C.M. DePolo | Geology Reports

USGS2003

A methodology for probabilistic fault displacement hazard analysis (PFDHA)

We present a methodology for conducting a site-specific probabilistic analysis of fault displacement hazard. Two approaches are outlined. The first relates the occurrence of fault displacement at or near the ground surface to the occurrence of earthquakes in the same manner as is done in a standard probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) for ground shaking. The methodology for this approach is taken directly from PSHA methodology with the ground-motion attenuation function replaced by a fault displacement attenuation function. In the second approach, the rate of displacement events and the distribution for fault displacement are derived directly from the characteristics of the faults or geologic features at the site of interest. The methodology for probabilistic fault displacement hazard analysis (PFDHA) was developed for a normal faulting environment and the probability distributions we present may have general application in similar tectonic regions. In addition, the general methodology is applicable to any region and we indicate the type of data needed to apply the methodology elsewhere.

Earthquake Spectra↗

USGS1999

Large-magnitude, late Holocene earthquakes on the Genoa fault, West-Central Nevada and Eastern California

The Genoa fault, a principal normal fault of the transition zone between the Basin and Range Province and the northern Sierra Nevada, displays a large and conspicuous prehistoric scarp. Three trenches excavated across this scarp exposed two large-displacement, late Holocene events. Two of the trenches contained multiple layers of stratified charcoal, yielding radiocarbon ages suggesting the most recent and penultimate events on the main part of the fault occurred 500-600 cal B.P. , and 2000-2200 cal B.P. , respectively. Normal-slip offsets of 3-5.5 m per event along much of the rupture length are comparable to the largest historical Basin and Range Province earthquakes, suggesting these paleoearthquakes were on the order of magnitude 7.2-7.5. The apparent late Holocene slip rate (2-3 mm/yr) is one of the highest in the Basin and Range Province. Based on structural and behavioral differences, the Genoa fault is here divided into four principal sections (the Sierra, Diamond Valley, Carson Valley, and Jacks Valley sections) and is distinguished from three northeast-striking faults in the Carson City area (the Kings Canyon, Carson City, and Indian Hill faults). The conspicuous scarp extends for nearly 25 km, the combined length of the Carson Valley and Jacks Valley sections. The Diamond Valley section lacks the conspicuous scarp, and older alluvial fans and bedrock outcrops on the downthrown side of the fault indicate a lower activity rate. Activity further decreases to the south along the Sierra section, which consists of numerous distributed faults. All three northeast-striking faults in the Carson City area ruptured within the past few thousand years, and one or more may have ruptured during recent events on the Genoa fault.

California, Nevada↗

USGS1999

Surface faulting and paleoseismic history of the 1932 Cedar Mountain earthquake area, west-central Nevada, and implications for modern tectonics of the Walker Lane

The 1932 Cedar Mountain earthquake (Ms 7.2) was one of the largest historical events in the Walker Lane region of western Nevada, and it produced a complicated strike-slip rupture pattern on multiple Quaternary faults distributed through three valleys. Primary, right-lateral surface ruptures occurred on north-striking faults in Monte Cristo Valley; small-scale lateral and normal offsets occurred in Stewart Valley; and secondary, normal faulting occurred on north-northeast-striking faults in the Gabbs Valley epicentral region. A reexamination of the surface ruptures provides new displacement and fault-zone data: maximum cumulative offset is estimated to be 2.7 m, and newly recognized faults extend the maximum width and end-to-end length of the rupture zone to 17 and 75 km, respectively. A detailed Quaternary allostratigraphic chronology based on regional alluvialgeomorphic relationships, tephrochronology, and radiocarbon dating provides a framework for interpreting the paleoseismic history of the fault zone. A late Wisconsinan alluvial-fan and piedmont unit containing a 32-36 ka tephra layer is a key stratigraphic datum for paleoseismic measurements. Exploratory trenching and radiocarbon dating of tectonic stratigraphy provide the first estimates for timing of late Quaternary faulting along the Cedar Mountain fault zone. Three trenches display evidence for six faulting events, including that in 1932, during the past 32-36 ka. Radiocarbon dating of organic soils interstratified with tectonically ponded silts establishes best-fit ages of the pre-1932 events at 4, 5,12,15, and 18 ka, each with ??2 ka uncertainties. On the basis of an estimated cumulative net slip of 6-12 m for the six faulting events, minimum and maximum late Quaternary slip rates are 0.2 and 0.7 mm/yr, respectively, and the preferred rate is 0.4-0.5 mm/yr. The average recurrence (interseismic) interval is 3600 yr. The relatively uniform thickness of the ponded deposits suggests that similar-size, characteristic rupture events may characterize late Quaternary slip on the zone. A comparison of event timing with the average late Quaternary recurrence interval indicates that slip has been largely regular (periodic) rather than temporally clustered. To account for the spatial separation of the primary surface faulting in Monte Cristo Valley from the epicenter and for a factor-of-two-to-three disparity between the instrumentally and geologically determined seismic moments associated with the earthquake, we hypothesize two alternative tectonic models containing undetected subevents. Either model would adequately account for the observed faulting on the basis of wrench-fault kinematics that may be associated with the Walker Lane. The 1932 Cedar Mountain earthquake is considered an important modern analogue for seismotectonic modeling and estimating seismic hazard in the Walker Lane region. In contrast to most other historical events in the Basin and Range province, the 1932 event did not occur along a major range-bounding fault, and no single, throughgoing basement structure can account for the observed rupture pattern. The 1932 faulting supports the concept that major earthquakes in the Basin and Range province can exhibit complicated distributive rupture patterns and that slip rate may not be a reliable criterion for modeling seismic hazard.

Geological Society of America Bulletin↗