Michael N. Machette

The Wasatch fault zone, utah—segmentation and history of Holocene earthquakes

The Wasatch fault zone (WFZ) forms the eastern boundary of the Basin and Range province and is the longest continuous, active normal fault (343 km) in the United States. It underlies an urban corridor of 1.6 million people (80% of Utahs population) representing the largest earthquake risk in the interior of the western United States. We have used paleoseismological data to identify 10 discrete segments of the WFZ. Five are active, medial segments with Holocene slip rates of 1–2 mm a−1, recurrence intervals of 2000–4000 years and average lengths of about 50 km. Five are less active, distal segments with mostly pre-Holocene surface ruptures, late Quaternary slip rates of <0.5 mm a−1 recurrence intervals of ≥10,000 years and average lengths of about 20 km. Surface-faulting events on each of the medial segments of the WFZ formed 2–4-m-high scarps repeatedly during the Holocene; latest Pleistocene (14–15 ka) deposits commonly have scarps as much as 15–20 m in height. Segments identified from paleoseismological studies of other major late Quaternary normal faults in the northern Basin and Range province are 20–25 km long, or about half of that proposed for the medial segments of the WFZ. Paleoseismological records for the past 6000 years indicate that a major surface-rupturing earthquake has occurred along one of the medial segments about every 395 ± 60 years. However, between about 400 and 1500 years ago, the WFZ experienced six major surface-rupturing events, an average of one event every 220 years, or about twice as often as expected from the 6000-year record. This pattern of temporal clustering is similar to that of the central Nevada—eastern California Seismic Belt in the western part of the Basin and Range province, where 11 earthquakes of M > 6.5 have occurred since 1860. Although the time scale of the clustering is different—130 years vs 1100 years—we consider the central Nevada—eastern California Seismic Belt to be a historic analog for movement on the WFZ during the past 1500 years. We have found no evidence that surface-rupturing events occurred on the WFZ during the past 400 years, a time period which is twice the average intracluster recurrence interval and equal to the average Holocene recurrence interval. In particular, the Brigham City segment (the northernmost medial segment) has not ruptured in the past 3600 years—a period that is about three times longer than this segments average recurrence interval during the early and middle Holocene. Although the WFZs seismological record is one of relative quiescence, a comparison with other historic surface-rupturing earthquakes in the region suggests that earthquakes having moment magnitudes of 7.1–7.4 (or surface-wave magnitudes of 7.5–7.7)—each associated with tens of kilometers of surface rupture and several meters of normal dip slip—have occurred about every four centuries during the Holocene and should be expected in the future.

Episodic nature of earthquake activity in stable continental regions revealed by palaeoseismicity studies of Australian and North American quaternary faults

Palaeoseismic investigations of recent faulting in stable continental regions of Australia, North America and India show that these faults typically have a long‐term behaviour characterised by episodes of activity separated by quiescent intervals of at least 10 000 and commonly 100 000 years or more. Long recurrence intervals such as these are well documented by detailed studies of the faults that ruptured during the 1986 Marryat Creek, South Australia and 1988 Tennant Creek, Northern Territory earthquakes. Thus, neotectonic features associated with stable continental region faults such as scarps and grabens commonly have subtle geomorphic expression and may be poorly preserved. Many potentially hazardous faults in stable continental regions are aseismic, which is one reason why the inventory of these faults is incomplete. Although they may be currently aseismic, faults in stable continental regions that are favourably oriented for movement in the current stress field could produce damaging earthquakes, o...

Cosmogenic 10Be and 36Cl geochronology of offset alluvial fans along the northern Death Valley fault zone: Implications for transient strain in the eastern California shear zone

The northern Death Valley fault zone (NDVFZ) has long been recognized as a major right-lateral strike-slip fault in the eastern California shear zone (ECSZ). However, its geologic slip rate has been difficult to determine. Using high-resolution digital topographic imagery and terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide dating, we present the first geochronologically determined slip rate for the NDVFZ. Our study focuses on the Red Wall Canyon alluvial fan, which exposes clean dextral offsets of seven channels. Analysis of airborne laser swath mapping data indicates ∼297 ± 9 m of right-lateral displacement on the fault system since the late Pleistocene. In situ terrestrial cosmogenic ^(10)Be and ^(36)Cl geochronology was used to date the Red Wall Canyon fan and a second, correlative fan also cut by the fault. Beryllium 10 dates from large cobbles and boulders provide a maximum age of 70 +22/−20 ka for the offset landforms. The minimum age of the alluvial fan deposits based on ^(36)Cl depth profiles is 63 ± 8 ka. Combining the offset measurement with the cosmogenic ^(10)Be date yields a geologic fault slip rate of 4.2 +1.9/−1.1 mm yr^(−1), whereas the ^(36)Cl data indicate 4.7 +0.9/−0.6 mm yr^(−1) of slip. Summing these slip rates with known rates on the Owens Valley, Hunter Mountain, and Stateline faults at similar latitudes suggests a total geologic slip rate across the northern ECSZ of ∼8.5 to 10 mm yr^(−1). This rate is commensurate with the overall geodetic rate and implies that the apparent discrepancy between geologic and geodetic data observed in the Mojave section of the ECSZ does not extend north of the Garlock fault. Although the overall geodetic rates are similar, the best estimates based on geology predict higher strain rates in the eastern part of the ECSZ than to the west, whereas the observed geodetic strain is relatively constant.

Paleoseismicity of Two Historically Quiescent Faults in Australia: Implications for Fault Behavior in Stable Continental Regions

Paleoseismic studies of two historically aseismic Quaternary faults in Australia confirm that cratonic faults in stable continental regions (SCR) typically have a long-term behavior characterized by episodes of activity separated by quiescent intervals of at least 10,000 and commonly 100,000 years or more. Studies of the approximately 30-km-long Roopena fault in South Australia and the approximately 30-km-long Hyden fault in Western Australia document multiple Quaternary surface-faulting events that are unevenly spaced in time. The episodic clustering of events on cratonic SCR faults may be related to temporal fluctuations of fault-zone fluid pore pressures in a volume of strained crust. The long-term slip rate on cratonic SCR faults is extremely low, so the geomorphic expression of many cratonic SCR faults is subtle, and scarps may be difficult to detect because they are poorly preserved. Both the Roopena and Hyden faults are in areas of limited or no significant seismicity; these and other faults that we have studied indicate that many potentially hazardous SCR faults cannot be recognized solely on the basis of instrumental data or historical earthquakes. Although cratonic SCR faults may appear to be nonhazardous because they have been historically aseismic, those that are favorably oriented for movement in the current stress field can and have produced unexpected damaging earthquakes. Paleoseismic studies of modern and prehistoric SCR faulting events provide the basis for understanding of the long-term behavior of these faults and ultimately contribute to better seismic-hazard assessments.

Geologic investigations of the 1986 Marryat Creek, Australia, earthquake; implications for paleoseismicity in stable continental regions

From introduction: This report summarizes the results of our efforts to document the timing of the last prehistoric movement on the faults that ruptured during the 1988 Tennant Creek earthquake sequence.

Surface faulting accompanying the Borah Peak earthquake, central Idaho

The Ms 7.3 Borah Peak earthquake that struck central Idaho on October 28, 1983, was one of the strongest historic earthquakes in the Intermountain Seismic Belt. Much of the 34-km-long, northwest-trending zone of fault scarps and surface ruptures that formed during the earthquake follows Holocene and upper Pleistocene scarps of the Lost River fault. Throw along the new fault scarps averages 0.8 m, exceeds 1.0 m along 43% of their length, and attains a maximum of 2.7 m along the broad and complex zone of deformation in the southern section. The net slip was normal sinistral, averaging 17 cm lateral slip for 100 cm of dip slip. The preferred nodal plane from the focal mechanism strikes N22°W, dips 59°SW, and suggests a much larger component of strike slip than do the geologic data.

Trench investigation along the Merida section of the Bocono fault (central Venezuelan Andes), Venezuela

Abstract The Bocono fault is a major NE–SW-trending, dextral fault that extends for about 500 km along the backbone of the Venezuelan Andes. Several large historical earthquakes in this region have been attributed to the Bocono fault, and some of these have been recently associated with specific parts through paleoseismologic investigations. A new trench study has been performed, 60 km to the northeast of Merida in the central Venezuelan Andes, where the fault forms a releasing bend, comprising two conspicuous late Holocene fault strands that are about 1 km apart. The southern and northern strands carry about 70% and 30% (respectively) of the 7–10 mm/yr net slip rate measured in this sector, which is based on a 40 vs. 85–100 m right-lateral offset of the Late Pleistocene Los Zerpa moraines. A trench excavated on the northern strand of the fault (near Morros de los Hoyos, slightly northeast of Apartaderos) across a twin shutter ridge and related sag pond exposed two main fault zones cutting Late Pleistocene alluvial and Holocene peat deposits. Each zone forms a shutter ridge with peat deposits ponded against the uplifted block. The paleoearthquake reconstruction derived from this trench allows us to propose the occurrence of at least 6–8 earthquakes in the past 9000 yr, yielding a maximum average recurrence interval of about 1100–1500 yr. Based on the northern strands average slip rate (2.6 mm/yr), such an earthquake sequence should have accommodated about 23 m of slip since 9 ka, suggesting that the maximum slip per event ranges between 3 and 4 m. No direct evidence for the large 1812 earthquake has been found in the trench, although this earthquake may have ruptured this section of the fault. Further paleoseismic studies will investigate the possibility that this event occurred on the Bocono fault, but ruptured mainly its southern strand in this region.

Dating methods applicable to the Quaternary

Includes 5 topical chapters covering paleoclimates, dating methods, volcanism, tephrochronology, and Pacific margin tephrochronologic correlation, and 15 chapters of regional synthesis covering: the Pacific margin; the Columbia Plateau; the Snake River Plain; the major pluvial lakes of the Great Basin; the Basin and Range in California, Arizona, and New Mexico; the Colorado Plateau; the Southern and Central Rocky Mountains; the Northern and Southern Great Plains, Osage Plains, and Interior Highlands; the Lower Mississippi Valley; the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain and Florida; the Appalachian Highlands and Interior Low Plateaus; and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. A large, full-color geologic map of the Quaternary deposits of the Lower Mississippi Valley, in addition to correlation charts, tables, and cross-sections relating to other chapters, is also included.

Active, capable, and potentially active faults - a paleoseismic perspective

Abstract Maps of faults (geologically defined source zones) may portray seismic hazards in a wide range of completeness depending on which types of faults are shown. Three fault terms — active, capable, and potential — are used in a variety of ways for different reasons or applications. Nevertheless, to be useful for seismic-hazards analysis, fault maps should encompass a time interval that includes several earthquake cycles. For example, if the common recurrence in an area is 20,000–50,000 years, then maps should include faults that are 50,000–100,000 years old (two to five typical earthquake cycles), thus allowing for temporal variability in slip rate and recurrence intervals. Conversely, in more active areas such as plate boundaries, maps showing faults that are

Thermoluminescence dating of Australian palaeo-earthquakes

Abstract Thermoluminescence (TL) dating is a useful tool for determining the age of prehistoric earthquakes by dating deposits that are stratigraphically related to fault scarps that formed during the earthquakes. TL dating of aeolian sand in the area of the 1988 Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, earthquakes provides evidence that similar earthquakes have not ruptured the causative faults for at least 50 ka. Pilot TL measurements of deposits associated with the Roopena and Ash Ridge fault scarps near Whyalla on Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, suggest an age of 140 ka for the Quaternary deposits associated with the formation of the scarps.