Guadalupe Island, Mexico as a new constraint for Pacific plate motion

Gonzalez-Garcia, J. J.; Prawirodirdjo, L.; Bock, Yehuda; Agnew, Duncan Carr

doi:10.1029/2003gl017732

Cited by 27 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…(b) North America–Pacific plate motion estimates at 36°N, 120.6°W from different subsets of the MORVEL plate circuits and data (specified in the legend). GPS‐based estimates are as follows: 1, DeMets & Dixon (1999); 2, Beavan et al (2002); 3, Sella et al (2002); 4, Gonzales‐Garcia et al (2003); 5, Marquez‐Azua et al (2004); 6, Plattner et al (2007); 7, Kogan & Steblov (2008) and 8, Argus et al (2010). Blue circle with ellipse is the GPS estimate from this study (Table 6).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Geologically current plate motions

DeMets¹,

Gordon

Argus

2010

Geophysical Journal International

2,269

1,664

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S U M M A R YWe describe best-fitting angular velocities and MORVEL, a new closure-enforced set of angular velocities for the geologically current motions of 25 tectonic plates that collectively occupy 97 per cent of Earth's surface. Seafloor spreading rates and fault azimuths are used to determine the motions of 19 plates bordered by mid-ocean ridges, including all the major plates. Six smaller plates with little or no connection to the mid-ocean ridges are linked to MORVEL with GPS station velocities and azimuthal data. By design, almost no kinematic information is exchanged between the geologically determined and geodetically constrained subsets of the global circuit-MORVEL thus averages motion over geological intervals for all the major plates. Plate geometry changes relative to NUVEL-1A include the incorporation of Nubia, Lwandle and Somalia plates for the former Africa plate, Capricorn, Australia and Macquarie plates for the former Australia plate, and Sur and South America plates for the former South America plate. MORVEL also includes Amur, Philippine Sea, Sundaland and Yangtze plates, making it more useful than NUVEL-1A for studies of deformation in Asia and the western Pacific. Seafloor spreading rates are estimated over the past 0.78 Myr for intermediate and fast spreading centres and since 3.16 Ma for slow and ultraslow spreading centres. Rates are adjusted downward by 0.6-2.6 mm yr −1 to compensate for the several kilometre width of magnetic reversal zones. Nearly all the NUVEL-1A angular velocities differ significantly from the MORVEL angular velocities. The many new data, revised plate geometries, and correction for outward displacement thus significantly modify our knowledge of geologically current plate motions. MORVEL indicates significantly slower 0.78-Myr-average motion across the Nazca-Antarctic and Nazca-Pacific boundaries than does NUVEL-1A, consistent with a progressive slowdown in the eastward component of Nazca plate motion since 3.16 Ma. It also indicates that motions across the Caribbean-North America and Caribbean-South America plate boundaries are twice as fast as given by NUVEL-1A. Summed, least-squares differences between angular velocities estimated from GPS and those for MORVEL, NUVEL-1 and NUVEL-1A are, respectively, 260 per cent larger for NUVEL-1 and 50 per cent larger for NUVEL-1A than for MORVEL, suggesting that MORVEL more accurately describes historically current plate motions. Significant differences between geological and GPS estimates of Nazca plate motion and Arabia-Eurasia and India-Eurasia motion are reduced but not eliminated when using MORVEL instead of NUVEL-1A, possibly indicating that changes have occurred in those plate motions since 3.16 Ma. The MORVEL and GPS estimates of Pacific-North America plate motion in western North America differ by only 2.6 ± 1.7 mm yr −1 , ≈25 per cent smaller than for NUVEL-1A. The remaining difference for this plate pair, assuming there are no unrecognized systematic errors and no measurable change in Pacific-North America motion ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Geologically current plate motions

DeMets¹,

Gordon

Argus

2010

Geophysical Journal International

2,269

1,664

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“…Slip rate estimates for the westernmost model faults range from 3 to 5 mm/yr. These slip rate estimates are generally in agreement with those estimated in previous block model studies in this region [ Bennett et al ., ; Dixon et al ., ; Gonzalez‐Garcia et al ., ; Meade and Hager , ]. If we decompose the strike‐slip rate estimates into vectors that are parallel and perpendicular to the general direction of PA‐NA plate motion (316°) [ Argus et al ., ), then sum the plate‐motion parallel rates along profiles perpendicular to plate motion direction is in the range 47.5–50.7 mm/yr, consistent with previous plate motion calculations [ DeMets et al ., ; DeMets and Dixon , ; Sella et al ., ; Argus et al ., ; DeMets et al ., ].…”

Section: Analysis Of Crustal Motionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing long‐term postseismic deformation following the M7.2 4 April 2010, El Mayor‐Cucapah earthquake with implications for lithospheric rheology in the Salton Trough

et al. 2015

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The 4 April 2010 M w 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah (EMC) earthquake provides the best opportunity to date to study the lithospheric response to a large (>M6) magnitude earthquake in the Salton Trough region through analysis of Global Positioning System (GPS) data. In conjunction with the EarthScope Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO), we installed six new continuous GPS stations in the months following the EMC earthquake to increase station coverage in the epicentral region of northern Baja California, Mexico. We modeled the pre-EMC deformation field using available campaign and continuous GPS data for southern California and northern Baja California and inferred a pre-EMC secular rate at each new station location. Through direct comparison of the pre-and post-EMC secular rates, we calculate long-term changes associated with viscoelastic relaxation in the Salton Trough region. We fit these velocity changes using numerical models employing an elastic upper crustal layer underlain by a viscoelastic lower crustal layer and a mantle half-space. Forward models that produce the smallest weighted sum of squared residuals have an upper mantle viscosity in the range 4-6 × 1018 Pa s and a less well-resolved lower crustal viscosity in the range 2 × 10 19 to 1 × 10 22 Pa s. A high-viscosity lower crust, despite high heat flow in the Salton Trough region, is inconsistent with felsic composition and might suggest accretion of mafic lower crust associated with crustal spreading obscured by thick sedimentary cover.

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“…However, evidence is accumulating that Baja California's motion is distinct from that of the Pacific Plate (Fig. 1) and thus behaves as a separate block or microplate (Dixon et al 2000b; Fletcher & Munguia 2000; Gonzalez‐Garcia et al 2003; Michaud et al 2004). Here we use new GPS data to quantify current North America–Pacific Plate motion and investigate coupling and rigidity of Baja California and the Pacific Plate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The precision of the geodetic estimates of NA‐Pacific motion has improved with time, as more stations become available and GPS time‐series become longer (Argus & Heflin 1995; Larson et al 1997; DeMets & Dixon 1999; Freymueller et al 1999; Beavan et al 2002; Sella et al 2002; Gonzales‐Garcia et al 2003). Our result for NA‐PA1 together with previous results is listed in Table 2, and illustrated in Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New constraints on relative motion between the Pacific Plate and Baja California microplate (Mexico) from GPS measurements

Plattner¹,

Malservisi²,

Dixon³

et al. 2007

Geophysical Journal International

127

130

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SUMMARY We present a new surface velocity field for Baja California using GPS data to test the rigidity of this microplate, calculate its motion in a global reference frame, determine its relative motion with respect to the North American and the Pacific plates, and compare those results to our estimate for Pacific–North America motion. Determination of Pacific Plate motion is improved by the inclusion of four sites from the South Pacific Sea Level and Climate Monitoring Project. These analyses reveal that Baja California moves as a quasi‐rigid block but at a slower rate in the same direction, as the Pacific Plate relative to North America. This is consistent with seismic activity along the western edge of Baja California (the Baja California shear zone), and may reflect resistance to motion of the eastern edge of the Pacific Plate caused by the ‘big bend’ of the San Andreas fault and the Transverse Ranges in southern California.

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Guadalupe Island, Mexico as a new constraint for Pacific plate motion

Cited by 27 publications

References 12 publications

Geologically current plate motions

Geologically current plate motions

Assessing long‐term postseismic deformation following the M7.2 4 April 2010, El Mayor‐Cucapah earthquake with implications for lithospheric rheology in the Salton Trough

New constraints on relative motion between the Pacific Plate and Baja California microplate (Mexico) from GPS measurements

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