Anchorage Urban Region Aeromagnetics Project

Anchorage is the transportation and infrastructure center of Alaska, and the region is home to half the State's population. Anchorage has a complex tectonic setting. It lies on the margin of the Cook Inlet forearc basin above the Aleutian subduction zone. Mountains to the north are probably related to collision of a terrane to the east, and those to the east are related to a long history of subduction beneath the Alaskan margin. Understanding the complicated fault and fold structure of the upper Cook Inlet basin is essential to addressing important scientific and societal issues related to hazards and resources. The goal of this project is to use modern aeromagnetic data to develop a three-dimensional understanding of the upper Cook Inlet basin and its bounding faults. Results will have implications for (1) better assessment of earthquake (and possibly volcanic) hazards for the Anchorage urban area (including hazards threatening the oil and gas infrastructure in upper Cook Inlet), (2) effective planning of detailed geologic mapping in the region, (3) improved models for occurrence of energy and mineral resources (including coal, oil and gas, placer gold, and industrial minerals), and (4) a better understanding of forearc crustal structure.