Structural superposition in fault systems bounding Santa Clara Valley, California

Geosphere
By: , and 

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Abstract

Santa Clara Valley is bounded on the southwest and northeast by active strike-slip and reverse-oblique faults of the San Andreas fault system. On both sides of the valley, these faults are superposed on older normal and/or right-lateral normal oblique faults. The older faults comprised early components of the San Andreas fault system as it formed in the wake of the northward passage of the Mendocino Triple Junction. On the east side of the valley, the great majority of fault displacement was accommodated by the older faults, which were almost entirely abandoned when the presently active faults became active after ca. 2.5 Ma. On the west side of the valley, the older faults were abandoned earlier, before ca. 8 Ma and probably accumulated only a small amount, if any, of the total right-lateral offset accommodated by the fault zone as a whole. Apparent contradictions in observations of fault offset and the relation of the gravity field to the distribution of dense rocks at the surface are explained by recognition of superposed structures in the Santa Clara Valley region.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Structural superposition in fault systems bounding Santa Clara Valley, California
Series title Geosphere
DOI 10.1130/GES01100.1
Volume 11
Issue 1
Year Published 2015
Language English
Publisher Geological Society of America
Contributing office(s) Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Description 13 p.
First page 63
Last page 75
Country United States
State California
Other Geospatial Santa Clara Valley
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