Measuring crustal deformation in the American West

Journal Article · Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Scientific American; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0888-48· OSTI ID:7010956

Jordan, T H; Minster, J B

The crust of the western US is deforming as the Pacific and North American plates slide past each other along the San Andreas Fault, the Great Basin is spreading apart, and mountains are being thrust up along the California coast. Monitoring of these processes over the years has resulted in the San Andreas discrepancy, the mismatch between the rate and direction of horizontal slippage along the fault and the relative motion of the Pacific and North American plates.This process will soon be measured directly using the new developed technique of space geodesy, which uses radio waves from quasars or satellites to measure between fixed stations with an accuracy of a few centimeters.

• OSTI ID: 7010956
• Journal Information: Scientific American; (USA), Vol. 259:2; ISSN 0036-8733
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
WESTERN US OVERTHRUST BELT
MONITORING
ACCURACY
CALIFORNIA
CONTINENTAL CRUST
DEFORMATION
GEODESICS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GREAT BASIN
MEASURING METHODS
OROGENESIS
PLATE TECTONICS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
REMOTE SENSING
SATELLITES
SLIP
EARTH CRUST
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
FEDERAL REGION IX
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
NORTH AMERICA
RADIATIONS
TECTONICS
USA
580000* - Geosciences