Using Seismic Refraction Method to Image the Subsurface Structure of the Eastern Bushveld Complex in South Africa

ORAL

Abstract

Few undergraduate students had the opportunity to go to the field and image the subsurface structure of the eastern Bushveld Complex in South Africa. We applied the seismic refraction method which is a method based on a seismic wave refracted by 90 degrees (critical angle) and will generate a head wave that will be picked up by geophones as detectors. Sledgehammer was used to generate seismic waves (artificial pulses). Software called SeisModule Controller was used to record and process the seismic data. The idea is to model the subsurface structure and the modeling gave us the depth and velocity of different layers. We also utilized aeromagnetic and borehole information to make comparison with the results obtained. Each student in the field had a chance to utilize four different geophysical methods (electrical resistivity, magnetic, gravity and seismic refraction) but focused more on one of those methods in this geologically remarkable place that is rich in minerals.

–

Authors

  • Abebaw Belay

    North Carolina A\&T State University

  • Andrew Nyblade

    Penn State University

  • Jaetae Seo

    NC A\&T State University, Penn State University, The Ohio State University, Wright State University, AFRL/RYHC Hanscom AFB MA 01731, Harvard University, The College of William \& Mary, NCSU Near-field Optics Lab, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Weizmann, PTB, Braunschweig, UMass, TUNL/Duke, UConn, UConn/TUNL, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Brimrose Corporation of America, Hampton University, Elizabeth City State University, Department of Physics, Florida A\&M University, Tallahassee, Florida-32307, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi-6205, Bangladesh, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshah-6205, Bangladesh, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi-6250, Bangladesh, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi-6205, Bangladesh, Alabama A\&M University, Fachbereich C-Mathematik und Naturwissen-Schaften, Bergische Universitat Wuppertal, D-42097, Wuppertal, Germany, NC State University, College of William and Mary, Department of Physics, N.C. State Univeristy, Research Triangle Institute, NCSU Physics, Pennsylvania State University, Tsinghua University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Vanderbilt University, LSU, UNIRIB, U. Tenn., ORNL, Miss. St., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, NCA\&T, Duke, NCCU, UNC-Chapel Hill, Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hil, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Department of Physics, Elon University, Dept. of Physics - UNC - Chapel Hill, Nanyang Technological University, School of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Singapore, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3255, USA, Argonne National Laboratory, Department of Physics, Hampton University, Hampton, VA 23668, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon, 305-600, South Korea, Department of Chemistry, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, South Korea, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Daejeon, 305-700, South Korea, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609

  • Mulugeta Dugda

    North Carolina A\&T State University