San Jacinto Fault Zone Research Articles

Systematic Receiver Function Analysis of the Moho Geometry in the Southern California Plate-Boundary Region

We investigate the geometry of the Moho interface in the southern California region including the San Andreas fault (SAF), San Jacinto fault zone (SJFZ), Elsinore fault (EF) and Eastern California Shear Zone with systematic analysis of receiver functions. The data set consists of 145 teleseismic events recorded at 188 broadband stations throughout the region. The analysis utilizes a 3D velocity model associated with detailed double-difference tomographic results for the seismogenic depth section around the SAF, SJFZ, and EF combined with a larger scale community model. A 3D ray tracing algorithm is used to produce effective 1D velocity models along each source-receiver teleseismic ray. Common Conversion Point (CCP) stacks are calculated using the set of velocity models extracted for each ray. The CCP stacks are analyzed with volumetric plots, maps of maximum CCP stack values, and projections along profiles that cross major faults and other features of interest. The results indicate that the Moho geometry in the study area is very complex and characterized by large prominent undulations along the NE–SW direction. A zone of relatively deep Moho (~35–40 km) with overall N–S direction crosses the SAF, SJFZ, and EF. A section of very shallow Moho (~10 km) below and to the SE of the Salton Trough, likely associated with a young oceanic crust, produces large Moho offsets at its margins. Locations with significant changes of Moho depth appear to be correlated with fault complexity in the brittle crust. The observations also show vertical Moho offsets of ~8 km across the SAF and SJFZ close to Cajon pass, and sections with no clear Moho phase underneath Cajon pass and adjacent to the SJFZ near Anza likely produced by complex local velocity structures in the brittle upper crust. These features are robust with respect to various parameters of the analysis procedure.

Seismic Tomography of the Southern California Plate Boundary Region from Noise-Based Rayleigh and Love Waves

We use cross-correlations of ambient seismic noise between pairs of 158 broadband and short-period sensors to investigate velocity structure over the top 5–10 km of the crust in the Southern California plate boundary region around the San Jacinto Fault Zone (SJFZ). From the 9-component correlation tensors associated with all station pairs we derive dispersion curves of Rayleigh and Love wave group velocities. The dispersion results are inverted first for Rayleigh and Love waves group velocity maps on a 1.5 × 1.5 km2 grid that includes portions of the SJFZ, the San Andreas Fault (SAF), and the Elsinore fault. We then invert these maps to 3D shear wave velocities in the top ~7 km of the crust. The distributions of the Rayleigh and Love group velocities exhibit 2θ azimuthal anisotropy with fast directions parallel to the main faults and rotations in complex areas. The reconstructed 3D shear velocity model reveals complex shallow structures correlated with the main geological units, and strong velocity contrasts across various fault sections along with low-velocity damage zones and basins. The SJFZ is marked by a clear velocity contrast with higher V s values on the NE block for the section SE of the San Jacinto basin and a reversed contrast across the section between the San Jacinto basin and the SAF. Velocity contrasts are also observed along the southern parts on the SAF and the Elsinore fault, with a faster southwest block in both cases. The region around the Salton Trough is associated with a significant low-velocity zone. Strong velocity reductions following flower-shape with depth are observed extensively around both the SJFZ and the SAF, and are especially prominent in areas of geometrical complexity. In particular, the area between the SJFZ and the SAF is associated with an extensive low-velocity zone correlated with diffuse seismicity at depth, and a similar pattern including correlation with deep diffuse seismicity is observed on a smaller scale in the trifurcation area of the SJFZ. These results augment local earthquake tomography images that have low resolution in the top few km of the crust, and provide important constraints for studies concerned with behavior of earthquake ruptures, generation of rock damage, and seismic shaking hazard in the region.

Seismic velocity structure in the Hot Springs and Trifurcation areas of the San Jacinto fault zone, California, from double-difference tomography

We present tomographic images of crustal velocity structures in the complex Hot Springs and Trifurcation areas of the San Jacinto Fault Zone (SJFZ) based on double-difference inversions of earthquake arrival times. We invert for V P , V S and hypocentre location within 50 × 50 × 20 km 3 volumes, using 266969 P and 148249 S arrival times. We obtain high-fidelity images of seismic velocities with resolution on the order of a few kilometres from 2 to 12 km depth and validate the results using checkerboard tests. Due to the relatively large proportion of S-wave arrival times, we also obtain stable maps of V P /V S ratios in both regions. The velocity of the Trifurcation Area as a whole is lower than adjacent unfaulted material. We interpret a 4-km-wide low velocity zone with high V P /V S ratio in the trifurcation itself as related to fault zone damage. We also observe clear velocity contrasts across the Buck Ridge, Clark and Coyote Creek segments of the SJFZ. The Anza segment of the SJFZ, to the NW of the trifurcation area, displays a strong (up to 27 per cent) contrast of V S from 2 to 9 km depth. In the Hot Springs area, a low velocity zone between the Claremont and Casa Loma Strands narrows with depth, with clear velocity contrasts observed across both segments. A roughly 10-km-wide zone of low velocity and low V P /V S ratio at the NW tip of the Hot Springs fault is indicative of either unconsolidated sediments associated with the San Jacinto basin, or fluid-filled cracks within a broad deformation zone. High V P /V S ratios along the Anza segment could indicate a preferred nucleation location for future large earthquakes, while the across-fault velocity contrast suggests a preferred northwest rupture propagation direction for such events.

Ground Motion Prediction Equations in the San Jacinto Fault Zone: Significant Effects of Rupture Directivity and Fault Zone Amplification

We present a new set of Ground Motion Prediction Equations (GMPEs) for horizontal Peak Ground Acceleration, Peak Ground Velocity, and 5 % damped pseudo-spectral acceleration (PSA), developed for the San Jacinto Fault Zone (SJFZ) area. Besides using these equations to quantify seismic shaking in the area, the results allow us to examine the physics and local properties controlling the observed ground motions. The analyzed dataset includes ~30,000 observations from ~800 events spanning a magnitude range of 1.5 < M < 6.0 and recorded by up to 140 stations at epicentral distances ranging from essentially zero to 150 km. The local GMPE is developed for the SJFZ by applying classical regression techniques with predictive variables that include first distance and magnitude, and then site characteristics, rupture directivity, and fault zone amplification. The significance of these effects is determined by measuring the uncertainty-reduction of the GMPE due to each factor. The results show that, in contrast to many regional studies, traditional site characteristic has a relatively minor effect on peak amplitudes in our study area. However, rupture directivity is a significant factor controlling the amplitudes of ground motion even for small events. The dense seismic network and newly developed directivity tool enable us to extract efficiently directivity effects with statistical significance, using the ground-motion dataset during the regression analysis process. The obtained rupture directivities are consistent with the main focal mechanism orientations and surface trace orientations, known from other studies, and predictions for bimaterial ruptures in the trifurcation area of the SJFZ. Fault zone amplification is a second important factor, showing strong impact on the peak ground motion values, with increasing role for the lower frequency range (<10 Hz) examined in the 5 % damped PSA values. We also observe signatures of large amplitude-variances, which indicate additional source-related control on the distribution of amplitudes (besides rupture directivity) for aftershocks close in time and location to the M L 5.1 earthquake of March 2013. Using the full set of records we present the most complete set of GMPEs for the SJFZ area, including a higher-amplitude prediction for regions in the direction of rupture.

Large Earthquake Hazard of the San Jacinto Fault Zone, CA, from Long Record of Simulated Seismicity Assimilating the Available Instrumental and Paleoseismic Data

We investigate spatio-temporal properties of earthquake patterns in the San Jacinto fault zone (SJFZ), California, between Cajon Pass and the Superstition Hill Fault, using a long record of simulated seismicity constrained by available seismological and geological data. The model provides an effective realization of a large segmented strike-slip fault zone in a 3D elastic half-space, with heterogeneous distribution of static friction chosen to represent several clear step-overs at the surface. The simulated synthetic catalog reproduces well the basic statistical features of the instrumental seismicity recorded at the SJFZ area since 1981. The model also produces events larger than those included in the short instrumental record, consistent with paleo-earthquakes documented at sites along the SJFZ for the last 1,400 years. The general agreement between the synthetic and observed data allows us to address with the long-simulated seismicity questions related to large earthquakes and expected seismic hazard. The interaction between m ≥ 7 events on different sections of the SJFZ is found to be close to random. The hazard associated with m ≥ 7 events on the SJFZ increases significantly if the long record of simulated seismicity is taken into account. The model simulations indicate that the recent increased number of observed intermediate SJFZ earthquakes is a robust statistical feature heralding the occurrence of m ≥ 7 earthquakes. The hypocenters of the m ≥ 5 events in the simulation results move progressively towards the hypocenter of the upcoming m ≥ 7 earthquake.

Stable, rapid rate of slip since inception of the San Jacinto fault, California

AbstractIn California, where the San Jacinto fault (SJF) and San Andreas fault (SAF) accommodate the majority of the dextral shear deformation between the Pacific and North American plates, initiation of the SJF led to an apparent decline in the slip rate of the SAF. Previous studies suggest that since then, slip rate has covaried between these faults (possibly due to changes in fault strength, variation in topographic loading along a fault, or the development of new faults) and that presently the SJF is the dominant plate boundary structure. However, we dated displaced sedimentary deposits and landforms over three distinct time intervals since ~700 ka, and our results imply a constant slip rate of 12.1+3.4/−2.6 mm/yr. This rate is similar to the fault's lifetime rate and from rates derived from geodesy, suggesting that since the SJF initiated, its slip rate has remained relatively stable and does not exceed that of the SAF.

Infrequent Triggering of Tremor along the San Jacinto Fault near Anza, California

We examine the conditions necessary to trigger tremor along the San Jacinto fault (SJF) near Anza, California, where previous studies suggest triggered tremor occurs, but observations are sparse. We investigate the stress required to trigger tremor using continuous broadband seismograms from 11 stations located near Anza, California. We examine 44 Mw ≥7:4 teleseismic events between 2001 and 2011; these events occur at a wide range of back azimuths and hypocentral distances. In addition, we included one smaller-magnitude, regional event, the 2009 Mw 6.5 Gulf of California earthquake, because it induced extremely high strains at Anza. We find the only episode of triggered tremor occurred during the 3 November 2002 Mw 7.8 Denali earthquake. The tremor episode lasted 300 s, was composed of 12 tremor bursts, and was located along SJF at the northwestern edge of the Anza gap at approximately 13 km depth. The tremor episode started at the Love-wave arrival, when surface-wave particle motions are primarily in the transverse direction. We find that the Denali earthquake induced the second highest stress (∼35 kPa) among the 44 teleseismic events and 1 regional event. The dominant period of the Denali surface wave was 22.8 s, at the lower end of the range observed for all events (20-40 s), similar to periods shown to trigger tremor in other locations. The surface waves from the 2009 Mw 6.5 Gulf of California earthquake had the highest observed strain, yet a much shorter dominant period of 10 s and did not trigger tremor. This result suggests that not only the amplitude of the induced strain, but also the period of the incoming surface wave, may control triggering of tremors near Anza. In addition, we find that the transient-shear stress (17-35 kPa) required to trigger tremor along the SJF at Anza is distinctly higher than what has been reported for the well-studied San Andreas fault.

Interaction of microseisms with crustal heterogeneity: A case study from the San Jacinto fault zone area

We perform a multicomponent analysis to evaluate the validity and limits of noise imaging in the San Jacinto fault zone (SJFZ) area. Estimates of noise propagation and scattering length scales in the area are combined with a noise correlation‐based analysis of variability of noise constituents, excitation regions, and propagation patterns. We evaluate the quality of correlation‐phase and ‐amplitude imaging of tectonic features in the context of observed noise properties. Statistical properties of a regional high‐resolution 3‐D velocity model indicate that propagation of double‐frequency microseism Rayleigh waves is sensitive to medium heterogeneity in the southern California plate boundary area. The analysis of noise correlation functions constructed from records of a regional seismic network suggests stable excitation of microseisms along the southern California coastline. The proximity to the source region together with randomization properties of the heterogeneous medium govern the scattered yet anisotropic character of the wave field. Insignificant travel time errors resulting from the associated imperfect reconstruction of interstation Green's function estimates allow the resolution of a velocity contrast across the SJFZ from noise correlations. However, attenuation estimates are biased by the anisotropic propagation directions. The interaction of the ambient surface wave field with medium heterogeneity facilitates imaging of the velocity structure, but the inversion of the amplitude pattern is limited since it is dominated by wave field instead of medium properties.

Selecting Empirical Green's Functions in Regions of Fault Complexity: A Study of Data from the San Jacinto Fault Zone, Southern California

Abstract To constrain an earthquake’s source properties, the path‐ and site‐effect contributions to the seismic waveform can be approximated using another earthquake as an empirical Green’s function (EGF). An ideal EGF earthquake is smaller in magnitude than the mainshock and shares a similar focal mechanism and hypocenter. Here, we quantify how to optimally select EGF events using data from the spatially complex San Jacinto Fault Zone (SJFZ) in southern California. The SJFZ’s high seismicity rate allows us to test the EGF method for 51 target 3 M w 200 for each mainshock). We purposefully select a large population of inappropriate EGFs in order to identify thresholds and restrictions that optimize EGF selection criteria. For each mainshock/EGF pair, we compute the spectral ratio, fit the mainshock corner frequency, and measure the variability of these corner frequencies across the network. We assume a suitable EGF event will produce similar corner frequency estimates at every station. We discover that limiting hypocentral separation distances between mainshock and EGF events to Online Material: Map of earthquake locations within our study region color‐coded to indicate the mapped spatial differential between the original catalog location in the ANZA catalog and the location in the Lin et al. (2007) relocated catalog.

Seismic velocity structures in the southern California plate-boundary environment from double-difference tomography

SUMMARY We present tomographic images of crustal structures in the southern California plate-boundary area, with a focus on the San Jacinto fault zone (SJFZ), based on double-difference inversions of earthquake arrival times. Absolute arrival times of 247 472 P and 105 448 S wave phase picks for 5493 earthquakes recorded at 139 stations in southern California are used. Starting with a layered 1-D model, and continuing in later iterations with various updated initial models, we invert the data for Vp and Vs in a 270 km long, 105 km wide and 35 km deep volume around the SJFZ using a spatially variable grid with higher density around the SJFZ. The examined volume stretches from Cajon Pass to the northernmost Imperial Fault Zone and includes portions of the southern San Andreas Fault (SAF), the Elsinore Fault and the Brawley Seismic Zone in the Salton Trough. Because differential traveltimes used in the double-difference inversions are most sensitive to near-source structures, we obtain high resolution around the earthquake sources. After 30 iterations we improve the average traveltime misfit by a factor of 16. Though ray coverage is limited at shallow depths, we obtain detailed images of seismic velocities from 3 to 20 km throughout much of the study area. Our final velocity results show zones of low-velocity and anomalous Vp/Vs ratios associated with various fault strands and sedimentary basins, along with clear velocity contrasts across the SJFZ and the southern SAF. The velocity reductions in fault zone regions are generally highest in geometrically complex areas (up to 30–50 per cent in the top few kilometres), are higher for Vs than for Vp, and follow a flower-type pattern with depth. In the central section of the SJFZ, from the San Jacinto valley to the trifurcation area, the northeast side of the fault has generally higher seismic velocities than the southwest block. The obtained contrasts of Vp are more persistent and higher (up to 20 per cent) than the contrasts of Vs (up to 15 per cent), although the differences may stem (at least partially) from the higher resolution of Vp images. In the SJFZ sections to the northwest and southeast, there are patches with reversed velocities contrasts especially in the shallow crust near the San Jacinto Valley and other basins. Along the Banning fault there is no clear velocity contrast. For the southern SAF, the northeast side has generally lower seismic velocities in the seismogenic zone with patches of contrast reversals in the shallow crust. In the Brawley Seismic Zone, the northeast side has somewhat lower velocities in the ∼20 km section near the southern SAF and higher velocities farther to the southwest. The imaged features have important implications for various aspects of earthquake and crustal dynamics in the region.

LiDAR and Field Observations of Slip Distribution for the Most Recent Surface Ruptures along the Central San Jacinto Fault

We measured offsets on tectonically displaced geomorphic features along 80 km of the Clark strand of the San Jacinto fault (SJF) to estimate slip‐per‐event for the past several surface ruptures. We identify 168 offset features from which we make over 490 measurements using B4 light detection and ranging (LiDAR) imagery and field observations. Our results suggest that LiDAR technology is an exemplary supplement to traditional field methods in slip‐per‐event studies. Displacement estimates indicate that the most recent surface‐rupturing event (MRE) produced an average of 2.5–2.9 m of right‐lateral slip with maximum slip of nearly 4 m at Anza, a M w 7.2–7.5 earthquake. Average multiple‐event offsets for the same 80 kms are ∼5.5 m, with maximum values of 3 m at Anza for the penultimate event. Cumulative displacements of 9–10 m through Anza suggest the third event was also similar in size. Paleoseismic work at Hog Lake dates the most recent surface rupture event at ca. 1790. A poorly located, large earthquake occurred in southern California on 22 November 1800; we relocate this event to the Clark fault based on the MRE at Hog Lake. We also recognize the occurrence of a younger rupture along ∼15–20 km of the fault in Blackburn Canyon with ∼1.25 m of average displacement. We attribute these offsets to the 21 April 1918 M w 6.9 event. These data argue that much or all of the Clark fault, and possibly also the Casa Loma fault, fail together in large earthquakes, but that shorter sections may fail in smaller events. Online Material: Topographic contour maps and hillshades generated from B4 LiDAR data, corresponding field photographs, and data tables comparing LiDAR‐based and field‐based slip measurements for individual geomorphic features along the Clark fault.

Inception of the eastern California shear zone and evolution of the Pacific‐North American plate boundary: From kinematics to geodynamics

The San Andreas Fault (SAF) is the transform boundary between the Pacific and the North American plates, yet up to 25% of the relative plate motion is now accommodated by the eastern California shear zone (ECSZ). Here we investigate the inception of the ECSZ and its geodynamic interactions with the SAF using a 3‐D viscoelastoplastic finite element model. For a given fault configuration of the plate boundary zone, the model simulates long‐term slip on the faults and plastic strain outside the faults. Our results show that the formation of the Big Bend of the SAF around 5–12 Ma impeded fault slip and localized strain along the ECSZ, causing its inception. Development of the ECSZ was further enhanced by the activation of the Garlock Fault (GF) and lithospheric weakening caused by the encroachment of the Basin and Range extension. Similarly, the San Jacinto Fault (SJF) in southern California developed along a belt of localized strain, which resulted from the formation of the restraining bend along the San Bernardino Mountains segment of the SAF ∼2 Myr ago. Once activated, the SJF reduced slip on both the southern SAF and the ECSZ across the Mojave Desert. These results indicate causative relationship between the SAF and the ECSZ. The inception of the ECSZ and other young faults is the consequence of the evolving SAF plate boundary zone that continuously adjusts itself to accommodate the relative plate motion.

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.

Initiation of the San Jacinto Fault and its Interaction with the San Andreas Fault: Insights from Geodynamic Modeling

The San Andreas Fault (SAF) is the Pacific-North American plate boundary, yet in southern California a significant portion of the relative plate motion is accommodated by the San Jacinto Fault (SJF). Here we investigate the initiation of the SJF and its interaction with the SAF in a three-dimensional visco-elasto-plastic finite-element model. The model results show that the restraining bend of the southern SAF causes strain localization along the SJF, thus may have contributed to its initiation. Slip on the SJF tends to reduce slip rate on the SAF and enhance deformation in the Eastern California Shear Zone. The initiation of the SJF and its interaction with the SAF reflect the evolving plate boundary zone as it continuously seeks the most efficient way to accommodate the relative plate motion.

Surface Rupture of the Morelia Fault Near the Cerro Prieto Geothermal Field, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, during the Mw 5.4 Earthquake of 24 May 2006

The Cerro Prieto geothermal field, considered an active developing rift basin, is located in the southern limits of the Salton Trough tectonic province. The tectonic activity along the Gulf of California–Salton Trough has created spreading centers linked through a set of transform faults. Such faults are characterized by right lateral motion obliquely oriented to the gulf axis, which produces a transtensional stress regime along the Pacific–North American plate boundary. In particular, the Cerro Prieto basin has developed between the major Cerro Prieto and Imperial right-stepping transform faults, which are part of the San Andreas–Gulf of California fault system (figure 1). Both faults are seismically active and have produced several magnitude 7 earthquakes. However, in the past decades only the Imperial fault has produced superficial ground breakage during earthquakes. This is in contrast to earthquake ruptures on the Cerro Prieto fault, which have not extended up to the ground surface, so this fault trace is not yet well-constrained. The epicenter of the 24 May 2006 Mw 5.4 earthquake was located along the northern end of the Cerro Prieto fault. In a field survey performed after the earthquake, superficial fractures were clearly observed at short distances from the epicenter. Based on our field observations, we address the question of whether such fractures are evidence of rupture along the Cerro Prieto fault or are associated with a conjugate fault. ▴ Figure 1. Tectonic map of the Gulf of California region, including the peninsula of Baja California and Sonora, Mexico; California; Arizona; and the main tectonic elements: North American plate, Pacific Plate, East Pacific Rise, Gulf extensional province (GEP), Cerro Prieto fault (CPf), Imperial fault (If), Agua Blanca fault (ABf), Laguna Salada fault (LSf), Elsinore fault (Ef), San Jacinto fault (SJf), San Andreas fault (SAf), and Garlock fault (Gf). On 24 May 2006 at 04:20 (UTC) …

Quaternary landscape evolution in the San Jacinto fault zone, Peninsular Ranges of Southern California: Transient response to strike-slip fault initiation

Well-constrained case studies of transient landscape response to external forcing are needed to improve our understanding of erosion processes in tectonically active mountain belts. The Peninsular Ranges portion of the San Jacinto fault zone (SJFZ) is an excellent location for such a study because it displays pronounced geomorphic disequilibrium resulting from initiation of a major strike-slip fault in the past 1.0 to 2.5 million years. We recognize two geomorphic domains in this region: (1) a relict low-relief upland domain consisting of broad flat valleys and low-gradient streams and (2) very steep, rough topography with deeply incised canyons and retreating erosional knickpoints. Pleistocene sediments exposed along and near the SJFZ include fluvial conglomerate, sandstone, and mudstone, with weak paleosols and west- to NW-directed paleocurrents. These sediments accumulated in a low-gradient stream system (represented by domain 1) during an early phase of slip in the SJFZ, prior to the modern phase of erosion and degradation (domain 2). Late Pliocene or early Pleistocene initiation of the SJFZ triggered a wave of headward erosion and stream capture that is still migrating NW along the fault zone. Using the total distance that capture points have migrated along the fault zone and a range of possible ages for fault initiation, the rate of knickpoint retreat is estimated at ∼ 12 to 44 km/my. To explore the signal of transient geomorphic response to fault initiation, we analyzed 23 tributaries along an ∼ 20-km portion of the main fault valley within domain 2. The analysis reveals three zones with distinctive morphologies: (1) strongly convex longitudinal profiles in the NW, (2) a large (ca. 5–6 km 2) landslide in the central zone, and (3) concave tributaries in the SE with profile complexity decreasing and catchment area increasing from NW to SE. The distribution of these zones suggests close spatial and temporal association of active fault slip, bedrock incision, deep-seated landslides, and erosional modification. The fundamental driving force behind these processes is profound geomorphic disequilibrium resulting from initiation of the SJFZ. We suggest that landslides may have played a significant role in shaping the morphology of this fault zone, and that the influence of landslides may be underestimated in areas where characteristic landforms and deposits are obscured by later erosion and faulting.

Constraints on fault slip rates of the southern California plate boundary from GPS velocity and stress inversions

SUMMARY We use Global Positioning System (GPS) velocities and stress orientations inferred from seismicity to invert for the distribution of slip on faults in the southern California plate-boundary region. Of particular interest is how long-term slip rates are partitioned between the Indio segment of the San Andreas fault (SAF), the San Jacinto fault (SJF) and the San Bernardino segment of the SAF. We use two new sets of constraints to address this problem. The first is geodetic velocities from the Southern California Earthquake Center’s (SCEC) Crustal Motion Map (version 3 by Shen et al.), which includes significantly more data than previous models. The second is a regional model of stress-field orientations at seismogenic depths, as determined from earthquake focal mechanisms. While GPS data have been used in similar studies before, this is the first application of stress-field observations to this problem. We construct a simplified model of the southern California fault system, and estimate the interseismic surface velocities using a backslip approach with purely elastic strain accumulation, following Meade et al. In addition, we model the stress orientations at seismogenic depths, assuming that crustal stress results from the loading of active faults. The geodetically derived stressing rates are found to be aligned with the stress orientations from seismicity. We therefore proceed to invert simultaneously GPS and stress observations for slip rates of the faults in our network. We find that the regional patterns of crustal deformation as imaged by both data sets can be explained by our model, and that joint inversions lead to better constrained slip rates. In our preferred model, the SJF accommodates ∼15 mm yr −1 and the Indio segment of the SAF ∼23 mm yr −1 of right-lateral motion, accompanied by a low slip rate on the San Bernardino segment of the SAF. ‘Anomalous’ fault segments such as around the 1992 M w = 7.3 Landers surface rupture can be detected. There, observed stresses deviate strongly from the long-term loading as predicted by our simple model. Evaluation of model misfits together with information from palaeoseismology may provide further insights into the time dependence of strain accumulation along the San Andreas system.

Characterization of the San Jacinto fault zone near Anza, California, by fault zone trapped waves

We installed three 350‐m‐long seismic arrays, each array consisting of 12 three‐component stations, across the Coyote Creek fault (CCF), Clark Valley fault (CVF), and Buck Ridge fault (BRF) of the San Jacinto fault zone (SJFZ) near Anza, California, to record fault zone trapped waves from microearthquakes. We observed trapped waves with relatively large amplitudes and long duration at stations close to the fault traces for earthquakes occurring within the fault zone. The coda‐normalized amplitude spectra of trapped waves showed peaks at 4–7 Hz, which decreased sharply with the distance from the fault trace. Observations and three‐dimensional finite difference simulations of trapped waves revealed low‐velocity and low‐Q waveguides on these active faults with the width of 75–100 m in which shear velocities are reduced by 25–30% from wall rock velocities and Q values are 40–90 at depths between the surface and 18 km. The locations of earthquakes for which we observed trapped waves delineate the most seismically active fault strands of the SJFZ in a region with complicated slip planes near Anza. The low‐velocity waveguides inferred from trapped waves extend 15 to 20 km in the length on these active faults and are segmented by the fault discontinuities. The waveguide on the BRF dips south westward to connect the waveguide on the CVF, which dips northeastward. This waveguide extends at the seismogenic depth through Anza slip gap to another low‐velocity waveguide on the Casa Loma fault (CLF), which has been delineated in our previous study of the SJFZ using trapped waves [Li et al., 1997]. The waveguide on the CCF in Coyote Mountain is nearly vertical and disconnected from the CLF at the south edge of Anza gap. We interpret the low‐velocity waveguides on these active strands to partly result from recent prehistoric significant earthquakes on them and evaluate the future earthquake in the Anza region

San Jacinto Fault Zone guided waves: A discrimination for recently active fault strands near Anza, California

We deployed three 350‐m‐long eight‐element linear seismic arrays in the San Jacinto Fault Zone (SJFZ) near Anza, California, to record microearthquakes starting in August through December 1995. Two arrays were deployed 18 km northwest of Anza, across the Casa Loma fault (CLF) and the Hot Springs fault (HSF) strands of the SJFZ. The third array was deployed across the San Jacinto fault (SJF) in the Anza slip gap. We observed fault zone guided waves characterized by low‐frequency, large amplitudes following S waves at the CLF array and the SJF array for earthquakes occurring within the fault zone. However, we did not observe guided waves at the HSF array for any events. The amplitude spectra of these guided waves showed peaks at 4 Hz at the CLF and 6 Hz at the SJF, which decreased sharply with the distance from the fault trace. In contrast, no spectral peaks at frequency lower than 6 Hz were registered at the HSF array. We used a finite difference method to simulate these guided modes as 5 waves trapped in a low‐velocity waveguide sandwiched between high‐velocity wall rocks. The guided mode data are adequately fit by a waveguide on the CLF with the average width of 120 m and S velocity of 2.5 km/s, about 25% reduced from the S velocity of the surrounding rock; this waveguide becomes 40 to 60 m wide with the 5 velocity of 2.8 km/s in the Anza slip gap. On the other hand, there is not a continuous waveguide on the HSF at depth. Locations of the events with guided modes suggest that the fault plane waveguide extends along the CLF between the towns of San Jacinto and Anza, dipping northeastward at 75°–80° to a depth of about 18 km; it becomes nearly vertical in the Anza gap. We speculate that the existence of a continuous low‐velocity waveguide on the CLF can be caused by the rupture of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake on April 21, 1918, occurring near the towns of San Jacinto and Hemet. Further, the lack of a clear waveguide on the HSF suggests that it was not ruptured in this event.

Interaction of the San Jacinto and San Andreas Fault Zones, Southern California: Triggered Earthquake Migration and Coupled Recurrence Intervals

Two lines of evidence suggest that large earthquakes that occur on either the San Jacinto fault zone (SJFZ) or the San Andreas fault zone (SAFZ) may be triggered by large earthquakes that occur on the other. First, the great 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake in the SAFZ seems to have triggered a progressive sequence of earthquakes in the SJFZ. These earthquakes occurred at times and locations that are consistent with triggering by a strain pulse that propagated southeastward at a rate of 1.7 kilometers per year along the SJFZ after the 1857 earthquake. Second, the similarity in average recurrence intervals in the SJFZ (about 150 years) and in the Mojave segment of the SAFZ (132 years) suggests that large earthquakes in the northern SJFZ may stimulate the relatively frequent major earthquakes on the Mojave segment. Analysis of historic earthquake occurrence in the SJFZ suggests little likelihood of extended quiescence between earthquake sequences.