SEISMIC EVIDENCE FOR A LOWER-CRUSTAL DETACHMENT BENEATH SAN-FRANCISCO BAY, CALIFORNIA

Results from the San Francisco Bay area seismic imaging experiment (BASIX) reveal the presence of a prominent lower crustal reflector at a depth of similar to 15 kilometers beneath San Francisco and San Pablo bays. Velocity analyses indicate that this reflector marks the base of Franciscan assemblage rocks and the top of a mafic lower crust. Because this compositional contrast would imply a strong theological contrast, this interface may correspond to a lower crustal detachment surface. If so, it may represent a subhorizontal segment of the North America and Pacific plate boundary proposed by earlier thermomechanical and geological models.