Late Quaternary offset of alluvial fan surfaces along the Central Sierra Madre Fault, southern California

Reed J. Burgette; Austin Hanson; Katherine M. Scharer; Nikolas Midttun

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USGS · 70177080

Late Quaternary offset of alluvial fan surfaces along the Central Sierra Madre Fault, southern California

Reed J. Burgette·Austin Hanson·Katherine M. Scharer·Nikolas Midttun

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Abstract

The Sierra Madre Fault is a reverse fault system along the southern flank of the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles, California. This study focuses on the Central Sierra Madre Fault (CSMF) in an effort to provide numeric dating on surfaces with ages previously estimated from soil development alone. We have refined previous geomorphic mapping conducted in the western portion of the CSMF near Pasadena, CA, with the aid of new lidar data. This progress report focuses on our geochronology strategy employed in collecting samples and interpreting data to determine a robust suite of terrace surface ages. Sample sites for terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide and luminescence dating techniques were selected to be redundant and to be validated through relative geomorphic relationships between inset terrace levels. Additional sample sites were selected to evaluate the post-abandonment histories of terrace surfaces. We will combine lidar-derived displacement data with surface ages to estimate slip rates for the CSMF.

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Reed J. Burgette, Austin Hanson, Katherine M. Scharer, Nikolas Midttun. 2016. Late Quaternary offset of alluvial fan surfaces along the Central Sierra Madre Fault, southern California. https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70177080

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