Title | Global Positioning System constraints on fault slip rates in southern California and northern Baja, Mexico |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 1996 |
Authors | Bennett, RA, Rodi, W, Reilinger, RE |
Journal | Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth |
Issue | B104417 |
Pagination | 21943 - 21960 |
Date Published | Oct-10-1996 |
Abstract | We use Global Positioning System (GPS) estimates of horizontal site velocity to constrain slip rates on faults comprising the Pacific-North America plate boundary in southern California and northern Mexico. We enlist a simple elastic block model to parameterize the distribution and sum of deformation within and across the plate boundary. We estimate a Pacific-North America relative plate motion rate of 49 ± 3 mm/yr (one standard deviation), consistent with NUVEL-1A estimates. We are able to resolve robust slip rate estimates for the southernmost San Andreas, San Jacinto, and Elsinore faults (26 ± 2, 9 ± 2, and 6 ± 2 mm/yr, respectively) and for the Imperial and Cerro Prieto faults (35 ± 2 and 42 ± 1 mm/yr, respectively), accounting for about 86% of the total plate motion. The remaining 14% appears to be accommodated to the west of these fault systems, probably via slip along the San Clemente fault and/or the San Miguel, Vallecitos, Rose Canyon, and Newport-Inglewood fault systems. These results are highly consistent with paleoseismic estimates for slip rates implying that off-fault strain accumulation within the deforming zone of the plate boundary is largely elastic. We estimate that the seismically quiescent, southernmost San Andreas fault has incurred about 8.2 m of slip deficit over the last few hundred years, presumably to be recovered during a future large earthquake. |
URL | http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/96JB02488/full |
DOI | 10.1029/96JB02488 |
Short Title | J. Geophys. Res. |