GPS determination of current Pacific–North American plate motion

Abstract

Research Article| April 01, 1999 GPS determination of current Pacific–North American plate motion Kyle Antonelis; Kyle Antonelis 1Department of Geology, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington 98926, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Daniel J. Johnson; Daniel J. Johnson 1Department of Geology, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington 98926, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar M. Meghan Miller; M. Meghan Miller 1Department of Geology, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington 98926, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Randy Palmer Randy Palmer 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Kyle Antonelis 1Department of Geology, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington 98926, USA Daniel J. Johnson 1Department of Geology, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington 98926, USA M. Meghan Miller 1Department of Geology, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington 98926, USA Randy Palmer 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1999) 27 (4): 299–302. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0299:GDOCPN>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Kyle Antonelis, Daniel J. Johnson, M. Meghan Miller, Randy Palmer; GPS determination of current Pacific–North American plate motion. Geology 1999;; 27 (4): 299–302. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0299:GDOCPN>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Global Positioning System (GPS) data, collected by campaign-style GPS experiments at five sites along the Gulf of California in 1996 and 1998, determine a locally based estimate for current relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates. At the mouth of the Gulf of California, the Pacific plate moves 50.4 ± 3.4 mm/yr, along an azimuth of N59.0°W ± 2.7°, relative to mainland Mexico. These estimates substantiate and refine previous locally based GPS-determined rates, and agree with GPS determinations of global plate motion. A reexamination of magnetic anomalies in the gulf used in the widely accepted NUVEL-1A global plate model has yielded an average Pacific–North American relative velocity from 0.78 Ma to the present of 51.1 ± 2.5 mm/yr. The new GPS-determined velocity agrees with this estimate, supporting the ideas that the transfer of Baja California to the Pacific plate continued until ca. 1 Ma, and that the current Pacific–North American rate is greater than the 3.16 Ma average. The azimuth determination is ∼5° west of the NUVEL-1A results calculated from earthquake slip vectors and azimuths of gulf transforms offsetting both oceanic and continental crust. The Tamayo fracture represents the only fault zone used in the NUVEL-1A model that offsets solely oceanic crust. This fault zone trends N60°W, consistent with the GPS-determined azimuth at the mouth of the gulf. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.