A neotectonic tour of the Death Valley fault zone, Inyo County
The Death Valley fault zone has recently been evaluated by the Division of Mines and Geology for zoning under the Alquist-Priolo Special Studies Zones Act of 1972. This act requires the State Geologist to zone for special studies those faults that are sufficiently active and well defined as to constitute a potential hazard to structures from surface faulting or fault creep. The Death Valley fault zone is part of a system of faults that extends over 180 miles (300 km) from Fish Lake Valley in Nevada to the Garlock fault. The northern part of this system, the Northern Death Valley-Furnace Creek fault zone, is an active right-lateral fault zone. The southern part of the system, the Death Valley fault zone, is a right-lateral oblique-slip fault between Furnace Creek and Shoreline Butte. From Shoreline Butte to the Garlock fault, it is a right-lateral strike-slip fault. Landforms along this fault indicate that it is the source of many earthquakes and that it has been active in Holocene time. The heights of the scarps and magnitude of the smallest right-lateral offsets (4 feet; 1.2 m) suggest that the most recent of these events was M 6.5 or larger. The freshness of the geomorphic features and the youth of the offset materials suggest that event occurred late in the Holocene, and that multiple Holocene earthquakes have occurred.
- OSTI ID:
- 6852234
- Journal Information:
- California Geology (California Division of Mines and Geology); (USA), Journal Name: California Geology (California Division of Mines and Geology); (USA) Vol. 42:9; ISSN 0026-4555; ISSN CGEOA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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