Present-day pattern of Cordilleran deformation in the western United States

Abstract

Research Article| April 01, 1999 Present-day pattern of Cordilleran deformation in the western United States R. A. Bennett; R. A. Bennett 1Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. L. Davis; J. L. Davis 1Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar B. P. Wernicke B. P. Wernicke 2California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information R. A. Bennett 1Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA J. L. Davis 1Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA B. P. Wernicke 2California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, 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): 371–374. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0371:PDPOCD>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 R. A. Bennett, J. L. Davis, B. P. Wernicke; Present-day pattern of Cordilleran deformation in the western United States. Geology 1999;; 27 (4): 371–374. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0371:PDPOCD>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 We present the first detailed geodetic image of the entire western United States south of lat 42°N, merging both campaign and continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) and very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) data sets in a combined solution for station velocities having a single, uniform reference frame. The results are consistent with a number of features previously observed through local geodetic studies and very sparse space geodetic studies, including a dominant pattern of right-lateral shear associated with the San Andreas fault, rates of the westernmost sites (along the California coast) of 46–48 mm/yr relative to a North America reference frame, and some 11–13 mm/yr of deformation accommodated east of the Sierra Nevada in the Basin and Range province north of lat 36°N. South of 36°N, the solution also shows that the southernmost San Andreas fault system accommodates effectively all interplate motion and that the southern Basin and Range is not deforming significantly. At lat 37°N, the eastern California shear zone appears to exhibit simple shear oriented between ∼N20°W and ∼N40°W relative to North America, with a fairly well defined transition zone from localized shear to diffuse spreading in the Basin and Range. Enigmatically, this transition involves a significant component of contraction normal to the overall shear-zone trend; sites in the Great Basin move southwestward at up to ∼5 mm/yr toward sites within the eastern California shear zone. To the north, in contrast, there appears to be a relatively smooth transition from east-west spreading within the eastern Great Basin to northwest-southeast shear across the westernmost Basin and Range. 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.