High-Resolution, Shallow,

Seismic Reflection Surveys of the Northwest

Reelfoot Rift Boundary Near Marston, Missouri

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1538-P
Cover. Gray, shaded-relief map of magnetic anomaly data. Map area includes parts of 

Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Illumination is from the 

west. Figure is from Geophysical setting of the Reelfoot rift and relations between rift 

structures and the New Madrid seismic zone, by Thomas G. Hildenbrand and John D. 

Hendricks (chapter E in this series).
High-Resolution, Shallow,

Seismic Reflection Surveys of the Northwest

Reelfoot Rift Boundary Near Marston, Missouri

By Jack K. Odum, Eugene A. Luzietti, William J. Stephenson, 

Kaye M. Shedlock, and John A. Michael

INVESTIGATIONS OF THE NEW MADRID SEISMIC ZONE

Edited by Kaye M. Shedlock and Arch C. Johnston

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1538-P

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1995
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Gordon P. Eaton, Director

For sale by U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services

Box 25286, Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225

Any use of trade, product, or finn names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and 

does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

High-resolution, shallow, seismic reflection surveys of the northwest Reelfoot rift boundary 

near Marston, Missouri / by Jack K. Odum ... [et al.].

p. cm. —(U.S. Geological Survey professional paper; 1538-P) (Investigations of 

the New Madrid seismic zone ; P) 

Includes bibliographical references. 

Supt. of Docs, no.: 119.16:1538P

1. Geology—Missouri—New Madrid Region. 2. Seismic reflection method. 

I. Odum, Jack K. II. Series. III. Series: Investigations of the New Madrid seismic 

zone; P

QE535.2.U6I59 1995 vol. P 

[QE132.N47]

551.2' 2'09778985 s—dc20

[557.78985] 94-43970

CIP
CONTENTS

Abstract........................................................................................................................... PI

Introduction..................................................................................................................... 1

Regional Geology and Seismicity................................................................................... 4

Stratigraphic Correlation and Study Area Geology................................................ 6

Data Acquisition and Processing .................................................................................... 9

Interpretation .................................................................................................................. 9

Profile GL-8.......................................................................................................... 9

Profile GL-7.......................................................................................................... 9

Profile GL-12........................................................................................................ 11

Profile GL-9.......................................................................................................... 11

Profiles GL-10 and GL-11.................................................................................... 11

Discussion and Conclusions............................................................................................ 13

References Cited ............................................................................................................ 16

FIGURES

1. Regional map of the northern Mississippi Embayment.............................................................................................. P2

2. Map showing location USGS Vibroseis line S-3, six high-resolution seismic reflection lines, and three

drill holes..................................................................................................................................................................... 3

3. Cross section constructed from interpreted resistivity logs from two geophysically logged drill holes and a

lithologic column......................................................................................................................................................... 5

4. Migrated seismic reflection profile GL-8 and interpreted line drawing...................................................................... 7

5. Migrated seismic reflection profile GL-7 and interpreted line drawing...................................................................... 8

6. Migrated seismic reflection profile GL-12 and interpreted line drawing.................................................................... 10

7. Migrated seismic reflection profile GL-9 and interpreted line drawing...................................................................... 12

8. Migrated seismic reflection profiles and interpreted line drawing for lines GL-10 and GL-11................................. 13

9. Vertical aerial photograph showing spatial location of high-resolution seismic reflection lines and three ages

of abandoned meander channels associated with the modern Mississippi River........................................................ 14

10. Conceptual map displaying spatial relationship and trend of structural feature interpreted from seismic profiles

GL-7, GL-9, and GL-12.............................................................................................................................................. 15

TABLES

1. Data-acquisition parameters........................................................................................................................................ P6

III

HIGH-RESOLUTION, SHALLOW,

SEISMIC REFLECTION SURVEYS OF THE NORTHWEST 

REELFOOT RIFT BOUNDARY NEAR MARSTON, MISSOURI

By Jack K. Odum, 1 Eugene A. Luzietti,2 William J. Stephenson, 1 

Kaye M. Shedlock, 1 and John A. Michael 1

ABSTRACT

The 1811-12 New Madrid earthquakes are believed to 

be among the strongest historical events to have ever 

occurred in North America; however, little surficial deformation exists to document this sequence of strong 

ground-shaking events. Approximately 9 km southwest of 

New Madrid, Mo., six high-resolution seismic reflection 

profiles image strata near the presumed epicenter of one of 

these historical 1811-12 earthquakes. Three of the six profiles image what we interpret to be a master and antithetic 

fault pair that are traceable for approximately 6 km. Geomorphic evidence suggests that this fault pair may be traced 

for as much as 15 km. The trend of these faults, which may 

represent a segment of a wider fault zone, is approximately 

N. 50°-55° E.—an orientation subparallel to the aeromagnetically defined Reelfoot rift boundary and other regionally 

identified structural features.

Our interpretation shows deformation in the form of 

normal and reverse movement across the Paleozoic surface 

reflector. Displacement on this reflector decreases from a 

maximum of 30 m upward through the section. Although 

noticeable vertical displacement decreases upward through 

the younger strata, stream-channel entrenchment largely 

confined within the downwarped area (graben) between a 

master and antithetic fault pair indicates that at least minor 

amounts of movement occurred into the middle Eocene. The 

lack of surface and near-surface deformation, along with 

subtle changes in reflector characteristics across fault traces, 

may be indicators that strike-slip fault movement became 

prevalent during the late Tertiary.

1U.S. Geological Survey, Mail Stop 966, P.O. Box 25046, Denver 

Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225.

2Chevron USA Production Company, 935 Gravier St., New Orleans, 

LA 70112.

INTRODUCTION

The northern Mississippi Embayment was rocked by 

hundreds of small earthquakes and three high-magnitude 

events during the winter of 1811-12. The February 7, 1812, 

event, with an estimated magnitude of about M 8.3 

(Johnston, in press), totally destroyed the town of New 

Madrid, Mo. Although a large amount of the regional strain 

energy may have been dissipated by the three large earthquakes (December 16, 1811; January 23 and February 7, 

1812), an instrumentally defined pattern of concentrated 

modern seismic activity currently exists within the northern 

Mississippi Embayment (fig. 1) (Stauder and others, 1976; 

Johnston and Nava, 1990; Chiu and others, 1992). This pattern of modern seismicity, the New Madrid seismic zone 

(NMSZ), geographically encompasses portions of southeast 

Missouri, northwest Tennessee, and northeast Arkansas and 

is largely confined within the aeromagnetically and gravity-defined boundaries of the Reelfoot rift graben. It is 

widely recognized as one of the most seismically active 

regions east of the Rocky Mountains.

The New Madrid earthquakes, which occurred during 

the winter of 1811-12, are among the strongest historical 

events to ever have occurred in a stable continental setting 

(Johnston and Kanter, 1990), but little surficial deformation 

exists to document this sequence of strong ground-shaking 

events. The most common and widespread surficial evidence 

include sandblows, earthquake-induced landslides along 

river bluffs, sunken terrain (sloughs), and small (generally 

less than 10 m) upwarps. Thick deposits of unconsolidated 

Pleistocene and Holocene alluvium, and lateral planation 

accompanied by cut-and-fill channeling of the ancestral and 

modern Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, make it difficult to 

identify evidence of faulting in near-surface strata.

Seismic reflection data has been acquired throughout 

the Mississippi Embayment to help identify subsurface 

structures. Vibroseis seismic reflection surveys have 

been useful in delineating major deformational features 

(warping and faulting) that have disrupted Paleozoic and

PI
P2 INVESTIGATIONS OF THE NEW MADRID SEISMIC ZONE

90°

4 f •* , 1.

J *.i f s\

New Madrid^ ^

f' f ~* /

-4 TENNESSEE,/ it+ C_

&- _.MI^SOH^I _

ARKANSAS

of

figure 2 

x

Caruthersville

WJ '

Dyersburg rj ^

Figure 1. Regional map of the northern Mississippi Embayment showing the location of study area seismic reflection surveys (box) in relation to the Reelfoot rift boundaries and inferred plutons (Hildenbrand and Hendricks, 1995), Blytheville 

arch (Hamilton and McKeown, 1988), Pascola arch (Grohskopf, 1955), and epicenters (crosses) of earthquakes of M>1.5 

(Taylor and others, 1991). Figure is modified from Luzietti and others (1992).

Cretaceous strata (Crone and Brockman, 1982; Hamilton Tertiary and Quaternary reflectors make it impossible to

and Zoback, 1982; Hamilton and McKeown, 1988; Sex- trace deformation features into the shallow subsurface,

ton and others, 1982). However, poorly resolved upper During the last decade, more than 100 km of
SEISMIC REFLECTION SURVEYS NEAR MARSTON, MISSOURI P3

89°37'30" 89°30'

36°30'

36°22'30'

10 KILOMETERS 

J

Figure 2. Map showing location of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Vibroseis line S-3 (hachured line), six 

high-resolution Mini-Sosie seismic reflection lines (heavy black lines), and three drill holes (black well symbols) 

used for stratigraphic correlation. Generalized northwestern edge of rift boundary is surface projection of the steepest gradient in the magnetic field that is used by Hildenbrand and Hendricks (1995) to delineate the rift boundary. 

Open circles are epicenters of earthquakes with M> 1.5. Section A-A'-A", based on drill-hole data, is presented in 

figure 3.
P4 INVESTIGATIONS OF THE NEW MADRID SEISMIC ZONE

high-resolution reflection data have been acquired 

throughout the Mississippi Embayment to image Tertiary 

and younger strata and permit detailed analysis of shallow 

(less than 1 km deep) deformation (Shedlock and Harding, 1982; Sexton and Jones, 1986, 1988; Luzietti and 

Harding, 1991; Luzietti and others, 1992; Schweig and 

others, 1992; VanArsdale and others, 1992).

This paper presents the interpretation of six 

Mini-Sosie high-resolution seismic reflection profiles in 

southeastern Missouri (fig. 2). These profiles are located 

within a broad zone that coincides with the surface projection of the aeromagnetically and gravity-defined northwestern boundary of the Reelfoot rift graben and are in 

close proximity to the assumed February 7, 1812, earthquake epicenter.

REGIONAL GEOLOGY AND 

SEISMICITY

The Mississippi Embayment extends from the Gulf 

Coastal Plain northward to approximately the confluence of 

the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Based on aeromagnetic 

and gravity data collected in 1974, a northeast-trending graben (approximately 300 km long and 70 km wide) has been 

interpreted beneath the northern Mississippi Embayment 

(Hildenbrand and others, 1977; Kane and others, 1981). The 

Reelfoot rift graben, a major near-surface structural feature, 

is part of a larger tectonic structure within the craton: the 

Reelfoot rift system (Hildenbrand, 1985). Magnetic modeling suggests a depth to magnetic basement of 4-5.5 km 

within the graben. This represents a variable amount of vertical structural relief (ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 km) with 

respect to the regional magnetic basement (Hildenbrand and 

Hendricks, 1995). Contouring of the Precambrian surface, 

using drill-hole and geophysical data, indicates that the graben consists of at least two deep basins (half-grabens) separated by one or more transverse ridge structures (R.L. Dart, 

oral commun., 1993).

The Reelfoot rift graben is believed to have developed as a result of incipient rifting during latest Proterozoic to Early Cambrian time (Bond and others, 1984; 

Kolata and Nelson, 1991). By the Late Cambrian, most 

tectonic activity had ceased and the rift complex was filled 

with approximately 3 km of sediment (Kolata and Nelson, 

1991). Deposition of shallow-marine carbonate 

sequences, sandstone, siltstone, and shale continued into 

the Pennsylvanian (Gushing and others, 1964). Compressive stresses, probably associated with the late Paleozoic 

Ouachita and Allegheny orogenies, reactivated some Reelfoot rift boundary faults, resulting in both normal and 

reverse movement (Kolata and Nelson, 1991). These 

compressive stresses also induced strike-slip, oblique, and 

reverse fault movement along the axial Reelfoot rift fault

zone and possibly caused uplifting of the Pascola arch 

(Howe and Thompson, 1984; Kolata and Nelson, 1991). 

Zones of weakness along the rift margins and axial fault 

zone provided sites for emplacement of felsic and mafic 

intrusions (Howe and Thompson, 1984; Kolata and Nelson, 1991). Regional uplift lasted into the late Mesozoic, 

and extensive erosion removed as much as 4,600 m of 

Paleozoic strata from the top of the Pascola arch 

(Marcher and Stearns, 1962). Upper Paleozoic to middle 

Cretaceous rocks are missing in the northern Mississippi 

Embayment.

A renewed episode of basin-wide downwarping during 

the Late Cretaceous initiated a cycle of sedimentation with 

only two major and a few minor interruptions (Stearns, 

1957). Drill-hole and geophysical data have identified mafic 

to ultramafic plutons along the rift margins and within the 

graben that are thought to have been emplaced during the 

late Mesozoic (Hildenbrand and Hendricks, 1995). Following the cessation of a major period of subsidence in middle 

to late Eocene time, the embayment was uplifted and erosion 

dominated until the close of the Tertiary (Stearns, 1957). 

Thin sheets of coarse-grained fluvial and alluvial deposits 

were laid down during the late Pliocene(?) and early Pleistocene (Potter, 1955; Russell and Parks, 1975). Mid to late 

Pleistocene glacial-outwash deposits and windblown loess, 

of variable thickness, mantled surfaces within and adjacent 

to the Mississippi Embayment. Lateral planation and major 

channel shifts by the modern Mississippi and Ohio River 

systems are currently eroding and reworking relict braided 

streams, glacial-outwash plains, and modern Holocene-age 

alluvial deposits (Royall and others, 1991; Autin and others, 

1991).

Reelfoot rift system structures have undergone several 

episodes of compression and extension. Currently, and 

probably beginning as early as the Miocene, the Mississippi 

Embayment is being compressed by predominantly uniform 

horizontal stresses (Johnston and Nava, 1990). In the 

NMSZ, the principal axis of compression is oriented approximately N. 80° E., whereas the principal axis for the Central 

United States as a whole is N. 60° E. (Zoback and Zoback, 

1981). Within the Reelfoot rift system, faults with northeast-southwest orientations are believed to respond to the 

regional stress orientation, with predominantly right-lateral 

strike slip along with small amounts of normal, oblique, and 

reverse movement (Russ, 1982; Zoback and Zoback, 1989; 

Dart and Swolfs, 1991). The New Madrid seismic zone consists of three major trends of seismicity (fig. 1): a major zone 

extends northeast for 120 km along the rift axis from near 

Marked Tree, Ark., to Caruthersville, Mo.; a second northeast-trending zone lies outside of the rift margin along a 

40-km-long line from New Madrid to Charleston, Mo. A 

third zone, oriented north-northwest, connects these two 

zones. Between October 1989 and January 1992, more than 

700 earthquake events were recorded on the PANDA (portable array for numerical data acquisition) network, which is
Cordova-Union 

E. Phillips #1

City of

Marston

water well

9.2km 11.9km

A"

USGS

New Madrid 

Test 1-X

Ground

elevation

86.6m

Jackson(?) Group

Cockfield Formation

2.0 10 200

Resistivity, in ohms

EXPLANATION

Group boundary

Group boundary-unconformity

Formation boundary

Interpreted formation boundary

Unconformity

2.0 10 200 

Resistivity, in ohms

Figure 3. Cross section constructed from interpreted resistivity logs from two geophysically logged drill holes, the Cordova-Union Oil/E. Phi

Madrid Test Well 1-X (A") (Crone, 1981), and a lithologic column from the city of Marston (Mo.) water well (A'). Synthetic seismogram wa

Madrid Test 1-X resistivity log.
P6 INVESTIGATIONS OF THE NEW MADRID SEISMIC ZONE

deployed within this transverse zone (Chiu and others, 

1992). Hypocenters are generally 5-15 km deep, and the 

earthquakes have magnitudes ranging from <0.0 to 4.6 (Chiu 

and others, 1992). The pattern and focal mechanism of the 

hypocenters indicate a variety of faulting styles within the 

transverse zone including thrust, strike-slip, normal, and 

reverse (Chiu and others, 1992). The Marston, Mo., study 

area falls within this transverse zone of seismicity (fig. 2).

STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION AND 

STUDY AREA GEOLOGY

Two geophysically logged exploratory drill holes and 

one lithologic log from a water well (fig. 2) provide local 

subsurface information that can be used to correlate the 

seismic reflection data with stratigraphic horizons. The 

two geophysically logged drill holes, the Cordova-Union 

Oil/E. Phillips No. 1 and the USGS New Madrid Test 

Well 1-X (Crone, 1981) (A and A", respectively, fig. 2) 

are 21 km apart. A stratigraphic cross section (fig. 3), 

incorporating the resistivity log interpretations and the 

lithologic description from the city of Marston water well 

(A'), shows the regional continuity ol formation contacts 

and thicknesses across the study area. The synthetic seismogram generated from the USGS New Madrid Test Well 

1-X geophysical logs indicates that the impedance across 

major unconformities and lithologic contacts is significant 

enough to produce regionally observable reflectors.

Within the study area, extensive erosion during the late 

Paleozoic and Mesozoic removed several kilometers of rock 

from the uplifted Pascola arch, leaving behind a Paleozoic 

bedrock surface that dips gently southeast toward the embayment axis with a slope of approximately 6.6 m/km (Marcher 

and Stearns, 1962; Boswell and others, 1965). The Upper 

Cretaceous McNairy Sand, consisting of sand, clay, and marl 

deposited within a fluvial and rapidly expanding deltaic 

environment, lies unconformably upon this low-relief Paleozoic surface (Pryor, 1960). The Owl Creek Formation, 

largely composed of reworked upper McNairy Sand in the 

northern embayment, represents an episode of subsidence 

and rapid sea transgression following a period of uplift and 

tilting (fig. 3) (Pryor, 1960). During the Paleocene, a marine 

transgression completely covered the embayment, and shallow- to deep-water marine clay and shale were deposited. 

The thin, calcareous and sandy Clayton Formation unconformably overlies the Upper Cretaceous rocks. The Clayton 

Formation grades upward into the Porters Creek Clay. 

Together, these formations make up the Midway Group. In 

the northern embayment, a sharp unconformity marks the 

contact between the Midway Group and the overlying Paleocene and lower Eocene Wilcox Group (Fort Pillow Sand 

and Flour Island Formation). The shallow-water to deltaic 

Fort Pillow Sand is overlain by nonmarine back-beach and 

deltaic silt and clay of the Flour Island Formation. The

Table 1. Data-acquisition parameters, 

[pt, point; gp, group; config, configuration]

Parameter Description

Source type.................

Source array................

Source duration...........

Source point interval... 

Geophone array...........

Geophone gp spacing.. 

Geophone config.........

Field filters.................

Recording system........

Sampling rate..............

Trace length................

... 3 earth compactors

... 2-m spacing parallel to profile line

... 1,500-2,000 impulses per shot pt

...9.14m (30 ft)

... 1-m point area

...9.14m (30 ft)

...24 channel, end-on

... 40-180-Hz band pass, 24 dB/octave

... I/O DHR 2400

... 1 ms

...1,000ms

Claiborne and Jackson Groups, of Eocene age, unconformably overlie the Wilcox Group. The basal unit of the Claiborne Group, in the upper Mississippi Embayment, is a 

fluvial, deltaic, and coastal-plain sand, regionally referred to 

as the Memphis Sand (Grohskopf, 1955). Above this basal 

sand are interbedded silt, clay, lignite, and lenticular sand, 

which probably correlate with the Cook Mountain and Cockfield Formations (Grohskopf, 1955). The Jackson Group 

(not positively identified within the study area), composed of 

very fine to medium-grained fluvial, deltaic, and 

coastal-plain sand, was deposited during the last marine 

transgression in the upper Mississippi Embayment (Mann 

and Thomas, 1968; Stearns, 1957). The northern embayment underwent regional uplift and erosion throughout the 

remainder of the Tertiary. The Jackson(?) and Claiborne 

Groups are unconformably overlain by veneers of late 

Pliocene and Pleistocene alluvium, colluvium, glacial outwash, and windblown loess (Guccione and others, 1990; 

Autin and others, 1991).

During the Pleistocene, the Mississippi River flowed 

west of its present position in the modern western lowlands, 

and it was the ancestral Ohio River that laterally scoured out 

a large flood plain across the study area (Stephenson and 

Crider, 1916; Fisk, 1944; Saucier, 1964). Headward erosion 

and stream capture by an Ohio River tributary and (or) 

increased flow resulting from melting ice sheets caused the 

Mississippi River to gradually abandon its course and join 

the Ohio River south of New Madrid, Mo. (Stephenson and 

Crider, 1916; Saucier, 1964). The present river configuration was established approximately 10,000 yr B.P. (Teller, 

1990; Royall and others, 1991). During the Holocene, the 

Mississippi River and its embayment tributaries developed 

the sedimentary sequences and geomorphic features associated with a large meandering river regime (wide flood plain, 

point bars, incised and abandoned meander channels, and 

laterally extensive clay "plugs"). In some places, modern 

channels have eroded into strata of the Tertiary Claiborne 

Group; the channels have been abandoned; and they have 

been filled with extensive, younger flood-plain deposits.
SEISMIC REFLECTION SURVEYS NEAR MARSTON, MISSOURI P7

oo __________ ^•^•gj^

0.0

0.1

o

2 

O

0.3

0.4

I

o 0.5

0.6

0.7

Approx.

depth

(meters) •a- -a- en coco co.

-a- co

70-

162-

265

376-

516-

660-

801

I I I I I I I I I I

Q/T

TfiK —

Pz

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 METERS 

|_______________I I I I

Figure 4. Migrated seismic reflection profile GL-8 and interpreted line drawing. Labeled reflectors: Pz, top of Paleozoic rocks; K, top of Cretaceous rocks; Tfi, top of Paleocene and Eocene Flour 

Island Formation; Q/T, Quaternary-Tertiary unconformity.
P8 INVESTIGATIONS OF THE NEW MADRID SEISMIC ZONE

GL-7 EAST

00

0.7

Approx.

00 (meters)

00 ex;

0.1

C/) 

Q

O 0.2

LLJ 

C/)

LU 0.3

04

0.5

0.6

0.7

I I I I I I I I I

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 METERS

Figure 5. Migrated seismic reflection profile GL-7 and interpreted line drawing. Shot point 232 of line GL-7 

is 528 m from shot point 300 of line GL-8. Labeled reflectors: Pz, top of Paleozoic rocks; K, top of Cretaceous 

rocks; Tfi, top of Paleocene and Eocene Flour Island Formation; Q/T, Quaternary-Tertiary unconformity.
SEISMIC REFLECTION SURVEYS NEAR MARSTON, MISSOURI P9

DATA ACQUISITION AND 

PROCESSING

To examine the deformational style (fault distribution, 

displacement, and age) of Cenozoic strata across the northwestern rift margin, we acquired 8.5 km (six profiles, fig. 2) 

of high-resolution, shallow-reflection data using the 

Mini-Sosie acquisition method. The Mini-Sosie method 

typically uses three portable, hand-operated, nondestructive 

earth tampers as a source of random pulse energy. Sensors 

mounted on the foot pads of each earth tamper transmit, by 

way of backpack-mounted radio transmitters, the exact 

impact time to a recording truck. For a single shot point, 

impact time signals and return data are stored in temporary 

memory. The seismic record, written to tape for a specific 

shot point, is produced by a cross-correlation process. This 

process time-shifts the return data sample associated with an 

impact to the equivalent sample time of the initial impact, 

then sums the samples (Barbier, 1983; Wiles, 1979). By 

summing as many as 2,000 seismic records, obtained over a 

several-minute (2-4) time period, the Mini-Sosie method 

effectively reduces the effects of cultural-noise sources 

(Stephenson and others, 1992).

The field operations used in this study are similar to 

those outlined by Wiles (1979), and table 1 lists the 

data-acquisition parameters used. The surveys were conducted on dirt roads or along the dirt shoulders of paved 

roads and were designed to image reflectors between 50 and 

800 m deep. Elevation corrections for datum-statics corrections were surveyed to ±5 cm. The field data were processed 

with a standard sequence of processing steps (Yilmaz, 1987) 

including post-stack migration. The resulting profiles consist of 0.7 s of two-way travel-time (TWTT) data that image 

about the upper 750 m of the Earth's crust.

interpreted to represent the top of the Paleocene-Eocene 

Flour Island Formation, which is recognized as the top of the 

Wilcox Group (fig. 3). We interpret the reflector labeled 

"Q/T" to represent the unconformable contact between the 

eroded surface of middle Eocene Claiborne Group (possibly 

including the Jackson Group) and Quaternary strata.

Fault locations, discussed in the following text, are referenced to the shot point beneath which the fault trace 

crosses the Pz reflector. Within the study area, the largest 

amount of vertical deformation (warping or fault offset) is 

approximately 30 m and, in many cases, is less than 10 m. 

For this study, we have chosen to identify, on the line drawings that accompany the reflection profiles, only those faults 

that show a clear disruption and (or) offset of the Pz reflector 

or those that are observed to extend above the K reflector. 

We use the term "prominent fault" to refer to faults that we 

interpret as extending near or above the Tfi reflector.

PROFILE GL-8

The only structural deformation interpreted on this profile (fig. 4) is minor warping of the Paleozoic (Pz) through 

Flour Island (Tfi) reflectors between shot points 320 and 

360. These reflectors are slightly deeper south of the warp, 

which accounts for the few milliseconds of southward dip 

seen across the profile. Uneven and subparallel intermittent 

reflection patterns between the Tfi and Q/T reflectors are 

essentially horizontal and typical of imaged fluvial and deltaic depositional environments (Mitchum and others, 1977a, 

1977b).

PROFILE GL-7

INTERPRETATION

Physical-property changes due to formation lithologies, 

lateral facies continuity, and complexity of the depositional 

environment all affected the quality and continuity of reflector data. In general, coherent reflectors are resolvable from 

about 0.08 to 0.65 s (depths from about 50 to 700 m) on all 

six profiles. Estimated depths are shown on the left side of 

each interpreted line drawing (figs. 4-8), but actual depths 

across each section may vary slightly due to velocity variations within changing lithologies.

The "Pz" reflector is interpreted to represent the unconformable contact between the eroded lower Paleozoic carbonate rocks and the Upper Cretaceous McNairy Sand. The 

"K" reflector is believed to represent the unconformable 

contact between the Upper Cretaceous McNairy Sand 

(including the Owl Creek Formation, if present) and the Tertiary Midway Group (fig. 3). The "Tfi" reflector is

On profile GL-7 (fig. 5), the Pz reflection shows a net 

drop of approximately 25 ms (approximately 39 m) across 

the 1.2-km profile. The majority of this Pz reflector drop 

occurs across a zone of poor reflector coherency (shot points 

174-188) and a downwarped section (shot points 107-132) 

on the east end of the profile. We interpret the zone of poor 

reflector coherency to be a zone of highly fractured Paleozoic rock between a pair of prominent faults. Although the 

overall east-end-down drop of the Upper Cretaceous reflector K is approximately 7 ms (approximately 11 m) across the 

profile, this reflector is downwarped and faulted by as much 

as 12 ms (approximately 18m) between the aforementioned 

faults (fig. 5). The Midway and Wilcox Group reflectors 

both show varying amounts of concave warping between the 

faults. The Pz, K, and multiple reflections associated with 

the Fort Pillow Sand and topped by the Tfi reflector are predominantly horizontal west of shot point 188. All of the 

mentioned reflectors show a gentle down-to-the-east dip east
P10 INVESTIGATIONS OF THE NEW MADRID SEISMIC ZONE

0.7 774

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 METERS 

I_______I I I I I

Figure 6. Migrated seismic reflection profile GL-12 and interpreted line drawing. Shot point 1 096 of GL- 1 2 is 310 m west of the railroad 

tracks passing through the town of Conran, Mo. Labeled reflectors: Pz, top of Paleozoic rocks; K, top of Cretaceous rocks; Tfi, top of 

Paleocene and Eocene Hour Island Formation; Q/T, Quaternary-Tertiary unconformity.

of the fault at shot point 174. Few of the other interpreted 

faults extend above the K reflector.

Between shot points 168 and 200, the zone coinciding with the prominent faults, reflections reveal a feature 

(arrows on fig. 5 profile) that we interpret to be an asymmetrical entrenched stream channel scoured into the Flour 

Island Formation. Sexton and others (1992) have interpreted several paleochannel features on 

Mini-Sosie-method profiles located both north and south 

of the study area. Their paleochannels are similar to the

entrenched channel interpreted on profile GL-7 (fig. 5) in 

that they have similar characteristics and occur at approximately the same depth. To the right of the entrenched 

channel feature on profile GL-7 are drape and onlap signature patterns often associated with channel-fill and 

point-bar deposits (Mitchum, 1977a, 1977b). Above 200 

ms, reflectors are predominantly horizontal and show 

only a few milliseconds of down-to-the-east dip. Based 

on changes in the reflection character of the upper Claiborne Group and disruption and (or) truncation of nearly
SEISMIC REFLECTION SURVEYS NEAR MARSTON, MISSOURI Pll

horizontal reflections between 100 and 150 ms TWTT, 

we interpret that the westernmost fault (of the entrenched 

channel bracketing faults) can be traced to approximately 

the Q/T reflector. The east side prominent fault trace, shot 

point 174, is not discernible above the top of the Wilcox 

Group. It is possible that this fault was active during deposition of the Memphis Sand; however, evidence for such 

activity has been obliterated by channel cut-and-fill 

processes.

PROFILE GL-12

On profile GL-12 (fig. 6), Pz and K reflectors show 

an overall drop of 26 and 23 ms (approximately 34 and 

30 m), respectively, from west to east. The majority of 

vertical displacement on the Pz reflector occurs along the 

prominent fault at shot point 1277. Differing Memphis 

Sand and upper Claiborne Group reflection characteristics, along with a disrupted zone in the Q/T reflector 

(near shot point 1310), allow this fault to be traced to 

within approximately 60 m of the surface. A highly fractured zone of closely spaced faults between shot points 

1225 and 1265 disrupt and offset the Pz reflector. Two of 

the faults are traceable to at least the top of Flour Island 

strata. Between one of the aforementioned faults (shot 

point 1250) and the prominent fault at shot point 1277, the 

Pz through Tfi reflectors show minor amounts of offset 

(generally less than 10 m) and concave warping. Additionally, between these prominent faults we interpret an 

entrenched channel feature (arrows, fig. 6). This channel 

feature is similar to the one imaged on profile GL-7 in 

that a portion of the upper Wilcox Group (Fort Pillow 

Sand and Flour Island Formation) strata has been eroded. 

Other faults, offsetting and deforming Paleozoic to Midway Group reflectors, are present between and adjacent to 

the two prominent faults. Paleozoic through Wilcox 

Group reflectors are warped into an anticline between 

shot points 1160 and 1190. The eastern side of the anticline is bounded by a fault similar in appearance to the 

other prominent faults.

Upper Claiborne and Q/T reflectors (50-100 ms 

TWTT) are generally continuous and essentially horizontal 

across much of the profile. Tilting of upper Claiborne 

Group and younger strata eastward from shot point 1145 

may indicate a component of normal and (or) oblique-slip 

movement on the fault at shot point 1140 during the 

Quaternary.

PROFILE GL-9

On GL-9 (fig. 7), the overall Pz reflector drop from 

north to south across the profile is approximately 10 ms. 

An anticlinal warp of approximately 20 ms (26 m), in the

vicinity of the prominent fault at shot point 520, represents 

the largest amount of deformation observable on this profile. Minor disruption and offset of the Pz reflector and 

minor concave warping, less than 10 ms (approximately 12 

m), of the K reflector are interpreted between faults at shot 

points 554 and 615. Changes of reflection characteristics 

within the Claiborne Group and disruptions of strong, continuous reflections between 100 and 150 ms indicate that 

the northern fault trace (shot point 554) extends up to 

approximately the Q/T reflector. Based on disruptions 

within the Wilcox Group reflector package and changes in 

scattered Claiborne Group reflectors, we extend the fault at 

shot point 615 into upper Claiborne Group strata. 

Although not as clearly imaged as on profiles GL-7 and 

GL-12 (figs. 5 and 6), there is evidence of stream-channel 

entrenchment of the upper Wilcox Group strata between the 

faults at shot points 554 and 580. Draping and onlapping 

reflection patterns are also identifiable within the 

fault-bounded area.

PROFILES GL-10 AND GL-11

Paleozoic, Upper Cretaceous, and Midway and Wilcox 

Group reflectors show a gentle west-to-east upwarping 

across profile GL-11 and the western edge of profile GL-10 

(fig. 8). This gentle warping is disrupted by four prominent 

faults on profile GL-10. Approximately 30 m and 19 m of 

vertical offset (down to the east) on the Pz and K reflectors, 

respectively, are interpreted across a fault at shot point 820. 

This fault, clearly imaged as a sharp break across the Pz 

and K reflectors, represents the east-side terminus of the 

upwarped area. A fault showing similar displacement characteristics (20 ms of normal displacement across the Pz and 

K reflectors, post-middle Eocene movement, and believed 

to have a northerly to northeasterly strike) is interpreted by 

Hamilton and Zoback (1982) to be approximately 1 km east 

of GL-10 on the USGS S-3 Vibroseis profile. Disruption 

and reduced Pz and K reflector coherency, along with concave warping of K through Tfi reflectors, is evident 

between the faults at shot points 765 and 792 (fig. 8). 

Another prominent fault is interpreted at shot point 735. 

The faults at shot points 765 and 735 are traceable to 100 

ms depth, where they are coincident with subtle Q/T reflector disruption and tilting.

On profile GL-11, prominent faults are interpreted at 

shot points 965 and 978. Both faults are traceable to the 

near-surface where the Q/T reflector and shallow reflections 

above 100 ms show subtle changes in pattern characteristics 

(undulations and lack of lateral continuity) as well as a slight 

down-to-the-east tilt between shot points 935 and 975 (fig. 

8). Little to no vertical displacement across the Pz and K 

reflectors is observed along these faults.
P12 INVESTIGATIONS OF THE NEW MADRID SEISMIC ZONE

0.7

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 METERS

Figure 7. Migrated seismic reflection profile GL-9 and interpreted line drawing. Shot point 500 of profile GL-9, figure 8, is approximately 

385 m south of shot point 232 of GL-7. Labeled reflectors: Pz, top of Paleozoic rocks; K, top of Cretaceous rocks; Tfi, top of Paleocene and 

Eocene Flour Island Formation; Q/T, Quaternary-Tertiary unconformity.
SEISMIC REFLECTION SURVEYS NEAR MARSTON, MISSOURI P13

WEST

Shot __ 

point —

GL-11

meander channel 

west margin

I—> I t—> CD

-a- I. m CM

T T T T

GL-10

meander channel 

east margin

?!

EAST

Q/T

§ 0.6

0.7

•£^*£^TM^- ^-^7^ •• ^->*• r>>-> ^-^ SI^^'irLi-"-- ' " ' vi^'jLt^

'. ~^.- '.'Ui

^,V ." pv,-" l»'.^Tgs-;

Tfi

Approx. depth

(meters)

0.0

07 778

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 METERS

Figure 8. Migrated seismic reflection profiles and interpreted line drawing for lines GL-10 and GL-11. The distance between shot point 

1035, on the west end of GL-11, and the east end of GL-12 (fig. 7, shot point 1105) is 2,428 m. Shot point 900 of profile GL-11 is 46 m west 

of shot point 840 on GL-10. Labeled reflectors: Pz, top of Paleozoic rocks; K, top of Cretaceous rocks; Tfi, top of Paleocene and Eocene 

Flour Island Formation; Q/T, Quaternary-Tertiary unconformity.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

The Mini-Sosie high-resolution seismic reflection data 

image several strong and regionally coherent reflectors 

within the Marston, Mo., study area. The Pz reflector, which 

we interpret to represent the eroded, low-relief surface at the 

top of the Paleozoic, slopes from approximately 550 ms on 

the west side of profile GL-12 to approximately 600 ms on 

the east side of GL-10. Although this reflector is highly

disrupted in places with numerous small (less than 10m vertical offset) faults, only a few faults are interpreted to extend 

up to approximately the Q/T reflector. The largest amount 

of vertical displacement on any fault within the study area is 

approximately 30 m. Vertical displacement consistently 

decreases upward, with most displacement occurring across 

the Pz and K reflectors. We suspect that the faulting style 

imaged on five of the six Marston, Mo., profiles represents 

the near-surface expression of flower structures associated
P14 INVESTIGATIONS OF THE NEW MADRID SEISMIC ZONE

Figure 9. Vertical aerial photograph showing the spatial location of high-resolution seismic reflection lines (white) and three ages of 

abandoned meander channels associated with the modern Mississippi River. Arrow "A" marks northeast-trending stream segment. Arrow 

"B" marks the northeast-trending surface lineation separating an area lacking sandblow features from an area of dense sandblow activity. 

Arrows "C" and "D" mark positions where interpreted faults on profiles GL-10 and GL-11 (fig. 8) roughly coincide with features of 

recently abandoned channels.

with strike-slip and oblique movement of deeper, reactivated 

boundary faults. Earthquake-focal-mechanism studies have 

indicated that strike-slip faulting is dominant in the two 

northeast-trending zones of the NMSZ (Herrmann and 

Canas, 1978; Chiu and others, 1992). This study area is 

located within the intersection of one of the northeast arms 

and the north-northwest arm of seismicity (fig. 1). 

Flower-structure faulting of Paleozoic through Tertiary units

(and possibly including Quaternary-age units) has also been 

identified northeast and southwest of Marston, Mo., by Sexton and others (1992) and Schweig and others (1992).

On three of six Mini-Sosie high-resolution seismic 

reflection profiles (GL-7, GL-9, and GL-12), we recognize a paired set of faults that have similar deformation 

characteristics. The interpreted fault pairs are as follows: 

profile GL-7, shot points 174 and 188; profile GL-9, shot
SEISMIC REFLECTION SURVEYS NEAR MARSTON, MISSOURI

89°45' 89°37'30"

P15

89°30'

New —— 

Madrid \ |

36°30'

36°22'30"

10 KILOMETERS

Figure 10. Conceptual map displaying the spatial relationship and trend (dashed line) of the structural feature interpreted from seismic 

profiles GL-7, GL-9, and GL-12, and surficial geomorphic features (A, B) observed on the aerial photograph shown in figure 9. Dark stippled pattern is the generalized trace of Bootheel lineament surficial features and a possible lineament splay (segment E) (Marple, 1989). 

Queried dark-stippled pattern represents the projected trend of a hypothetical northeast extension of the 5-km-long Bootheel lineament splay. 

Open circles indicate epicenters of earthquakes with M> 1.5 (Taylor and others, 1991).

points 554 and 578; and profile GL-12, shot points 1250 

and 1277. For these fault pairs, the majority of vertical 

displacement across the Pz and K reflectors takes place 

along the westernmost fault (northernmost in the case of 

profile GL-9). From this relationship, we interpret that the 

westernmost fault of the pair is a master fault and the 

deeper fault is antithetic to it. All three fault pairs 

bracket downwarped Upper Cretaceous, Midway, and Wilcox Group reflectors and also show evidence of

Eocene-age stream-channel entrenchment. The imaged 

channel width, symmetry, and depth of entrenchment is 

approximately the same in all three cases. The 

north-south alignment of profile GL-9 is believed to cut 

the stream-channel feature at a more oblique angle than 

the other two profiles (GL-7 and GL-12), thus causing the 

difference in imaged channel configuration. It is our conclusion that profiles GL-7, GL-9, and GL-12 image a 

structural fault zone that can be projected across the
P16 INVESTIGATIONS OF THE NEW MADRID SEISMIC ZONE

seismic profile array for a distance of approximately 6 km. 

In the vicinity of point "A" (fig. 9), preliminary analysis 

of 50 km of high-resolution reflection data, collected on a 

Mississippi River transect, identifies the presence of normal and reverse faults that extend from the near-surface 

to the depth of resolution (Shedlock and others, 1988). 

Point "B" (fig. 9) identifies the position of a surface lineament that is on trend with the stream segment (point 

"A"). The point "B" lineament appears to mark a boundary between an area of white speckles (representing a 

fairly dense cluster of sandblow deposits) and a zone to 

the south that is somewhat devoid of sandblow deposits. 

These two features are on the projected trend of the fault 

zone interpreted from the seismic profile array. Figure 10, 

a plan-view map, shows the spatial distribution of the seismic lines and geomorphic features. As indicated on figure 10, the 6-km-long fault zone interpreted from seismic 

reflection data possibly may be extended to a length of at 

least 15 km, based on the geomorphic data.

The Bootheel lineament, first identified during the 

analysis of satellite images acquired by the SPOT (Systeme 

Probatoire d/Obervation de la terre) multispectral scanner 

(MSS) and Landsat MSS systems and aerial photography, 

is traceable on the bases of surficial morphologic features 

from east of Marked Tree, Ark., to west of New Madrid, 

Mo., a distance of approximately 135 km (Marple and Schweig, 1992). Surface morphology and interpreted seismic 

reflection profiling indicate that the lineament is underlain 

by a complex zone of inferred multiple flower structures 

that have deformed the Quaternary/Tertiary (Q/T) reflector 

(Schweig and others, 1992). Schweig and Ellis (1992) suggest that surficial morphologic features of the Bootheel lineament may indicate that it is the surface expression of a 

very young strike-slip fault. Several other lineament features have been identified in the northern Mississippi 

Embayment (Marple, 1989; Marple and Schweig, 1992). 

Marple (1989) noted the presence of one such lineament 

(approximately 5 km long) about 5 km southeast of Marston, Mo., which he believed to be a splay to the Bootheel 

lineament. The N. 50°-55° E. trend of this possible 

Bootheel lineament splay ("E" on fig. 10) is nearly parallel 

in orientation to the fault-zone feature (dashed line) portrayed on figure 10. A projected northeast extension of this 

splay (queried dark stipple pattern, fig. 10) would intersect 

profiles GL-10 and GL-11 in the vicinity of prominent fault 

traces that are interpreted to disrupt the Q/T reflector. 

Points "C" and "D" (fig. 9), which roughly bracket the west 

and east margins of a young meander channel and the 

aforementioned prominent faults interpreted on profiles 

GL-10 and GL-11, are within the projected trend. Near 

"C", the Q/T and shallower reflectors show a small upwarp 

between two faults that intersect the Q/T reflector at shot 

points 975 and 935 (fig. 8). East of shot point 935, the 

reflectors show a subtle down-to-the-east dip. Near "D", 

the Q/T and shallower reflectors between the fault-trace

projections at shot points 730 and 760 (fig. 8) show a subtle 

down-to-the-west dip, opposite to the down-to-the-east dip 

of similar Quaternary-age reflectors on GL-11. Hamilton 

and Zoback (1982) speculate that a fault identified on the 

USGS S-3 Vibroseis profile, just east of profile GL-10, has 

a north to northeasterly trend.

Based on imaged reflection characteristics and surficial morphologic features, we believe that a fault zone, 

trending approximately N. 50°-55° E., can be traced for a 

distance of at least 15 km across the Marston, Mo., study 

area. Within 2 km southeast of this fault zone, several 

prominent faults are imaged across profiles GL-10 and 

GL-11. Four of these faults are traceable to at least the 

Q/T boundary and may disrupt younger strata as well. 

The potential seismic hazard that these features represent 

to the northern Mississippi Embayment is currently 

unclear due to the lack of understanding of the local relationship of these features to each other. A key element to 

understanding the local relationship is the determination of 

whether or not the Bootheel lineament splay, observed by 

Marple (1989), is a seismogenic feature. If this splay is a 

fault-related surface feature, it then becomes crucial to 

determine if there exists a link between it, the prominent 

faults imaged on profiles GL-10 and (or) GL-11, and 

faults identified by the Mississippi River seismic survey. 

If linkage is confirmed, it would indicate the presence of 

a several-kilometer-wide, northeast-trending fault zone 

with a known length of at least 25 km.

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Published in the Central Region, Denver, Colorado 

Manuscript approved for publication November 2, 1994 

Edited by Richard W. Scott, Jr.

Photocomposition and graphics preparation by Norma J. Maes; 

extensive use has been made of author-drafted material

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1995-673-046/86113