Recent Crustal Movements in the Central Sierra Nevada–Walker Lane Region of California-Nevada: Part II, the Pyramid Lake Right-Slip Fault Zone Segment of the Walker Lane

Bell, E.J.; Slemmons, David B.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-41783-1.50084-2

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The Pyramid Lake fault zone is a northwest trending right‐lateral strike‐slip fault located in the northern Walker Lane (Figure 1) [ Bonham and Slemmons , 1968; Bell and Slemmons , 1979; Bell , 1984; Anderson and Hawkins , 1984]. The northern Walker Lane is a region of NW directed late Cenozoic shear located between the Basin and Range and the Sierra Nevada [ Stewart , 1988; Yount et al , 1993] and comprises a complex zone of northwest trending right‐lateral strike‐slip faults, northeast trending left‐lateral strike‐slip faults, and north trending normal faults (Figure 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Pleistocene fault slip rate, earthquake recurrence, and recency of slip along the Pyramid Lake fault zone, northern Walker Lane, United States

Briggs

Wesnousky

2004

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] Up to 25% of Pacific-North America plate relative transform motion is accommodated east of the Sierra Nevada. Most of that 25% is taken up by deformation in the Walker Lane, a discontinuous zone of strike-slip and normal faults approximately parallel to the San Andreas. The Pyramid Lake fault zone is a northwest trending right-lateral fault in the northern Walker Lane, Nevada. Recent geodetic surveys report 6 ± 2 mm/year of right-lateral shear strain accumulation across the northern Walker Lane. Interpretation of displaced geomorphic features preserved in post-Lake Lahontan ($15,500 cal. yr B.P.) surfaces indicate the Pyramid Lake fault zone has accommodated at least 2.6 ± 0.3 mm/year of right-lateral shear during the late Pleistocene. Additionally, a minimum of two earthquakes have occurred since deposition of the Mazama tephra ($7630 cal. yr B.P.), and at least four earthquakes have occurred on the fault after desiccation of Lake Lahontan ($15.5 ka), with the most recent earthquake occurring after 1705 ± 175 cal. yr B.P. The observations indicate that the Pyramid Lake fault zone accommodates the major portion (!25%-70%) of right-lateral slip east of the Sierra Nevada at the latitude of $39°45 0 N.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Pleistocene fault slip rate, earthquake recurrence, and recency of slip along the Pyramid Lake fault zone, northern Walker Lane, United States

Briggs

Wesnousky

2004

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…The Walker Lane belt (Figure 1) is bounded on the northeast by the Walker Lane itself (a narrow linear zone passing near Fallon and Gabbs) and on the southwest by the Sierra Nevada front (roughly defined by a line trending N30°W through Lake Tahoe). Deformation in the Walker Lane belt between 39° and 40°N has been described in consecutive papers by Slemmons et al [1979], Bell and Slemmons [1979], and Sanders and Slemmons [1979]. The CNSZ [ Caskey et al , 1996] is defined by the ruptures associated with the 1915 Pleasant Valley, 1954 Rainbow Mountain‐Fairview Peak‐Dixie Valley, and the 1932 Cedar Mountain earthquakes, all magnitude ∼7 events [ Goter et al , 1994].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strain accumulation and rotation in western Nevada, 1993–2000

Svarc

2002

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] The positions of 44 GPS monuments in an array extending from the Sierra Nevada at the latitude of Reno to near Austin, Nevada, have been measured several times in the 1993 -2000 interval. The western half of the array spans the Walker Lane belt, whereas the eastern half spans the central Nevada seismic zone (CNSZ). The principal strain rates in the Walker Lane belt are 29.6 ± 5.3 nstrain yr À1 N88.4°E ± 5.4°and À12.8 ± 6.0 nanostrain yr À1 N01.6°W ± 5.4°, extension reckoned positive, and the clockwise (as seen from above the Earth) rotation rate about a vertical axis is 13.6 ± 4.0 nrad yr À1 . The quoted uncertainties are standard deviations. The motion in the Walker Lane belt can then be represented by a zone striking N35°W subject to 16.8 ± 4.9 nstrain yr À1 extension perpendicular to it and 19.5 ± 4.0 nstrain yr À1 right-lateral, simple shear across it. The N35°W strike of the zone is the same as the direction of the local tangent to the small circle drawn about the Pacific-North America pole of rotation. The principal strain rates for the CNSZ are 46.2 ± 11.0 nstrain yr À1 N49.9°W ± 6.0°and À13.6 ± 6.1 nstrain yr À1 N40.1°E ± 6.0°, and the clockwise rotation rate about a vertical axis is 20.3 ± 6.3 nrad yr À1 . The motion across the CNSZ can then be represented by a zone striking N12°E subject to 32.6 ± 11.0 nstrain yr À1 extension perpendicular to it and 25.1 ± 6.3 nstrain yr À1 right-lateral, simple shear across it. The N12°E strike of the zone is similar to the strikes of the faults (Rainbow Mountain, Fairview Peak, and Dixie Valley) within it.

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“…North to north-northeast-striking normal faults include: southern Mohawk Valley Fault (Sawyer et al 1993;Sawyer et al 2005), Dry ValleySmoke Creek Ranch Fault (Bonham 1969), Bonham Ranch Fault Zone (Bonham 1969), Eastern Pyramid Lake Fault (Bonham 1969), Peterson Mountain Fault (Nitchman 1991), Freds Mountain Fault (Nitchman and Ramelli 1991), and Spanish Springs Valley Fault (Bell and Bonham 1987). Northwest striking dextral faults include: northern Mohawk Valley Fault (Sawyer et al 1993;Sawyer et al 2005), Honey Lake Fault (Wills and Borchardt 1993;Turner et al 2008), Warm Springs Valley Fault (Wills and Borchardt 1993;Henry et al 2002), and Pyramid Valley Fault (Bell and Slemmons 1979;Anderson and Hawkins 1984;Briggs and Wesnousky 2004). Northeast striking sinistral faults include: Spanish Springs Peak Fault Zone (Bell and Bonham 1987) and Olinghouse Fault Zone (Sanders and Slemmons 1979;Sanders and Slemmons 1996;Briggs and Wesnousky 2005), and the Carson Lineament (Shawe 1965;Bell 1984 The TD of the microplate is , 3008 (Euler pole from Dixon et al 2000) and the northeast margin is oriented , 3308.…”

Section: Application Of Theory To Structural Provinces Of the Easternmentioning

confidence: 98%

Transtensional analyses of fault patterns and strain provinces of the Eastern California shear zone–Walker Lane on the eastern margin of the Sierra Nevada microplate, California and Nevada

Taylor

Dewey

2009

International Geology Review

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Obliquity of the strain velocity field to the deformation zone boundary requires strain to be triaxial. At the plate boundary scale, fault geometries predicted by transtensional theory better explain observed fault patterns in the northern Eastern California shear zone-Walker Lane area than do 2D plane strain predictions. Structural provinces in the Eastern California shear zone -Walker Lane are defined by variations in the orientation of the eastern margin of the Sierra Nevada microplate, and include the Honey LakePyramid Lake, Lake Tahoe, Mono Lake -Long Valley, Owens Valley, and Coso subprovinces. The local geometry of the transtensional zone boundary and the microplate transport direction determines orientations of the instantaneous strain axes for each province. Fault orientations predicted with respect to these axes are consistent with those observed in each structural province. The variation of zone geometry among predominantly coaxially dominated strain provinces over a consistent period of deformation does not result in dramatic changes in shape or orientation among finite strain ellipsoids. Although Quaternary faulting strongly reflects transtensional kinematics, the magnitude of estimated finite strain for each province suggests that present-day transtensional deformation has not accommodated large amounts of extension, vertical thinning, or strike-slip offset. K-values for all structural provinces plot in the k . 1 constrictional field on the logarithmic Flinn (Ramsay) diagram, indicating non-plane, transtensional strain. Collectively, these theoretical applications and structural -tectonic observations have implications for evaluating kinematics and faulting during brittle non-plane strain deformation, and for the overall evolution of the transtensional Sierra Nevada -North America plate boundary.

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Recent Crustal Movements in the Central Sierra Nevada–Walker Lane Region of California-Nevada: Part II, the Pyramid Lake Right-Slip Fault Zone Segment of the Walker Lane

Cited by 5 publications

References 13 publications

Late Pleistocene fault slip rate, earthquake recurrence, and recency of slip along the Pyramid Lake fault zone, northern Walker Lane, United States

Late Pleistocene fault slip rate, earthquake recurrence, and recency of slip along the Pyramid Lake fault zone, northern Walker Lane, United States

Strain accumulation and rotation in western Nevada, 1993–2000

Transtensional analyses of fault patterns and strain provinces of the Eastern California shear zone–Walker Lane on the eastern margin of the Sierra Nevada microplate, California and Nevada

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