Title:

Evaluating the Relationship Between Seismicity and Crustal Uplift Rates Across the Southeastern Sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet

Continents along glaciated passive margins continue to experience seismicity especially those undergoing isostatic rebound. The seismicity in these regions, while typically smaller in magnitude and infrequent, are thought to be the result of the crust responding to postglacial uplift in addition to far field tectonic stress. Determining the origin of seismicity in these regions allows for enhanced predictability in seismic events. To evaluate the cause for seismicity in the Eastern Sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (Hudson Bay, Canada through New England, USA) crustal motion and seismic trends are compared through GPS station data. These stations provide uplift rates dating from 1984 to 2021 which are compared to the magnitude and depth of earthquakes through a time series analysis. Published ice thickness estimates of the region are then compared to the resulting GPS data to look for potential trends. We have found two distinct trends of seismicity; one of which appears to spatially correlate to both the crustal motion data and the ice thickness data studied and the other to far field tectonic stress. While there will continue to be much to learn about this relationship, this study will improve our understanding of seismicity in glaciated passive margins where postglacial uplift is a driving mechanism.

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