Geometry and evolution of the San Andreas fault zone in northern California

K. P. Furlong, W. D. Hugo, G. Zandt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

92 Scopus citations

Abstract

The evolution of the San Andreas fault system is controlled by thermal-mechanical processes associated with the development and evolution of a narrow "slabless window' formed beneath the western edge of North America. This fault zone evolution begins after initiation of transform motion along the plate boundary with the northward migration of the Mendocino triple junction. As a consequence of initial lithospheric structure and the shallow emplacement of asthenospheric mantle, the plate boundary separating the North American and Pacific plates follows a complex three-dimensional geometry which varies through time. Seismic velocity structure, heat flow, seismicity, surface deformation, uplift, and fault development are controlled by the evolving thermal structure in the region after triple junction passage. Thermal-mechanical models have been used to evaluate the fault system's time-varying three-dimensional dynamical behavior, simulating the principal processes involved in the thermal-mechanical evolution of the San Andreas fault system. -from Authors

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3100-3110
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of geophysical research
Volume94
Issue numberB3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1989
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geophysics
  • Forestry
  • Oceanography
  • Aquatic Science
  • Ecology
  • Water Science and Technology
  • Soil Science
  • Geochemistry and Petrology
  • Earth-Surface Processes
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Space and Planetary Science
  • Palaeontology

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