. Open fractures and joints were interpreted to be responsible for the large delays observed between the transverse and radial components of the shear-wave arrivals, both on surface and VSP data.

The Skellefte ore district in northern Sweden is a Palaeoproterozoic volcanic arc and one of the most important ones hosting volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits, producing mainly base metals and orogenic gold deposits. Due to high metal prices and increased difficulties in finding shallow deposits, the exploration for and exploitation of mineral resources is quickly being moved to greater depths. For this reason, a better understanding of the geological structures in 3D down to a few kilometers depth is required as a tool for ore targeting. As exploration and mining go deeper, it becomes more and more evident why a good understanding of geology in 3D at exploration depths, and even greater, is important to optimize both exploration and mining. Following a successful pilot 3D geological modeling project in the western part of the district, the Kristineberg mining area, a new project "VINNOVA 4D modeling of the Skellefte district" was launched in 2008, with the aim of improving the existing models, especially at shallow depth and extending the models to the central district. More than 100 km of reflection seismic (crooked) profiles were acquired, processed and interpreted in conjunction with geological observations and potential field data. Results were used to constrain the 3D geological model of the study area and provided new insights about the geology and mineral potential at depth. Results along the seismic profiles in the Kristineberg mining area proved the capability of the method for imaging reflections associated with mineralization zones in the area, and we could suggest that the Kristineberg mineralization and associated structures dip to the south down to at least a depth of about 2 km. In the central Skellefte area, we were able to correlate main reflections and diffractions with the major faults and shear zones. Cross-dip analysis, reflection modeling, pre-stack time migration, swath 3D processing and finite-difference seismic modeling allowed insights about the origin of some of the observed reflections and in defining the imaging challenges in the associated geological environments. / VINNOVA 4D modeling of the Skellefte district