Alluvial plains and earthquake recurrence at the Coalinga anticline

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1990 · United States Geological Survey, Professional Paper; (USA)

OSTI ID:5542403

Tucker, A B ^[1]; Donahue, D J; Jull, A J T ^[2]; Payen, L A ^[3]; Atwater, B F; Trumm, D A; Tinsley, III, J C; Stein, R S

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1. San Jose State Univ., CA (USA)
2. Univ. of Arizona, Tucson (USA)
3. Univ. of California, Riverside (USA)

Having approached 0.5 m during the May 2 earthquake, the uplift of Quaternary deposits on the Coalinga anticline may provide evidence of the average repeat time of similar earthquakes during the recent geologic past. Stein and King (1984) estimated the average late Quaternary repeat time to be 500 to 1,500 yr from the degree of folding in the upper Pliocene and Pleistocene Tulare Formation; in addition, they estimated the average Holocene repeat time to be at least 200 to 600 yr on the basis of an alluvial-plain profile near Los Gatos Creek, whose arroyo extends across the Coalinga anticline from the synclinal Pleasant Valley into the synclinal San Joaquin Valley. In this chapter, the authors estimate an average repeat time from the stratigraphy of Holocene alluvium exposed in the walls of that arroyo. Largely deposited overbank, this alluvium reveals the approximate configuration of former alluvial plains whose present configuration over the anticline should reflect the rate of anticlinal growth. Resulting constraints on the Holocene uplift rate, though made uncertain by possible differences in the initial configuration of the alluvial plains, suggest an average repeat time of at least 200 to 1,000 yr for major (M = 6-7) Coalinga-area earthquakes during the late Holocene.

• OSTI ID: 5542403
• Journal Information: United States Geological Survey, Professional Paper; (USA), Journal Name: United States Geological Survey, Professional Paper; (USA) Vol. 1487; ISSN XGPPA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580000* -- Geosciences
AGE ESTIMATION
ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS
ANTICLINES
CALIFORNIA
CENOZOIC ERA
CLAYS
DEPOSITION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EARTHQUAKE MAGNITUDE
EARTHQUAKES
FEDERAL REGION IX
FORECASTING
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
GEOLOGIC STRATA
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
GROUND UPLIFT
LITHOLOGY
NORTH AMERICA
QUATERNARY PERIOD
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SEDIMENTS
SEISMIC EVENTS
STRATIGRAPHY
TERTIARY PERIOD
TIME DEPENDENCE
USA