Investigating the Seismic Gap in North Carolina: A Seismic Survey of the Deep River Basin in Central North Carolina
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 26, 2019
- Creator
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Portner, Daniel Evan
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Geological Sciences
- Abstract
- The Deep River Basin is one of a series of Triassic rift basins along the east coast of the United States that make up the Newark Supergroup (Olsen et al. 1989). The supergroup of basins formed from preliminary extension during the breakup of Pangaea before the Atlantic Ocean began to spread (Olsen et al. 1989). The Deep River Basin consists of three sub-basins, the Wadesboro sub-basin, the Sanford sub-basin, and the Durham sub-basin (Olsen et al. 1989). A bed of shale and coal known as the Cumnock formation surfaces along the northern margin of the Sanford sub-basin (Olsen et al. 1991). In the past, this has been exploited by coal mining operations. More recently, however, it has been the focus of local gas companies. Recent legislation suggests that hydraulic fracturing operations may occur in the Sanford sub-basin in the near future. While hydraulic fracturing itself does not cause seismicity large enough to be recorded by the type of data analyzed here, the reinjection of wastewater into basement rocks has been linked to more significant seismicity in certain areas. Although it is unknown whether or not hydraulic fracturing or the associated reinjection of wastewater will occur in the Sanford sub-basin, a baseline of natural seismicity can be recorded before operations to be used for any comparative studies of seismicity.
- Date of publication
- spring 2014
- Keyword
- DOI
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- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Note
- Funding: Daniel Pignatiello Fellowship, Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
- Advisor
- Wagner, Lara
- Degree
- Bachelor of Science
- Honors level
- Honors
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Extent
- 35
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