3D GEOLOGY AND SEISMIC HAZARDS IN WEST TENNESSEE

This study, under a Disaster Resilience grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, constructed 3D geologic models to assess earthquake ground motion and liquefaction hazards within five counties in west Tennessee. Geologic models were made of Lake, Dyer, Lauderdale, Tipton, and Madison counties using lignite exploration, oil well, water well, geotechnical borehole, seismic reflection data, and S-wave data to identify stratigraphic units and seismic velocity structure. Here we present a compilation of the five-county geologic models which include faults, near-surface geology, and elevation of the top of Eocene, Memphis Sand, Cretaceous, and Paleozoic strata. In addition to seismic hazard and liquefaction hazard prediction, these models identify potential Quaternary faulting, sense of movement along faults, gravel resources, and potential breaches through the Eocene confining unit above the Memphis Sand aquifer, which may expose this regional aquifer to surface pollution.