Geoffrey Abers

abers@bu.edu

+1 617 353-2616

+1 617 353-3290

Department Earth Science, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston MA 02215, U.S.A.

Ferris, A., G.A. Abers, J. Floyd, A. Lerner-Lam, J. Mutter, M. Craig, H. Davies, S. Sioni, and B. Taylor, Active Continental Extension and Metamorphic Core Complexes: A PASSCAL Seismic Deployment in the D Entrecasteaux Islands, Eastern Papua New Guinea, EOS Trans. AGU, 81, Fall 2000 Meeting Suppl., 2000. ###

Floyd, J.S., Mutter, J.C., Lerner-Lam, A., Menke, W., Abers, G.A., Ferris, A., Taylor, B., Zelt, B.C., Craig, M., Davies, H., Sioni, S., Rapid changes in crustal thickness associated with midocean ridge propagation into continental lithosphere in the western Woodlark Basin, EOS Trans. AGU, 81, Fall 2000 Meeting Suppl., 2000. ###

Zelt, B., B. Taylor, A. Goodliffe, J. Mutter, A. Lerner-Lam, J. Floyd, G. Abers, A. Ferris, M. Craig, H. Davies, and R. Perembo, 3-D Velocity Structure in the Western Woodlark Basin From Traveltime Tomography, , EOS Trans. AGU, 81, Fall 2000 Meeting Suppl., 2000. ###

Mutter, J.C., J.S. Floyd, A. Lerner-Lam, B. Taylor, G. Abers, A. Ferris, Active and natural seismicity investigation of continental breakup in the western Woodlark Basin, EOS Trans. AGU, 81, Spring 2000 Meeting Suppl., 2000. ###

Abers, G.A., Earthquakes on low-angle normal faults and rapid extension in the Woodlark Rift System, Papua New Guinea (invited), abstr. vol. \"Non-Volcanic Rifting of Continental Margins: A comparison of Evidence from Land and Sea\", Geol. Soc. London, Sept. 1999. ###

G. A. Abers, A. Ferris, M. Craig, H. Davies, A L. Learner-Lam, J. C. Mutter and B. Taylor, 2002. Mantle compensation of active metamorphic core complexes at Woodlark rift in Papua New Guinea. Nature, v418, pp862-865. ###

Rapid rifting of the Earths crust produces unusual kinds of faults. For several years, we have studied earthquakes in the D Entrecasteaux-Woodlark rift system, Papua New Guinea, where continental crust is rifting at among the most rapid rates anywhere. Along some faults, earthquakes move at unusually shallow dips (25-30 degrees), an orientation that is difficult to reconcile with normal fault mechanics (see a map of focal mechanisms). A large broadband field experiment has been recently conducted (1999-2000), which is providing fascinating new data both on the fault geometries here and on the deep structure beneath metamorphic core complexes bound by these faults. The experiment involves both offshore and onshore seismometers; Boston University led the onshore deployment.

List of data files