Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2012
Keywords
Cenozoic faults, California earthquakes, Deformation, Remote sensing
Abstract
Surface traces of the Quaternary active Kern Canyon and Breckenridge faults were mapped via aerial reconnaissance, analysis of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) elevation data, review and interpretation of aerial photography, field reconnaissance, and detailed field mapping. This effort specifically targeted evidence of late Quaternary surface deformation and, combined with separate paleoseismic investigations, identified and characterized the North Kern Canyon, South Kern Canyon, and Lake Isabella sections of the Kern Canyon fault and the Breckenridge fault. The mapping presented here provides definitive evidence for previously unrecognized Holocene and late Pleistocene east-down displacement along the Kern Canyon and Breckenridge faults. Our results indicate that much of the Kern Canyon fault has undergone Quaternary reactivation to accommodate internal deformation of the otherwise rigid Sierra Nevada block. This deformation reflects ongoing, seismogenic crustal thinning in the southern Sierra Nevada, and highlights the effects of localized tectonic forces operating in this part of the Sierra Nevada.
Publication Title
Geosphere
Volume
8
Issue
3
First Page
581
Last Page
591
DOI
10.1130/GES00663.1
Required Publisher's Statement
Published Open Access, 2018 GeoScienceWorld
Link to published version: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article/8/3/581/132511/map-of-the-late-quaternary-active-kern-canyon-and
Recommended Citation
Brossy, C. C.; Kelson, K. I.; Amos, Colin B.; Baldwin, J. N.; Kozlowicz, B.; Simpson, D.; Ticci, M. G.; Lutz, A. T.; Kozaci, O.; Streig, A.; Turner, R.; and Rose, R., "Map of the late Quaternary active Kern Canyon and Breckenridge faults, southern Sierra Nevada, California" (2012). Geology Faculty Publications. 94.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/geology_facpubs/94
Subjects - Topical (LCSH)
Paleoseismology--Quaternary; Surface fault ruptures--Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.); Geomorphological mapping--Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)
Geographic Coverage
Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)
Genre/Form
articles
Type
Text
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
