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AGU: Tectonics

 

Keywords

  • Big Pine fault
  • western Transverse Ranges
  • Pine Mountain fault

Index Terms

  • Tectonophysics: Continental neotectonics
  • Tectonophysics: Continental tectonics: strike-slip and transform
  • Geographic Location: North America
Abstract
Cited By (0)
 

Abstract

Taking apart the Big Pine fault: Redefining a major structural feature in southern California

Nathan W. Onderdonk

Physics of Geological Processes, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Scott A. Minor

U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado, USA

Karl S. Kellogg

U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado, USA

New mapping along the Big Pine fault trend in southern California indicates that this structural alignment is actually three separate faults, which exhibit different geometries, slip histories, and senses of offset since Miocene time. The easternmost fault, along the north side of Lockwood Valley, exhibits left-lateral reverse Quaternary displacement but was a north dipping normal fault in late Oligocene to early Miocene time. The eastern Big Pine fault that bounds the southern edge of the Cuyama Badlands is a south dipping reverse fault that is continuous with the San Guillermo fault. The western segment of the Big Pine fault trend is a north dipping thrust fault continuous with the Pine Mountain fault and delineates the northern boundary of the rotated western Transverse Ranges terrane. This redefinition of the Big Pine fault differs greatly from the previous interpretation and significantly alters regional tectonic models and seismic risk estimates. The outcome of this study also demonstrates that basic geologic mapping is still needed to support the development of geologic models.

Received 14 March 2005; accepted 1 September 2005; published 9 November 2005.

Citation: Onderdonk, N. W., S. A. Minor, and K. S. Kellogg (2005), Taking apart the Big Pine fault: Redefining a major structural feature in southern California, Tectonics, 24, TC6002, doi:10.1029/2005TC001817.

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