The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province provides a logical mechanism for creating a thick, dry, cold lithosphere in the southeastern United States, as indicated by magnetotelluric images and reinterpreted seismic wave speed observations according to …

The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province provides a logical mechanism for creating a thick, dry, cold lithosphere in the southeastern United States, as indicated by magnetotelluric images and reinterpreted seismic wave speed observations according to Murphy and Egbert (2019). Credit: Williamborg, CC BY-SA 3.0

How thick is the lithosphere under the southeastern US?

By Alka Tripathy-Lang

November 26, 2019

In previous seismic studies, researchers interpreted pockets of relatively slow seismic velocities in the eastern US as evidence for thin, broken-up lithosphere. But, magnetotelluric imaging supports a thick, coherent lithospheric block. Murphy and Egbert (2019) reconcile these seemingly contradictory datasets.  

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