Effect of Water‐Level Recoveries on Fault Creep, Houston, Texas

Holzer, Thomas L.; Gabrysch, R.K.

doi:10.1111/j.1745-6584.1987.tb02143.x

Cited by 28 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Whatever the cause of this short-term motion, no record of seismic activity exists in this region at a magnitude that registered on Rice University's EQ-1 instruments approximately 135 km away (Rice University, 2012). Still, one would not necessarily expect seismicity from growth fault motion as the literature generally speculates aseismic creep as the dominant form of movement (Holzer and Gabrysch, 1987;Verbeek et al, 2005), though exceptions may have occurred (Pratt and Johnson, 1926;Segal, 1989).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Active fault motion in a coastal wetland: Matagorda, Texas

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Active fault motion in a coastal wetland: Matagorda, Texas

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Previous explanations for the causes of modern faulting along the Gulf Coast have emphasized groundwater and petroleum extraction [ Holzer and Gabrysch , 1987; Morton et al , 2002]. Although applicable in some areas such as Houston‐Galveston, the groundwater extraction explanation is untenable for southeast Louisiana (and SLA) because groundwater withdrawal is minimal, due to severe saltwater intrusion [ Kazmann and Heath , 1968; Baumann et al , 2006].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, modern subsidence in the gulf region is usually described as a near‐surface effect, the consequence of shallow sedimentary processes and/or human activities [ Boesch et al , 1994; Gagliano , 1999; Reed and Wilson , 2004]. In particular, faulting and related subsidence is generally attributed to groundwater extraction [ Holzer and Gabrysch , 1987] or oil and gas production [ Morton et al , 2002]. Here, we present new GPS data that reveal both vertical (subsidence) and horizontal (southward translation) motions of New Orleans and the larger Mississippi delta and propose that these motions reflect southward translation of a crustal‐scale allochthon encompassing southeastern Louisiana and offshore regions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tectonic control of subsidence and southward displacement of southeast Louisiana with respect to stable North America

Dokka

Sella

Dixon

2006

Geophysical Research Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

GPS data collected between 1995 and 2006 suggest that southeast Louisiana, including New Orleans and the larger Mississippi Delta, are both subsiding vertically and moving southward with respect to stable North America. Both motions are likely related due to their common tectonic setting. Subsidence in the New Orleans area occurs in part because it is located in the hanging wall of a large listric normal fault system that forms the northern boundary of a 7–10 km thick allochthon that is detached from stable North America. Southward motion of this allochthon relative to stable North America occurs at 2.2 ± 0.6 mm/yr. The average subsidence rate for GPS sites located on the allochthon is 5.2 ± 0.9 mm/yr relative to Earth's center of mass, or ∼7 mm/yr relative to mean sea level. Motion of the allochthon is likely due to the gravity instability created by rapid Holocene sediment deposition in the delta following continental glacial retreat and is facilitated at depth by weak salt horizons. Because New Orleans and other communities of southeastern Louisiana lie atop this active allochthon, future motion of this body should be considered during rebuilding of the region following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

show abstract

“…It is only recently that faulting has been proposed as a significant cause of subsidence (e.g., Gagliano, 1999). Some, however, consider faulting to be human induced and related to groundwater withdrawal (e.g., Holzer and Gabrysch, 1987) or to oil and gas production (e.g., Morton et al, 2002).…”

Section: Introduction and Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Modern-day tectonic subsidence in coastal Louisiana

Dokka

2006

Geol

125

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Subsidence is leading to the slow inundation of communities and wetlands of Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama (United States) by the Gulf of Mexico. The prevailing paradigm considers subsidence to be the result of young sediment compaction and/or consolidation and human activities. This paper describes the results of a test of this theory based on an examination of historic motions of benchmark in the Michoud area of Orleans Parish, Louisiana. This methodology allowed for an assessment of vertical change at different levels over time relative to a precise vertical datum (North American Vertical Datum of 1988, NAVD88). Data do not support the current theory on the origins of subsidence; they demonstrate that tectonic causes dominate in the study area. During 1969During -1971During and 1971During -1977, tectonism was responsible for ؊16.9 mm/yr and ؊7.1 mm/yr of subsidence, respectively. These contributions account for 73% and 50% of the total subsidence during these intervals. The change in deep subsidence is attributed to renewed motion along a large normal fault (Michoud fault). Over the same time intervals, intermediate depth subsidence due to compaction of Pleistocene to middle Miocene strata was constant (؊4.6 mm/yr). Similarly, subsidence due to shallow processes, i.e., sediment compaction and groundwater offtake, was ؊1.5 mm/yr and ؊2.5 mm/yr. Subsidence associated with petroleum extraction was not a factor due to the lack of local production.

show abstract

Effect of Water‐Level Recoveries on Fault Creep, Houston, Texas

Cited by 28 publications

References 9 publications

Active fault motion in a coastal wetland: Matagorda, Texas

Active fault motion in a coastal wetland: Matagorda, Texas

Tectonic control of subsidence and southward displacement of southeast Louisiana with respect to stable North America

Modern-day tectonic subsidence in coastal Louisiana

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About