14 Deep Disposal or Storage of Waste and Its Potential in the Southeastern U.S.

Friday, 2 April 2021
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Vulcan Materials Company Room

ASSESSING THE PREVALENCE OF SEISMICALLY-TRIGGERED MASS WASTING IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS, ALABAMA, USA

Paper number: 14-7
Program: Theme Sessions
Time: 9:30 AM – 9:50 AM

Authors

Abstract

Recent geologic mapping in northeastern Alabama by the Geological Survey of Alabama has identified large rock block slides located downslope of areas where the ridge is parallel to the orientation of regional fractures. Given the proximity of the eastern Tennessee seismic zone, these landslides may record ancient earthquake activity. We present 3,500 joint orientations and structural data collected along the length of the eastern Tennessee seismic zone that were measured along strike from Giles County, Virginia to Birmingham, Alabama. The discordance between joint orientations and local strike of ridges is used to (a) identify high- and low-risk rock block slide zones and (b) focus searches for unmapped, ancient landslides in both the field and using high resolution digital elevation models, including Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) based data. Potential landslides zones are further compared to known seismically active areas and basement faults within the eastern Tennessee seismic zone.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 53, No. 2

doi: 10.1130/abs/2021SE-362393

© Copyright 2021 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.