Neotectonics and Quaternary geology of the Hunter Mountain fault zone and Saline Valley region,southeastern California

The Hunter Mountain fault zone strikes northwesterly, is right-lateral strike-slip, and kinematically links the northern Panamint Valley fault zone to the southern Saline Valley fault zone. The most recent displacement of the fault is recorded in the offset of Holocene deposits along the entire length of the fault zone. Right-lateral offsets of drainage channels within Grapevine Canyon reach up to 50 to 60 m. Initial incision of the offset channels is interpreted on the basis of geomorphic and climatic considerations to have occurred approximately 15 ka. The 50 to 60 m of offset during 15 ka corresponds to a right-lateral fault slip rate of 3.3–4.0 mm/year within Grapevine Canyon. Further to the north along the Nelson Range front, the fault is composed of two sub-parallel fault strands and the fault begins to show an increased normal component of motion. A channel margin that is incised into a Holocene surface that is between 10 and 128 ka in age is offset 16–20 m, which yields a broad minimum bound on the lateral slip rate of 0.125–2.0 mm/year. The best preserved single-event displacements recorded in Holocene deposits range from 1.5 to 2.5 m. In addition to faulting within Grapevine Canyon and the main rangefront fault along the southwest edge of Saline Valley, there also exist normal fault strands within the Valley that strike northeasterly and towards Eureka Valley. The northeasterly striking normal faults in the Valley appear to be actively transferring dextral slip from the Hunter Mountain fault zone north and east onto the Furnace Creek fault zone. Separations on northerly trending, normal faults within Saline Valley yield estimates of slip rates in the hundredths of millimeters per year.     

Example of a supradetachment basin within a pull-apart tectonic setting: Mormon Point, Death Valley, California

The geological features now exposed at Mormon Point, Death Valley, reveal processes of extension that continue to be active, but are concealed beneath the east side of Death Valley. Late Cenozoic sedimentary rocks at Mormon Point crop out in the hangingwall of the Mormon Point low-angle normal fault zone, a fault zone that formed within a releasing bend of the oblique-slip (right-normal slip) fault zone along the east side of Death Valley. The late Cenozoic sedimentary rocks were part of the valley when the low-angle fault zone was active, but during late Quaternary time they became part of the Black Mountains block and were uplifted. Rocks and structures exposed at Mormon Point are an example of the types of features developed in a releasing bend along the margins of a major pull-apart structure, and in this example they are very similar to features associated with regional detachment faults. The oldest sedimentary rocks in the hangingwall of the Mormon Point low-angle fault zone dip steeply to moderately east or north-east and were faulted and rotated in an extensional kinematic environment different from that recorded by rocks and structures associated with younger rocks in the hangingwall. Some of the younger parts of the late Cenozoic sedimentary rocks were deposited, faulted and rotated during movement on the Mormon Point low-angle normal fault. Progressively, strata are less faulted and less rotated. The Mormon Point low-angle normal fault has an irregular fault surface whose segments define intersections that plunge 18°-30°, N10°-40°W, with a maximum of 22°, N22°W that we interpret to be the general direction of slip. Thus, even though Death Valley trends north, movement on the faults responsible for its formation was at least locally north-northwest. Gouge and disrupted conglomerates along the faults are interpreted to have formed either as adjustments to accommodate space problems at the corners of blocks or along faults that bounded blocks during their displacement and rotation. The younger units of the late Cenozoic sedimentary rock sequence and the geomorphic surfaces developed on them are rarely faulted, not rotated, and overlap the Mormon Point low-angle faults. Active faults cut Holocene alluvium north of the late Cenozoic rocks and form the present boundary between Mormon Point and the Black Mountains. The distribution of active faults defines a releasing bend that mimics the older releasing bend formed by the Mormon Point low-angle fault zone. Rocks and structures similar to those exposed above the Mormon Point low-angle fault zone are probably forming today beneath the east side of Death Valley north-west of Mormon Point.     

Transtensional fault-termination basins: an important basin type illustrated by the Pliocene San Jose Island basin and related basins in the southern Gulf of California, Mexico

Transtensional basins are sparsely described in the literature compared with other basin types. The oblique‐divergent plate boundary in the southern Gulf of California has many transtensional basins: we have studied those on San Jose island and two other transtensional basins in the region. One major type of transtensional basin common in the southern Gulf of California region is a fault‐termination basin formed where normal faults splay off of strike‐slip faults. These basins suggest a model for transtensional fault‐termination basins that includes traits that show a hybrid nature between classic rift and strike‐slip (pull‐apart) basins. The traits include combinations of oblique, strike‐slip and normal faults with common steps and bends, buttress unconformities between the fault steps and beyond the ends of faults, a common facies pattern of terrestrial strata changing upward and away from the faults into marine strata, small fault blocks within the basin that result in complex lateral facies relations, common Gilbert deltas, dramatic termination of the margin of the basin by means of fault reorganization and boundary faults dying and an overall short basin history (few million years). Similar transtensional fault‐termination basins are present in Death Valley and other parts of the Eastern California shear zone of the western United States, northern Aegean Sea and along ancient strike‐slip faults.     

Quaternary normal faulting in southeastern Sicily (Italy):a seismic source for the 1693 large earthquake

We present geological and morphological data, combined with an analysis of seismic reflection lines across the Ionian offshore zone and information on historical earthquakes, in order to yield new constraints on active faulting in southeastern Sicily. This region, one of the most seismically active of the Mediterranean, is affected by WNW–ESE regional extension producing normal faulting of the southern edge of the Siculo–Calabrian rift zone. Our data describe two systems of Quaternary normal faults, characterized by different ages and related to distinct tectonic processes. The older NW–SE-trending normal fault segments developed up to ≈400  kyr ago and, striking perpendicular to the main front of the Maghrebian thrust belt, bound the small basins occurring along the eastern coast of the Hyblean Plateau. The younger fault system is represented by prominent NNW–SSE-trending normal fault segments and extends along the Ionian offshore zone following the NE–SW-trending Avola and Rosolini–Ispica normal faults. These faults are characterized by vertical slip rates of 0.7–3.3  mm  yr ⁻¹ and might be associated with the large seismic events of January 1693. We suggest that the main shock of the January 1693 earthquakes ( M ~ 7) could be related to a 45  km long normal fault with a right-lateral component of motion. A long-term net slip rate of about 3.7  mm  yr ⁻¹ is calculated, and a recurrence interval of about 550 ± 50  yr is proposed for large events similar to that of January 1693.     

Miocene-Pliocene half-graben evolution, detachment faulting and late-stage core complex uplift from reflection seismic data in south-east Arizona

Reflection seismic data show that the late Cenozoic Safford Basin in the Basin and Range of south-eastern Arizona, is a 4.5-km-deep, NW-trending, SW-dipping half graben composed of middle Miocene to upper Pliocene sediments, separated by a late Miocene sequence boundary into lower and upper basin-fill sequences. Extension during lower basin-fill deposition was accommodated along an E-dipping range-bounding fault comprising a secondary breakaway zone along the north-east flank of the Pinaleño Mountains core complex. This fault was a listric detachment fault, active throughout the mid-Tertiary and late Cenozoic, or a younger fault splay that cut or merged with the detachment fault. Most extension in the basin was accommodated by slip on the range-bounding fault, although episodic movement along antithetic faults temporarily created a symmetric graben. Upper-plate movement over bends in the range-bounding fault created rollover structures in the basin fill and affected deposition within the half graben. Rapid periods of subsidence relative to sedimentation during lower basin-fill deposition created thick, laterally extensive lacustrine or alluvial plain deposits, and restricted proximal alluvian-fan deposits to the basin margins. A period of rapid extension and subsidence relative to sediment influx, or steepening of the upper segment of the range-bounding fault at the start of upper basin-fill deposition resulted in a large downwarp over a major fault bend. Sedimentation was restricted to this downwarp until filled. Episodic subsidence during upper basin-fill deposition caused widespread interbedding of lacustrine and fluvial deposits. Northeastward tilting along the south-western flank of the basin and north-eastward migration of the depocentre during later periods of upper basin-fill deposition suggest decreased extension rates relative to late-stage core complex uplift.     

Tectonic implications of transtensional supradetachment basin development in an extension‐parallel transfer zone: the Kocaçay Basin,western Anatolia,Turkey

The Kocaçay Basin (KÇB) is a key area in western Anatolia – a well‐known extended terrane where regional segmentation has received limited attention – for investigating strike‐slip faults kinematically linked to detachment faults. In this paper, we present results of an integrated sedimentologic, stratigraphic, and structural study of Miocene alluvial fan/fan‐delta/lacustrine deposits that accumulated in the KÇB, a NE‐trending basin with connections to the Menderes Metamorphic Core Complex (MCC). We mapped and evaluated most of the key faults in the KÇB, many for the first time, and recognised different deformation events in the study area near the E margin of the MCC. We also present field evidence for kinematic connections between low‐angle normal and strike‐slip faults which were developed in an intermittently active basement‐involved transfer zone in western Anatolia. We find that the KÇB contains a detailed record of Miocene transtensional sedimentation and volcanism that accompanied exhumation of the MCC. Structural data reveal that the basin was initially formed by transtension (D1 phase) and subsequently uplifted and deformed, probably as a result of early Pliocene wrench‐ to extension‐dominated deformation (D2 phase) overprinted by Plio‐Quaternary extensional tectonics (D3 phase). These results are consistent with progressive deformation wherein the axis of maximum extension remained in the horizontal plane but the intermediate and maximum shortening axes switched position in the vertical plane. Combining our results with published studies, we propose a new working hypothesis that the KÇB was a transtensional supradetachment basin during the Miocene. The hypothesis could provide new insights into intermittently active extension‐parallel zone of weakness in western Anatolia.These results also suggest that the termination of low‐angle normal fault systems within an extension parallel transfer zone may have resulted in a transtensional depressions which are different from classical supradetachment basins with respect to the sedimentation and deformational pattern of the basin infills.     

Influence of oblique basement strike–slip faults on the Mesozoic evolution of the south-eastern segment of the Mid-Polish Trough

A series of analogue models are used to demonstrate how the multistage development of the Mid‐Polish Trough (MPT) could have been influenced by oblique basement strike–slip faults. Based on reinterpretation of palaeothickness, facies maps and published syntheses of the basin development, the following successive stages in the Mesozoic history of the south eastern part of the MPT were simulated in the models: (1) Oblique extension of the NW segment of the MPT connected with sinistral movement along the Holy Cross Fault (HCF, Early Triassic–latest Early Jurassic). (2) Oblique extension of both NW and SE segment of the MPT, parallel to the HCF (latest Early and Middle Jurassic). (3) Oblique extension of the SE segment of the MPT and much lesser extension of its NW segment connected with dextral movement along the HCF (Early Oxfordian–latest Early Kimmeridgian). (4) Oblique extension of the SE segment of the MPT and much lesser extension of its NW segment connected with dextral movement along the Zawiercie Fault (ZF, latest Early Kimmeridgian–Early Albian). (5) Oblique inversion of the NW segment of the MPT connected with dextral movement along the HCF (Early Albian–latest Cretaceous). (6) Oblique inversion of the SE segment of the MPT along the W–E direction (latest Cretaceous–Palaeogene). The different sense of movements of these two basement strike–slip faults (HCF and ZF) resulted in distinct segmentation of the basin and its SW margin by successive systems of extensional en‐echelon faults. The overall structure of this margin is controlled by the interference of the border normal faults with the en‐echelon fault systems related to successive stages of movement along the oblique strike–slip faults. This type of en‐echelon fault system is absent in the opposite NE‐margin of the basin, which was not affected by oblique strike–slip faults. The NE‐margin of the basin is outlined by a typical, steep and distinctly marked rift margin fault zone, dominated by normal and dip–slip/strike–slip faults parallel to its axis. Within the more extended segment of the basin, extensive intra‐rift faults and relay ramps develop, which produce topographic highs running across the basin. The change in the extension direction to less oblique relative to the basin axis resulted in restructuring of the fault systems. This change caused shifting of the basin depocentre to this margin. Diachronous inversion of the different segments of the basin in connection with movement along one of the oblique basement strike–slip faults resulted in formation of a pull‐apart sub‐basin in the uninverted SE‐segment of the basin. The results of the analogue models presented here inspire an overall kinematic model for the southeastern segment of the MPT as they provide a good explanation of the observed structures and the changes in the facies and palaeothickness patterns.     

Late Quaternary kinematics of the Pallatanga strike-slip fault (Central Ecuador) from topographic measurements of displaced morphological features

The northeast-trending Pallatanga right-lateral strike-slip fault runs across the Western Cordillera connecting N50E-N70E trending normal faults in the Gulf of Guayaquil with N-S reverse faults in the Interandean Depression. Over most of its length, the fault trace has been partly obscured by erosional processes and can be inferred in the topography only at the large scale. Only the northern fault segment, which follows the upper Rio Pangor valley at elevations above 3600 m, is prominent in the morphology. Valleys and ridges cut and offset by the fault provide an outstanding record of right-lateral cumulative fault displacement. The fault geometry and kinematics of this particular fault segment can be determined from detailed topographic levellings. The fault strikes N30E and dips 75 to the NW. Depending on their size and nature, transverse morphological features such as tributaries of the Rio Pangor and intervening ridges, reveal right-lateral offsets which cluster around 27 ± 11m, 41.5 ± 4 m, 590 ± 65 m and 960 ± 70 m. The slip vector deduced from the short-term offsets shows a slight reverse component with a pitch of about 11.5 SW. The 41.5 ± 4 m displacements are assumed to be coeval with the last glacial termination, yielding a mean Holocene slip-rate of 2.9- 4.6 mm yr⁻¹. Assuming a uniform slip rate on the fault in the long term, the 27 m offset appears to correlate with an identified middle Holocene morphoclimatic event, and the long term offsets of 590 m and 960 m coincide with the glacial terminations at the beginning of the last two interglacial periods.     

Tectonic geomorphology of the Triglav Lakes Valley (easternmost Southern Alps, NW Slovenia)

We present a study on the impact of litho-structural setting and neotectonic activity on meso- and macro-scale relief production in Alpine areas. The topography of the high alpine Triglav Lakes Valley, NW Slovenia, was studied by means of detailed mapping and stratigraphic study of the valley. The Triglav Lakes Valley is characterised by a generally asymmetric transverse (E–W) profile: a very steep eastern slope, a relatively flat valley and a relatively gentle western slope. On the transverse profile the valley floor is essentially flat, gently dipping towards the east. In the longitudinal cross-section, however, the valley floor is marked by sharply-defined fault blocks extending in a W–E to NW–SE direction. Additionally, the highest block (elevations  2100 m) is in the northern part of the valley, the lowest (elevations  1600 m) in the southern part of the valley. Our research shows that the Triglav Lakes Valley directly represents the topographic expression of Paleogene–Neogene thrusting and faulting, having recorded the following geomorphologic evolutionary stages: 1. an Oligocene to early Miocene W-vergent thrusting phase, with steep W-facing slopes of the eastern part of the valley directly representing the thrusting front; and 2. a Neogene-to-present strike–slip faulting in NNE–SSW direction with two bifurcating right-lateral strike–slip systems. We show that the Triglav Lakes Valley almost perfectly mimics the wedge-shaped damage zone located between these faults.     

Evolution of a large Miocene growth structure in the upper plate of the Whipple detachment fault, northeastern Whipple Mountains, California

Miocene sedimentary and volcanic rocks in the north-eastern Whipple Mountains, California, and the north-western Aubrey Hills, Arizona, accumulated in the upper plate of the Whipple detachment fault during regional extension and slip on the detachment. Miocene rocks in this area can be divided into three sequences: (1) pre-18.5-Ma dominantly volcanic rocks; (2) the 18.5-Ma Peach Springs Tuff; and (3) post-18.5-Ma dominantly sedimentary rocks. Important stratigraphic markers in sequence 3 include a 100- to 14–0-m-thick basalt unit and the voluminous War Eagle landslide, both of which correlate across Lake Havasu from the north-east Whipple Mountains to the Aurbrey Hills. We divide clastic sedimentary rocks of sequence 3 into three informal members: (3a) conglomerate and sandstone stratigraphically beneath the basalt; (3b) conglomerate and sandstone above the basalt and below the War Eagle landslide; and (3c) conglomerate and sandstone that overlie the War Eagle landslide. Detailed stratigraphic analysis and field mapping reveal dramatic south-westward thickening of member 3b strata, from about 50 m in the Aubrey Hills to over 1500 m in the north-east Whipple Mountains. In the north-east Whipple Mountains, this thick dipping section is overlain by the War Eagle landslide along a major angular unconformity; in the Aubrey Hills the base of the War Eagle landslide is roughly parallel to bedding dips of underlying strata. The above stratigraphic relationships can be explained by syndepositional growth of a rollover monocline by progressive tilting of the hangingwall above a master listric normal fault (Whipple detachment fault). This phase of upper-plate deformation began shortly after deposition of the basalt and ended prior to emplacement of the War Eagle landslide. Interbedded breccias low in member 3b, about 100 m above the basalt, record the first appearance of mylonitic detritus in the section. Growth of this upper-plate rollover was thus initiated at about the same time (shortly after deposition of the basalt) that the lower plate of the Whipple detachment fault was first exposed at the earth's surface by tectonic denudation and large-scale crustal uplift. These events are interpreted to record initiation of a secondary breakaway fault on the north-east flank of the growing Whipple detachment dome shortly after deposition of the basalt at about 14.5 (±1.0) Ma.     

2000—2019年秦岭南北实际蒸散发时空变化特征

基于遥感数据全面认识复杂地形单元实际蒸散发时空规律,对区域可持续水资源管理具有重要的意义。论文基于MODIS实际蒸散发(ET)数据,对2000—2019年秦岭南北ET时空变化特征进行分析,探究不同分区ET对植被变化的响应关系,进而识别ET趋势和年代变化的高相关海气环流因素。结果表明：① 在变化趋势上,以1000 m等高线为界,即秦岭地区北亚热带和山地暖温带的分界线,低海拔河谷地带为ET显著增加区,山地高海拔地区为ET下降区;② 除城市、乡镇周边地区,研究期间秦岭南北下垫面相对稳定,转为生态用地的活跃区主要分布在山地1000 m过渡带,其是ET与NDVI变化显著相关区,而1000 m以上高海拔地区两者相关性较低;③ ENSO、青藏高原北部气压异常,与秦岭山地、汉江谷地ET的趋势变化和年代波动显著相关,而西太平洋副热带高压与ET的趋势显著相关,与年代波动特征相关较弱。即发生中部型厄尔尼诺事件时,西太平洋副热带高压偏强,对流层低层形成异常反气旋,导致中国东部雨带北移,秦岭山地和汉江谷地降水偏少,气温偏高,ET往往偏大。研究结果启示：秦岭南北科学适应气候变化时,应关注秦岭山地、汉江谷地ET变化显著相关的环流信号;应深刻理解秦岭高海拔地区蒸散发下降趋势对区域水资源管理的影响。     

Fault-proximal stratigraphic record of episodic extension and oblique inversion, Bisbee basin, southwestern New Mexico, USA

Tectonic inversion models predict that stratigraphic thickening and local facies patterns adjacent to reactivated fault systems should record at least two phases of basin development: (1) initial extension‐related subsidence and (2) subsequent shortening‐induced uplift. In the central Peloncillo Mountains of southwestern New Mexico, thickness trends, distribution, and provenance of two major stratigraphic intervals on opposite sides of a northwest‐striking reverse fault preserve a record of Early Cretaceous normal displacement and latest Cretaceous–Paleogene reverse displacement along the fault. The Aptian–Albian Bisbee Group thickens by a factor of three from the footwall to the hanging‐wall block, and the Late Cretaceous?–Eocene Bobcat Hill Formation is preserved only in the footwall block. An initial episode of normal faulting resulted in thickening of upper Aptian–middle Albian, mixed siliciclastic and carbonate deposits and an up section change from coarse‐grained deltas to shallow‐marine depositional conditions. A second episode of normal faulting caused abrupt thickening of upper Albian, quartzose coastal‐plain deposits across the fault. These faulting episodes record two events of extension that affected the northern rift shoulder of the Bisbee basin. The third faulting episode was oblique‐slip, reverse reactivation of the fault and other related, former normal faults. Alluvial and pyroclastic deposits of the Bobcat Hill Formation record inversion of the Bisbee basin and development of an intermontane basin directly adjacent to the former rift basin. Inversion was coeval with latest Cretaceous–Paleogene shortening and magmatism. This offset history offers significant insight into extensional basin tectonics in the Early Cretaceous and permits rejection of models of long‐term Mesozoic shortening and orogen migration during the Cretaceous. This paper also illustrates how episodes of fault reactivation modify, in very short distances (<10 km), regional patterns of subsidence, the distribution of sediment‐source areas, and sedimentary depositional systems.     

Tectonic geomorphology of the Ash Hill fault, Panamint Valley, California

ABSTRACT
Panamint Valley, in eastern California, is an extensional basin currently bounded by active, dextral-normal oblique-slip faults. There is considerable debate over the tectonic and topographic evolution of the valley. The least-studied structure, the Ash Hill fault, runs for some 50 km along the valley's western edge, and active strands of the fault continue south into the neighbouring Slate Range. Vertical displacement on the fault is valley-side up, creating topography that conflicts with the gross morphology of the valley itself. We use this topography, along with kinematic and geological markers, to constrain the Quaternary slip rate and orientation of the Ash Hill fault. The fault offsets all but the active channel deposits in the valley, and slickenlines indicate a strike-slip to dip-slip ratio of 3.5:1. An offset volcanic unit dated at 4 Ma provides a minimum slip rate of 0.3±0.1 mm yr⁻¹, and a long-term strike-slip to dip-slip ratio of 5.2:1. Slip on the fault has warped a palaeolake shoreline within the valley. Simple elastic dislocation modelling of the vertical deformation of the shoreline suggests total fault slip of ≈60 m, valley-side up. The shoreline probably dates to 120–150 ka, implying a late Quaternary slip rate of 0.4–0.5 mm yr⁻¹. We suggest two possible mechanisms for the apparently anomalous slip behaviour of the Ash Hill fault. The fault may be a listric structure related to the proposed low-angle fault underlying Panamint Valley. Alternatively, the Ash Hill fault is a high-angle fault, implying that the valley is currently bounded by high-angle dextral-slip faults. Lack of detailed subsurface information precludes any knowledge of the true relationships between the presently active faults.     

Tectonics of the Marmara Sea region of Turkey: new evidence from microearthquake fault plane solutions

Summary. Composite and single-event fault plane solutions for microearthquakes in the Izmit Bay area of the Marmara Sea indicate right-lateral strike-slip motion and tension on this extension of the North Anatolian Fault. This interpretation is consistent with teleseismically determined fault-plane solutions obtained for large earthquakes on the Marmara Sea seismic lineation. Consideration of the microplate geometry of north-western Turkey, inferred from seismicity as well as earthquake mechanisms, suggests that the region comprises two seismotectonic units with differing styles of deformation. The (Anatolid) structures of south- and central-western Anatolia are undergoing major extension, whereas the (Pontid) structures of the Marmara Sea region are being sheared, resulting in a mixed regime of both strike-slip and extensional faulting.     

The Nootka Fault Zone — a new plate boundary off western Canada

Summary. Relative motion across a boundary between the main Juan de Fuca plate and its northern extension, the Explorer plate, had earlier been suggested from sea-floor magnetic anomaly analysis and from earthquakes recorded on the western Canada land seismic network. The location of the boundary, called the Nootka fault zone, and the motion across it have been examined through seismic reflection profiles, accurate location of earthquakes with an array of ocean bottom seismometers and through analysis of magnetic, gravity and bathymetric data. The fault zone extends from a ridge-fault—fault triple point at the northern end of the Juan de Fuca ridge to a fault—trench—trench triple junction at the margin off north-central Vancouver Island. The active portion of the fault zone is about 20 km wide, and has produced extensive disturbance in the 0.5 to 1 km of overlying sediments. Magnetic anomaly analysis suggests present left-lateral strike slip motion of about 3 cm/yr, with convergence at the margin being more rapid to the south than to the north of the fault zone. Because of rapidly changing spreading parameters on the Explorer and Juan de Fuca ridges over the past 5 Myr the Nootka fault zone has had a very complex history.     

Variation in style of magmatism and emplacement mechanism induced by changes in basin environments and stress fields (Pannonian Basin,Central Europe)

The development of high‐resolution 3D seismic cubes has permitted recognition of variable subvolcanic features mostly located in passive continental margins. Our study area is situated in a different tectonic setting, in the extensional Pannonian Basin system (central Europe) where the lithospheric extension was associated with a wide variety of magmatic suites during the Miocene. Our primary objective is to map the buried magmatic bodies, to better understand the temporal and spatial variation in the style of magmatism and emplacement mechanism within the first order Mid‐Hungarian Fault Zone (MHFZ) along which the substantial Miocene displacement took place. The combination of seismic, borehole and log data interpretation enabled us to delineate various previously unknown subvolcanic‐volcanic features. In addition, a new approach of neural network analysis on log data was applied to detect and quantitatively characterise hydrothermal mounds that are hard to interpret solely from seismic data. The volcanic activity started in the Middle Miocene and induced the development of extrusive volcanic mounds south of the NE‐SW trending, continuous strike‐slip fault zone (Hajdú Fault Zone). In the earliest Late Miocene (11.6–9.78 Ma), the style of magmatic activity changed resulting in emplacement of intrusions and development of hydrothermal mounds. Sill emplacement occurred from south‐east to north‐west based on primary flow‐emplacement structures. The time of sill emplacement and the development of hydrothermal mounds can be bracketed by onlapped forced folds and mounds. This time coincided with the acceleration of sedimentation producing poorly consolidated, water‐saturated sediments preventing magma from flowing to the paleosurface. The change in extensional direction resulted in change in fault pattern, thus the formerly continuous basin‐bounding strike‐slip fault became segmented which could facilitate the magma flow toward the basin centre.     

Frequency–magnitude statistics and spatial correlation dimensions of earthquakes at Long Valley caldera, California

Intense earthquake swarms at Long Valley caldera in late 1997 and early 1998 occurred on two contrasting structures. The first is defined by the intersection of a north-northwesterly array of faults with the southern margin of the resurgent dome, and is a zone of hydrothermal upwelling. Seismic activity there was characterized by high b -values and relatively low values of D , the spatial fractal dimension of hypocentres. The second structure is the pre-existing South Moat fault, which has generated large-magnitude seismic activity in the past. Seismicity on this structure was characterized by low b -values and relatively high D . These observations are consistent with low-magnitude, clustered earthquakes on the first structure, and higher-magnitude, diffuse earthquakes on the second structure. The first structure is probably an immature fault zone, fractured on a small scale and lacking a well-developed fault plane. The second zone represents a mature fault with an extensive, coherent fault plane.     

Application of high resolution DEM data to detect rock damage from geomorphic signals along the central San Jacinto Fault

We analyze geomorphic properties extracted from LiDAR and SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) data to test whether the damage zone along the central San Jacinto Fault (SJF) zone can be resolved with remotely-sensed data in a quantitative fashion. The SJF is one of the most active faults in southern California, with well expressed geomorphology and a fast slip rate, as seen in the geology and by GPS. We use ArcMap and the TauDEM toolbox to compare several morphometric parameters, including drainage density (Dd), on both sides of the fault, using a 1 km and a 5 km buffer for the LiDAR and SRTM data, respectively. We also analyze the spatial patterns of Dd near the fault, using two different definitions of spatial Dd. The high resolution of the LiDAR data allows us to focus on a single fault, eliminating the effects of parallel nearby faults. From the LiDAR data we find that the highest Dd values occur in areas between two fault strands, followed generally by rocks on the northeast side of the fault, with the lowest Dd values occurring on the southwest side of the fault. The SRTM data shows a band of high Dd values centered on the main fault trace with ~ 1 km width. Our results indicate that there is a strong correlation between drainage density and proximity to the fault, with zones of structural complexity along the fault displaying the highest Dd. We interpret this to largely be an effect of degree of rock damage, as these are areas that are expected to be more damaged, and field observations support this contention. If we are correct, then it appears that the northeast side of the SJF is generally more damaged. South of the trifurcation area there is evidence that the signal is reversed on the larger scale, with more damage on the southwest side of the fault inferred from the SRTM data, possibly caused by extension between the Coyote Creek and Clark faults. The implications of the observed asymmetry could be geological evidence for rupture propagation direction, because a preferred propagation direction is predicted to produce asymmetric damage structure that would be recorded in the volume of rock surrounding a fault.     

Reactivation of basement faults: interplay of ice‐sheet advance,glacial lake formation and sediment loading

The Emme Delta is a small glacilacustrine delta, which developed on the southern flank of the Wesergebirge Mountains in NW Germany. Shallow shear‐wave seismic surveys allow a detailed assessment of the structural style of the delta body. Two different fault systems are developed within the delta, both showing syn‐sedimentary activity. The faults have planar to slightly listric geometries and show vertical offsets in a range of 2–15 m. They form small graben and half‐graben systems, which locally show roll‐over structures. The fill of the half‐grabens has a wedge‐shaped geometry, with the greatest sediment thickness close to the fault. The fault system in the upper portion of the Emme Delta is restricted to the delta body and probably gravity induced. In the lower portion of the delta, normal faults occur that originate in the underlying Jurassic basement rocks and penetrate into the delta deposits. The grid of seismic lines shows that the normal faults are trending E–W. This fits to a late Triassic–early Jurassic deformation phase in the Central European Basin System. We hypothese that these faults were reactivated during the Pleistocene by the advancing ice‐sheet, water and sediment loading. Based on the seismic data set, an overall model for the reactivation of the basement fault was developed. The advancing ice‐sheet caused far field extension, which might have reactivated pre‐existing normal faults. Later, the fault activity was enhanced due to sediment and water loading. In addition, high pore pressure due to lake formation might have supported the slip processes along the faults. After glacial unloading and lake drainage, the fault activity stopped.