Two-Dimensional Modeling of the Electrical Resistivity Structure of the Juan de Fuca Plate

Based on magnetotelluric data acquired by off-shore EMSLAB experiments, a modeling by a finite element method has been made with the surface structure fixed. Two low resistivity layers occur. One is a layer at a depth of 40-50 km with thickness of several tens of kilometers, and the other is a deep layer occurring a few hundred kilometers below. The intermediate layer found in this area is shallower than in the old plate area. The layer is likely to extend downward beneath the continental shelf.