Variations in Late Quaternary behavior along and among range-front faults of the Sierra Nevada, California
- Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA (United States)
- Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States). Geological Sciences
Late Quaternary slip rates of the 11 or so recognized active range-front faults of the Sierra Nevada from Owens Lake northwestward to Carson Valley show enough variation with time and location that a proper understanding of slip behavior of these faults may require slip histories at many places for each. Late Quaternary traces of these normal faults vary in length from 13 to 45 km. Most faults trend more northerly than the [approximately]MW trend of the range front. The faults are separated by < 5 to > 20 km of apparently unfaulted terrain; many have echelon overlap. None of the faults has a significant component of strike slip, including those of Owens Valley. The largest late Quaternary slip rates (> 2 mm/yr) occur on the Hilton Creek fault at Long Valley and 20 km to the north on the Mono Lake fault. Slip rates > 1 mm/yr occur on at least one fault north of Mono Lake and in Round Valley, south of Long Valley. Farther south (Owens Valley) range-front faults have slip rates < 1 mm/yr and have notably discontinuous traces. Displacements of moraines across the Hilton Creek fault at 4 sites are compatible with slip rates that increase northward from the south end of the fault, but stay constant through time at a site. The slip rates are 0.1 to 0.4 mm/yr near the south end; 0.1 to 0.8 mm/yr at Hilton Lakes, 3 km to the northwest; 1.4 to 3 mm/yr at McGee Creek, 9 km farther northwest; and 1.1 to 2 mm/yr at Tobacco Flat, 5 km farther northwest in Long Valley and > 15 km from the north end of the fault. At McGee Creek, slip rate since 10--15 ka is 1.3--2.5 mm/yr; since 13--20 ka, 1.4--2.6 mm/yr; since 25--40 ka, 1.4--4.2 mm/yr, and since 65--140 ka, 1.1--3.5 mm/yr. The apparently uniform rate through time at McGee Creek (and also at Hilton Lakes and Tobacco Flat, but for fewer periods; the south end site is for only one period) is interesting, but not yet convincing, mainly because of uncertain dates.
- OSTI ID:
- 5421633
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9305259-; CODEN: GAAPBC
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:5; Conference: 89. annual meeting of the Cordilleran Section and the 46th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Section of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Reno, NV (United States), 19-21 May 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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