Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 81-84 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | NATURE |
| Volume | 435 |
| Issue number | 7038 |
| Publication status | Published - 5 May 2005 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
Geologic and palaeoseismological data document a marked increase in the slip rates of the Wasatch fault and three adjacent normal faults in the Basin and Range Province during the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene epochs. The cause of this synchronous acceleration of fault slip and the subsequent clustering of earthquakes during the Holocene has remained enigmatic, although it has been suggested that the coincidence between the acceleration of slip and the shrinkage of Lake Bonneville after the Last Glacial Maximum may indicate a causal relationship. Here we use finite-element models of a discrete normal fault within a Theologically layered lithosphere to evaluate the relative importance of two competing processes that affect fault slip: postglacial unloading (the removal of mass), which decreases the slip rate, and lithospheric rebound, which promotes faster slip. We show that lithospheric rebound caused by regression of Lake Bonneville and deglaciation of adjacent mountain ranges provides a feasible mechanism for the high Holocene rates of faulting in the Wasatch region. Our analysis implies that climate-controlled changes in loads applied to Earth's surface may exert a fundamental control on the slip history of individual normal faults.
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In: NATURE, Vol. 435, No. 7038, 05.05.2005, p. 81-84.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Slip rate variations on normal faults during glacial-interglacial changes in surface loads
AU - Hetzel, Ralf
AU - Hampel, Andrea
PY - 2005/5/5
Y1 - 2005/5/5
N2 - Geologic and palaeoseismological data document a marked increase in the slip rates of the Wasatch fault and three adjacent normal faults in the Basin and Range Province during the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene epochs. The cause of this synchronous acceleration of fault slip and the subsequent clustering of earthquakes during the Holocene has remained enigmatic, although it has been suggested that the coincidence between the acceleration of slip and the shrinkage of Lake Bonneville after the Last Glacial Maximum may indicate a causal relationship. Here we use finite-element models of a discrete normal fault within a Theologically layered lithosphere to evaluate the relative importance of two competing processes that affect fault slip: postglacial unloading (the removal of mass), which decreases the slip rate, and lithospheric rebound, which promotes faster slip. We show that lithospheric rebound caused by regression of Lake Bonneville and deglaciation of adjacent mountain ranges provides a feasible mechanism for the high Holocene rates of faulting in the Wasatch region. Our analysis implies that climate-controlled changes in loads applied to Earth's surface may exert a fundamental control on the slip history of individual normal faults.
AB - Geologic and palaeoseismological data document a marked increase in the slip rates of the Wasatch fault and three adjacent normal faults in the Basin and Range Province during the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene epochs. The cause of this synchronous acceleration of fault slip and the subsequent clustering of earthquakes during the Holocene has remained enigmatic, although it has been suggested that the coincidence between the acceleration of slip and the shrinkage of Lake Bonneville after the Last Glacial Maximum may indicate a causal relationship. Here we use finite-element models of a discrete normal fault within a Theologically layered lithosphere to evaluate the relative importance of two competing processes that affect fault slip: postglacial unloading (the removal of mass), which decreases the slip rate, and lithospheric rebound, which promotes faster slip. We show that lithospheric rebound caused by regression of Lake Bonneville and deglaciation of adjacent mountain ranges provides a feasible mechanism for the high Holocene rates of faulting in the Wasatch region. Our analysis implies that climate-controlled changes in loads applied to Earth's surface may exert a fundamental control on the slip history of individual normal faults.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=18544382642&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/nature03562
DO - 10.1038/nature03562
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:18544382642
VL - 435
SP - 81
EP - 84
JO - NATURE
JF - NATURE
SN - 0028-0836
IS - 7038
ER -