Interdependence of fault displacement rates and paleoearthquakes in an active rift

Abstract

Research Article| October 01, 2006 Interdependence of fault displacement rates and paleoearthquakes in an active rift Andrew Nicol; Andrew Nicol 1GNS Science, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John Walsh; John Walsh 2Fault Analysis Group, Department of Geology, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Kelvin Berryman; Kelvin Berryman 3GNS Science, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Pilar Villamor Pilar Villamor 3GNS Science, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Andrew Nicol 1GNS Science, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand John Walsh 2Fault Analysis Group, Department of Geology, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Kelvin Berryman 3GNS Science, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand Pilar Villamor 3GNS Science, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 13 Oct 2005 Revision Received: 03 May 2006 Accepted: 09 May 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2006) 34 (10): 865–868. https://doi.org/10.1130/G22335.1 Article history Received: 13 Oct 2005 Revision Received: 03 May 2006 Accepted: 09 May 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Andrew Nicol, John Walsh, Kelvin Berryman, Pilar Villamor; Interdependence of fault displacement rates and paleoearthquakes in an active rift. Geology 2006;; 34 (10): 865–868. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G22335.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Paleoearthquakes at Earth's surface often generate faults with variable displacement rates over short time intervals (e.g., <18 k.y.). The nature and origin of these variations and the extent to which they result from systematic, and therefore predictable, earthquake processes is unresolved. We examine the processes underlying fluctuations in displacement rates by charting the accumulation of displacement over the last 60 k.y. on 25 normal fault traces distributed across the Taupo Rift, New Zealand. Displacement rates become more stable with increasing fault size and are uniform when aggregated across the entire rift. The increased stability of fault displacement rates at greater spatial scales suggests that each fault is a component of a kinematically coherent system in which all faults interact and their earthquake histories are interdependent. Fault interdependencies generate short-term complex (<18 k.y.) fluctuations in the timing and magnitude of earthquakes, but also ultimately result in the stability of displacement rates on million-year time scales. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.