MAPPING THE DEFORMATION PATTERNS OF THE GREENVILLE 1X2 DEGREE QUADRANGLE IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS SURFACE IN COMPARISON TO SEISMIC ANISOTROPY TO PREDICT SUBSURFACE DIPPING FAULTS

Understanding how surface geology relates to subsurface structure is one of the most basic goals in Earth science with importance for documenting various resources such as water, minerals, and oil as well as for understanding how continents are built. Seismic anisotropy is an inherent characteristic of rocks that can be imaged and used to better understand subsurface geology. The purpose of this study is to correlate previously mapped surface structural fabrics with modeled seismic anisotropy. We targeted the Greenville 1 x 2 degree quadrangle within the Blue Ridge and Inner Piedmont of the southern Appalachians. Using GeolMapDataExtractor, we digitized surface structural data from the published quadrangle map and found the average planar features with stereonet software. With ArcGIS Pro, we were able to visualize this data and quantitatively see the variation between surface structural features, modeled seismic data, and observed seismic data from NSF’s EarthScope USArray and Flexible Array stations. Spatial analysis is conducted with 15 minute quadrants, 10 km radii buffers around seismic stations, and within spatial thrust sheets. Preliminary results show that foliation is a key contributor to modeled seismic characteristics and can be a tool to find dips of subsurface thrust sheets.