Geophysical study of subsurface structure in southern Owens Valley, California

M. F. Kane; L.C. Pakisek

doi:10.1190/1.1438835

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Geophysical study of subsurface structure in southern Owens Valley, California

M. F. Kane·L.C. Pakisek

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Abstract

Gravity and seismic measurements in southern Owens Valley , California , have outlined a deep subsurface trough, bounded throughout the greater part of its length by steep faults. Depths to the bedrock floor along the central part of the valley range from 3,000 to 9,000 ft below the surface. The subsurface trough is divided into two parts, a narrow channel-like depression near Lone Pine bounded by northwest-trending faults, and a broad basin at Owens Lake bounded by a more complex series of border faults. The bedrock ridge that crops out to form Alabama Hills is shown to extend from Independence to the north edge of Owens Lake, nearly twice its visible extent. The main direction of faults that have formed the valley is northwest; subsidiary faults trend north, northeast, and east. A fairly sharp velocity boundary within the Cenozoic valley deposits suggests a change in the rate and character of deposition which was probably the result of renewed uplift in the nearby mountains.

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Geophysics Article

Source-reported bounding extent: 37.74465712069939° to 39.45316112807394° latitude; -120.33325195312499° to -119.46533203125° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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M. F. Kane, L.C. Pakisek. 1961. Geophysical study of subsurface structure in southern Owens Valley, California. https://doi.org/10.1190/1.1438835

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