Southern California faults
Encyclopedia
Most of central and northern California
rests on a crustal block (terrane
) that is being torn from the North American continent by the passing Pacific plate
of oceanic crust. Southern California lies at the southern end of this block, where the Southern California faults create a complex and even chaotic landscape of seismic activity.
Seismic, geologic, and other data has been integrated by the Southern California Earthquake Center
to produce the Community Fault Model (CFM) database that documents over 140 faults in southern California considered capable of producing moderate to large earthqaukes. A three dimensional (3D) model has been derived that can be viewed with suitable visualization software (see image).
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
rests on a crustal block (terrane
Terrane
A terrane in geology is short-hand term for a tectonostratigraphic terrane, which is a fragment of crustal material formed on, or broken off from, one tectonic plate and accreted or "sutured" to crust lying on another plate...
) that is being torn from the North American continent by the passing Pacific plate
Pacific Plate
The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At 103 million square kilometres, it is the largest tectonic plate....
of oceanic crust. Southern California lies at the southern end of this block, where the Southern California faults create a complex and even chaotic landscape of seismic activity.
Seismic, geologic, and other data has been integrated by the Southern California Earthquake Center
Southern California Earthquake Center
The Southern California Earthquake Center , headquartered at the University of Southern California, was founded in 1991 with a mission to:* gather new information about earthquakes in Southern California;...
to produce the Community Fault Model (CFM) database that documents over 140 faults in southern California considered capable of producing moderate to large earthqaukes. A three dimensional (3D) model has been derived that can be viewed with suitable visualization software (see image).
External links
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Southern California Earthquake Center
- Community Fault Model site, with images.
- Community Fault Model Downloadable vtk files of the southern California faults.