Jurassic earthquake sequence recorded by multiple generations of sand blows, Zion National Park, Utah

Abstract

Research Article| October 01, 2013 Jurassic earthquake sequence recorded by multiple generations of sand blows, Zion National Park, Utah David B. Loope; David B. Loope * 1Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, 214 Bessey Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340, USA *E-mail: dloope1@unl.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar James F. Elder; James F. Elder 2101 Smirle Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario KIY OS4, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Vitaly A. Zlotnik; Vitaly A. Zlotnik 1Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, 214 Bessey Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Richard M. Kettler; Richard M. Kettler 1Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, 214 Bessey Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Darryll T. Pederson Darryll T. Pederson 1Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, 214 Bessey Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information David B. Loope * 1Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, 214 Bessey Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340, USA James F. Elder 2101 Smirle Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario KIY OS4, Canada Vitaly A. Zlotnik 1Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, 214 Bessey Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340, USA Richard M. Kettler 1Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, 214 Bessey Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340, USA Darryll T. Pederson 1Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, 214 Bessey Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340, USA *E-mail: dloope1@unl.edu. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 04 Apr 2013 Revision Received: 25 Jun 2013 Accepted: 01 Jul 2013 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2013 Geological Society of America Geology (2013) 41 (10): 1131–1134. https://doi.org/10.1130/G34619.1 Article history Received: 04 Apr 2013 Revision Received: 25 Jun 2013 Accepted: 01 Jul 2013 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation David B. Loope, James F. Elder, Vitaly A. Zlotnik, Richard M. Kettler, Darryll T. Pederson; Jurassic earthquake sequence recorded by multiple generations of sand blows, Zion National Park, Utah. Geology 2013;; 41 (10): 1131–1134. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G34619.1 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 Earthquakes along convergent plate boundaries commonly occur in sequences that are complete within 1 yr, and may include 8–10 events strong enough to generate sand blows. Dune crossbeds within the Jurassic Navajo Sandstone of Utah (western United States) enclose intact and truncated sand blows, and the intrusive structures that fed them. We mapped the distribution of more than 800 soft-sediment dikes and pipes at two small sites. All water-escape structures intersect a single paleo-surface, and are limited to the upper portion of the underlying set of cross-strata and the lower portion of the overlying set. A small portion of one set of crossbeds that represents ∼1 yr of dune migration encloses eight generations of eruptive events. We interpret these superimposed depositional and deformational structures as the record of a single shock-aftershock earthquake sequence. The completeness and temporal detail of this paleoseismic record are unique, and were made possible when sand blows repeatedly erupted onto lee slopes of migrating dunes. Similar records should be sought in modern dunefields with shallow water tables. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.