Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

0 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

A case for historic joint rupture of the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults.

ABSTRACT: The San Andreas fault is considered to be the primary plate boundary fault in southern California and the most likely fault to produce a major earthquake. I use dynamic rupture modeling to show that the San Jacinto fault is capable of rupturing along with the San Andreas in a single earthquake, and interpret these results along with existing paleoseismic data and historic damage reports to suggest that this has likely occurred in the historic past. In particular, I find that paleoseismic data and historic observations for the ~M7.5 earthquake of 8 December 1812 are best explained by a rupture that begins on the San Jacinto fault and propagates onto the San Andreas fault. This precedent carries the implications that similar joint ruptures are possible in the future and that the San Jacinto fault plays a more significant role in seismic hazard in southern California than previously considered. My work also shows how physics-based modeling can be used for interpreting paleoseismic data sets and understanding prehistoric fault behavior.

SUBMITTER: Lozos JC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4803493 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Publications

A case for historic joint rupture of the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults.

Lozos Julian C JC

Science advances 20160311 3

The San Andreas fault is considered to be the primary plate boundary fault in southern California and the most likely fault to produce a major earthquake. I use dynamic rupture modeling to show that the San Jacinto fault is capable of rupturing along with the San Andreas in a single earthquake, and interpret these results along with existing paleoseismic data and historic damage reports to suggest that this has likely occurred in the historic past. In particular, I find that paleoseismic data an ...[more]

PMID: 27034977

Similar Datasets

Slow slip events in the roots of the San Andreas fault.

Project description:Episodic tremor and accompanying slow slip are observed at the down-dip edge of subduction seismogenic zones. While tremors are the seismic signature of this phenomenon, they correspond to a small fraction of the moment released; thus, the associated fault slip can be quantified only by geodetic observations. On continental strike-slip faults, tremors have been observed in the roots of the Parkfield segment of the San Andreas fault. However, associated transient aseismic slip has never been detected. By making use of the timing of transient tremor activity and the dense Parkfield-area global positioning system network, we can detect deep slow slip events (SSEs) at 16-km depth on the Parkfield segment with an average moment equivalent to M w 4.90 ± 0.08. Characterization of transient SSEs below the Parkfield locked asperity, at the transition with the creeping section of the San Andreas fault, provides new constraints on the seismic cycle in this region.

| S-EPMC6374109 | biostudies-literature

Connecting a broad spectrum of transient slip on the San Andreas fault.

Project description:Strain accumulated on the deep extension of some faults is episodically released during transient slow-slip events, which can subsequently load the shallow seismogenic region. At the San Andreas fault, the characteristics of slow-slip events are difficult to constrain geodetically due to their small deformation signal. Slow-slip events (SSEs) are often accompanied by coincident tremor bursts composed of many low-frequency earthquakes. Here, we probabilistically estimate the spatiotemporal clustering properties of low-frequency earthquakes detected along the central San Andreas fault. We find that tremor bursts follow a power-law spatial and temporal decay similar to earthquake aftershock sequences. The low-frequency earthquake clusters reveal that the underlying slow-slip events have two modes of rupture velocity. Compared to regular earthquakes, these slow-slip events have smaller stress drop and rupture velocity but follow similar magnitude-frequency, moment-area, and moment-duration scaling. Our results connect a broad spectrum of transient fault slip that spans several orders of magnitude in rupture velocity.

| S-EPMC7428340 | biostudies-literature

Excitation of San Andreas tremors by thermal instabilities below the seismogenic zone.

Project description:The relative motion of tectonic plates is accommodated at boundary faults through slow and fast ruptures that encompass a wide range of source properties. Near the Parkfield segment of the San Andreas fault, low-frequency earthquakes and slow-slip events take place deeper than most seismicity, at temperature conditions typically associated with stable sliding. However, laboratory experiments indicate that the strength of granitic gouge decreases with increasing temperature above 350°C, providing a possible mechanism for weakening if temperature is to vary dynamically. Here, we argue that recurring low-frequency earthquakes and slow-slip transients at these depths may arise because of shear heating and the temperature dependence of frictional resistance. Recurring thermal instabilities can explain the recurrence pattern of the mid-crustal low-frequency earthquakes and their correlative slip distribution. Shear heating associated with slow slip is sufficient to generate pseudotachylyte veins in host rocks even when fault slip is dominantly aseismic.

| S-EPMC7473672 | biostudies-literature

3D architecture and complex behavior along the simple central San Andreas fault.

Project description:The central San Andreas Fault (CSAF) exhibits a simple linear large-scale fault geometry, yet seismic and aseismic deformation features vary in a complex way along the fault. Here we investigate fault zone behaviors using geodetic observation, seismicity and microearthquake focal mechanisms. We employ an improved focal-mechanism characterization method using relative earthquake radiation patterns on 75,164 Ml ≥ 1 earthquakes along a 2-km-wide, 190-km-long segment of the CSAF, from 1984 to 2015. The data reveal the 3D fine-scale structure and interseismic kinematics of the CSAF. Our findings indicate that the first-order spatial variations in interseismic fault creep rate, creep direction, and the fault zone stress field can be explained by a simple fault coupling model. The inferred 3D mechanical properties of a mechanically weak and poorly coupled fault zone provide a unified understanding of the complex fine-scale kinematics, indicating distributed slip deficits facilitating small-to-moderate earthquakes, localized stress heterogeneities, and complex multi-scale ruptures along the fault. Through this detailed mapping, we aim to relate the fine-scale fault architecture to potential future faulting behavior along the CSAF.

| S-EPMC11199709 | biostudies-literature

Episodic creep events on the San Andreas Fault caused by pore-pressure variations.

Project description:Recent seismic and geodetic observations indicate that interseismic creep rate varies in both time and space. The spatial extent of creep pinpoints locked asperities, while its temporary accelerations, known as slow-slip events, may trigger earthquakes. Although the conditions promoting fault creep are well-studied, the mechanisms for initiating episodic slow-slip events are enigmatic. Here we investigate surface deformation measured by radar interferometry along the central San Andreas Fault between 2003 and 2010 to constrain the temporal evolution of creep. We show that slow-slip events are ensembles of localized creep bursts that aseismically rupture isolated fault compartments. Using a rate and state friction model, we show that effective normal stress is temporally variable on the fault, and support this using seismic observations. We propose that, compaction-driven elevated pore fluid pressure in hydraulically isolated fault zone and subsequent frictional dilation cause the observed slow slip episodes. We further suggest that the 2004 Mw6 Parkfield earthquake might have been triggered by a slow-slip event, which increased the Coulomb failure stress by up to 0.45 bar per year. This implies that while creeping segments are suggested to act as seismic rupture barriers, slow-slip events on these zones might promote seismicity on adjacent locked segments.

| S-EPMC6008793 | biostudies-literature

A unified perspective of seismicity and fault coupling along the San Andreas Fault.

Project description:The San Andreas Fault (SAF) showcases the breadth of possible earthquake sizes and occurrence behavior; in particular, the central SAF is a microcosm of such diversity. This section also exhibits the spectrum of fault coupling from locked to creeping. Here, we show that the observations of aseismic slip, temporal clustering of seismicity, and spatial variations in earthquake size distributions are tightly connected. Specifically, the creep rate along the central SAF is shown to be directly proportional to the fraction of nonclustered earthquakes for the period 1984-2020. This relationship provides a unified perspective of earthquake phenomenology along the SAF, where lower coupling manifests in weaker temporal clustering, with repeating earthquakes as an end-member. This new paradigm provides additional justification for characterizing the northwest ∼75 kilometers of the creeping segment as a transition zone, with potential implications for seismic hazard.

| S-EPMC8865773 | biostudies-literature

Across-Fault Velocity Gradients and Slip Behavior of the San Andreas Fault Near Parkfield.

Project description:A long-lasting question in earthquake physics is why slip on faults occurs as creep or dynamic rupture. We compute passive measurements of the seismic P wave velocity gradient across the San Andreas Fault near Parkfield, where this transition of slip mode occurs at a scale of a few kilometers. Unbiased measurements are obtained through the application of a new Bayesian local earthquake tomographic code that avoids the imposition of any user-defined, initial velocity-contrast across the fault, or any damping scheme that may cause biased amplitude in retrieved seismic velocities. We observe that across-fault velocity gradients correlate with the slip behavior of the fault. The P wave velocity contrast decays from 20% in the fault section that experience dynamic rupture to 4% in the creeping section, suggesting that rapid change of material properties and attitude to sustain supra-hydrostatic fluid pressure are conditions for development of dynamic rupture. Low Vp and high Vp/Vs suggest that fault rheology at shallow depth is conversely controlled by low frictional strength material.

| S-EPMC7374945 | biostudies-literature

Sedimentary signals of recent faulting along an old strand of the San Andreas Fault, USA.

Project description:Continental transform fault systems are fundamental features in plate tectonics. These complex systems often constitute multiple fault strands with variable spatio-temporal histories. Here, we re-evaluate the complex history of the San Andreas Fault along a restraining bend in southern California (USA). The Mission Creek strand of the San Andreas Fault is a major geologic structure with ~90?km of strike-slip displacement but is currently mapped as inactive. Quaternary deposits record sediment dispersal across the fault from upland catchments and yield key markers of the fault's displacement history. Our sediment provenance analysis from the Deformed Gravels of Whitewater and the Cabezon Fanglomerate provide detrital geochronologic and lithologic signatures of potential sources within the San Bernardino Mountains and Little San Bernardino Mountains. Statistical analysis shows that the Cabezon Fanglomerate is most compatible with the Mission Creek and Morongo Valley Canyon sources, rather than the Whitewater Canyon as previously suggested. We propose that displacement since deposition ~500-100 ka across the Mission Creek strand has separated these deposits from their original sources. These findings challenge the current paradigm that the Mission Creek strand is inactive and suggest that the fault continues to be a primary structure in accommodating deformation along the Pacific-North American plate boundary.

| S-EPMC6092442 | biostudies-literature

Shallow deformation of the San Andreas fault 5 years following the 2004 Parkfield earthquake (Mw6) combining ERS2 and Envisat InSAR.

Project description:This study focuses on the shallow deformation that occurred during the 5 years following the Parkfield earthquake (28/09/2004, Mw 6, San Andreas Fault, California). We use Synthetic Aperture Radar interferometry (InSAR) to provide precise measurements of transient deformations after the Parkfield earthquake between 2005 and 2010. We propose a method to combine both ERS2 and ENVISAT interferograms to increase the temporal data sampling. Firstly, we combine 5 years of available Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) acquisitions including both ERS-2 and Envisat. Secondly, we stack selected interferograms (both from ERS2 and Envisat) for measuring the temporal evolution of the ground velocities at given time intervals. Thanks to its high spatial resolution, InSAR could provide new insights on the surface fault motion behavior over the 5 years following the Parkfield earthquake. As a complement to previous studies in this area, our results suggest that shallow transient deformations affected the Creeping-Parkfield-Cholame sections of the San Andreas Fault after the 2004 Mw6 Parkfield earthquake.

| S-EPMC5902602 | biostudies-literature

Numerical Methods for the Analysis of Power Transformer Tank Deformation and Rupture Due to Internal Arcing Faults.

Project description:Power transformer rupture and fire resulting from an arcing fault inside the tank usually leads to significant security risks and serious economic loss. In order to reveal the essence of tank deformation or explosion, this paper presents a 3-D numerical computational tool to simulate the structural dynamic behavior due to overpressure inside transformer tank. To illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, a 17.3 MJ and a 6.3 MJ arcing fault were simulated on a real full-scale 360MVA/220kV oil-immersed transformer model, respectively. By employing the finite element method, the transformer internal overpressure distribution, wave propagation and von-Mises stress were solved. The numerical results indicate that the increase of pressure and mechanical stress distribution are non-uniform and the stress tends to concentrate on connecting parts of the tank as the fault time evolves. Given this feature, it becomes possible to reduce the risk of transformer tank rupture through limiting the fault energy and enhancing the mechanical strength of the local stress concentrative areas. The theoretical model and numerical simulation method proposed in this paper can be used as a substitute for risky and costly field tests in fault overpressure analysis and tank mitigation design of transformers.

| S-EPMC4521797 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data