Geometry and kinematics of active normal faults, South Oquirrh Mountains, Utah: implication for fault growth

Wu, Daning; Bruhn, Ronald L.

doi:10.1016/0191-8141(94)90052-3

Cited by 55 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Therefore, we follow Schlagenhauf et al . [] (see their Figure ; see also similar conceptual ideas in Wu and Bruhn [], Davis et al . [], and Aydin and Berryman []) and suggest that the fault segments are formed during the fault growth, as a result of it: as a normal fault accumulates displacement at a fairly constant length, static stresses build up around the fault, especially at its tips.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Generic along‐strike segmentation of Afar normal faults, East Africa: Implications on fault growth and stress heterogeneity on seismogenic fault planes

Manighetti

Caulet

Barros

et al. 2015

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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Understanding how natural faults are segmented along their length can provide useful insights into fault growth processes, stress distribution on fault planes, and earthquake dynamics. We use cumulative displacement profiles to analyze the two largest scales of segmentation of 900 normal faults in Afar, East Africa. We build upon a prior study by Manighetti et al. (2009) and develop a new signal processing method aimed at recovering the number, position, displacement, and length of both the major (i.e., longest) and the subordinate, secondary segments within the faults. Regardless of their length, age, geographic location, total displacement, and slip rate, 90% of the faults contain two to five major segments, whereas more than 70% of these major segments are divided into two to four secondary segments. In each hierarchical rank of fault segmentation, most segments have a similar proportional length, whereas the number of segments slightly decreases with fault structural maturity. The along-strike segmentation of the Afar faults is thus generic at its two largest scales. We summarize published fault segment data on 42 normal, reverse, and strike-slip faults worldwide, and find a similar number (two to five) of major and secondary segments across the population. We suggest a fault growth scenario that might account for the generic large-scale segmentation of faults. The observation of a generic segmentation suggests that seismogenic fault planes are punctuated with a deterministic number of large stress concentrations, which are likely to control the initiation, arrest and hence extent and magnitude of earthquake ruptures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Generic along‐strike segmentation of Afar normal faults, East Africa: Implications on fault growth and stress heterogeneity on seismogenic fault planes

Manighetti

Caulet

Barros

et al. 2015

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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“…Segments along the Thyolo fault and Bilila-Mtakataka fault, with the exception of fault splays within the Citsulo segment, have hard-linked. These hard links imply fault maturity (Trudgill and Cartwright, 1994;Young et al, 2001). In contrast, gaps between the three Malombe fault segments indicate soft linkage (Walsh and Watterson, 1991).…”

Section: Displacement Profile and Segmentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the advances in satellite and computing technology, and thus the resolution of DEMs, calculating the vertical displacement along a scarp is largely a manual process that has remained consistent over several decades (e.g. Wallace, 1977;Bucknam and Anderson, 1979;Avouac, 1993;Wu and Bruhn, 1994;Ganas et al, 2005;Walker et al, 2015). Scarp height is typically used as a proxy for minimum vertical displacement (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A semi-automated algorithm to quantify scarp morphology (SPARTA): application to normal faults in southern Malawi

et al. 2019

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Abstract. Along-strike variation in scarp morphology reflects differences in a fault's geomorphic and structural development and can thus indicate fault rupture history and mechanical segmentation. Parameters that define scarp morphology (height, width, slope) are typically measured or calculated manually. The time-consuming manual approach reduces the density and objectivity of measurements and can lead to oversight of small-scale morphological variations that occur at a resolution impractical to capture. Furthermore, inconsistencies in the manual approach may also lead to unknown discrepancies and uncertainties between, and also within, individual fault scarp studies. Here, we aim to improve the efficiency, transparency and uniformity of calculating scarp morphological parameters by developing a semi-automated Scarp PARameTer Algorithm (SPARTA). We compare our findings against a traditional, manual analysis and assess the performance of the algorithm using a range of digital elevation model (DEM) resolutions. We then apply our new algorithm to a 12 m resolution TanDEM-X DEM for four southern Malawi fault scarps, located at the southern end of the East African Rift system: the Bilila–Mtakataka fault (BMF) and three previously unreported scarps – Thyolo, Muona and Malombe. All but Muona exhibit first-order structural segmentation at their surface. By using a 5 m resolution DEM derived from high-resolution (50 cm pixel−1) Pleiades stereo-satellite imagery for the Bilila–Mtakataka fault scarp, we quantify secondary structural segmentation. Our scarp height calculations from all four fault scarps suggest that if each scarp was formed by a single, complete rupture, the slip–length ratio for each earthquake exceeds the maximum typical value observed in historical normal faulting earthquakes around the world. The high slip–length ratios therefore imply that the Malawi fault scarps likely formed in multiple earthquakes. The scarp height distribution implies the structural segments of both the BMF and Thyolo fault have merged via rupture of discrete faults (hard links) through several earthquake cycles, and the segments of the Malombe fault have connected via distributed deformation zones (soft links). For all faults studied here, the length of earthquake ruptures may therefore exceed the length of each segment. Thus, our findings shed new light on the seismic hazard in southern Malawi, indicating evidence for a number of large (Mw 7–8) prehistoric earthquakes, as well as providing a new semi-automated methodology (SPARTA) for calculating scarp morphological parameters, which can be used on other fault scarps to infer structural development.

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“…9G, H) and modifies the sinuosity of the lower part of the alluvial channels (Baize, 1998). Scarps are useful geomorphological objects because their morphologies reflect the conflicting action of uplift and erosion (Wallace, 1977;Scheidegger and Ai, 1986;Avouac, 1993;Wu and Bruhn, 1994). Fault scarp morphologies have been investigated by quantitative methods describing the profiles of slope offsets (Avouac and Peltzer, 1993) (Fig.…”

Section: Fault-generated Origin Of Landform Discontinuitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Active tectonics, seismicity and geomorphology with special reference to Normandy (France)

et al. 2000

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Geometry and kinematics of active normal faults, South Oquirrh Mountains, Utah: implication for fault growth

Cited by 55 publications

References 25 publications

Generic along‐strike segmentation of Afar normal faults, East Africa: Implications on fault growth and stress heterogeneity on seismogenic fault planes

Generic along‐strike segmentation of Afar normal faults, East Africa: Implications on fault growth and stress heterogeneity on seismogenic fault planes

A semi-automated algorithm to quantify scarp morphology (SPARTA): application to normal faults in southern Malawi

Active tectonics, seismicity and geomorphology with special reference to Normandy (France)

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