Seismicity, 1980-86

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

OSTI ID:5599608

Hill, D P; Eaton, J P; Jones, L M

Tens of thousands of small earthquakes occur in California each year, reflecting brittle deformation of the margins of the Pacific and North American plates as they grind inexorably past one another along the San Andreas fault system. The deformational patterns revealed by this ongoing earthquake activity provide a wealth of information on the tectonic processes along this major transform boundary that, every few hundred years, culminate in rupture of the San Andreas fault in a great (M {approx} 8) earthquake. This chapter describes the regional seismicity and the San Andreas transform boundary; seismicity along the San Andreas Fault system; and focal mechanisms and transform-boundary kinematics. Seismicity patterns and the earthquake cycle and distributed seismicity and deformation of the plate margins are discussed.

• OSTI ID: 5599608
• Journal Information: United States Geological Survey, Professional Paper; (USA), Journal Name: United States Geological Survey, Professional Paper; (USA) Vol. 1515; ISSN XGPPA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580000* -- Geosciences
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
CALIFORNIA
CONTINENTAL CRUST
CREEP
DEFORMATION
DEPTH
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DIMENSIONS
DISTRIBUTION
EARTH CRUST
EARTHQUAKE MAGNITUDE
EARTHQUAKES
FAILURES
FEDERAL REGION IX
FRAGMENTATION
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GROUND MOTION
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MOTION
NORTH AMERICA
PLATE TECTONICS
REGIONAL ANALYSIS
RUPTURES
SEISMIC EVENTS
SEISMIC SOURCES
SEISMICITY
SLIP
TECTONICS
THICKNESS
TIME DEPENDENCE
USA