List of fault zones

Last updated

This list covers all faults and fault-systems that are either geologically important[ clarification needed ] or connected to prominent seismic activity.[ clarification needed ] It is not intended to list every notable fault, but only major fault zones.[ clarification needed ]

Fault NameLength [km]LocationSense of MovementTime of movementAssociated EarthquakesSources
Aedipsos-Kandili Fault60 North Euboean Gulf, GreeceNormalActive
Alaska-Aleutian Megathrust 4000 Kamchatka, Russia to Gulf of Alaska Subduction zoneActive 1964 Prince William Sound (M9.2), 1965 Rat Islands (M8.7), 1957 Andreanof Islands (M8.6) [1]
Alpine Fault 600 South Island, New Zealand Dextral strike-slip (Transform)ActiveLast earthquake ca. 1717 (~M8) [2]
Altyn Tagh Fault 2000 Tibetan Plateau/Tarim Basin Sinistral strike-slipActive [3]
Amfilochia Fault 60 Western Greece Sinistral strike-slipActive
Amorgos Fault >100 Greece, South Aegean SeaNormalActive 1956 Amorgos (M7.4) [4]
Arkitsa – Agios Konstantinos Fault zone25 Central Greece Normal
Aspy Fault 40 Nova Scotia, Canada Strike-slip
Atacama Fault 800 Atacama desert, Chile Strike-slip Active
Atalanti Fault 50 Central Greece Normal FaultActive 1894 Atalanti (M6.4, M6.9)
Atotsugawa Fault Japan Dextral strike-slipActive 1858 Hietsu earthquake (M~7)
Awatere Fault 200 South Island, New Zealand Dextral strike-slipActive 1848 Marlborough (M7.5)
Azores–Gibraltar Transform Fault 2250 Azores to Strait of Gibraltar Dextral strike-slipActive 1755 Lisbon earthquake (est. M7.7–9.0), 1969 Cape St. Vincent (M7.9), 1941 Gloria Fault (M8.0)
Baikal Rift Zone Lake Baikal Rift zoneActive
Balcones Fault Texas, United States NormalInactivethe subsidence of the Texas Coastal Plain during the Neogene period
Ballenas Fault Gulf of California, United States TransformActive
Baribis Fault 100 Java, Indonesia ThrustActive 1834 Java earthquake (M 7.0)
Brothers Fault Zone Oregon, United States
Bulnay Fault370MongoliaSinistralActive 1905 Bolnai (M8.3)
Calaveras Fault 120 San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States DextralActive1911 Morgan Hill (M6.5), 1984 Morgan Hill (M6.2)
Cascadia megathrust 1000West coast of United States – Oregon & Washington Vancouver Island, Canada Subduction zoneActive 1700 Cascadia (M9.0)
Central African Shear Zone 4000 Central Africa Rift zone
Cerro Prieto Fault Gulf of California, United States TransformActive
Chino Fault California, United States DextralActive
Chixoy-Polochic Fault Guatemala TransformActive 1816 Guatemala (M7.5) [5]
Christchurch Fault South Island, New Zealand Active
Chile subduction megathrust 3000West coast of Chile Subduction zoneActive 1960 Valdivia (M9.5); 1906 Valparaiso (M8.2); 2010 Maule (M8.8); 2014 Iquique (M8.2)
Clarence Fault 210 South Island, New Zealand Dextral strike-slipActive
Clarendon-Linden fault system New York, United States
Clayton-Marsh Creek-Greenville Fault California, United States
Cochabamba Fault Zone Bolivia Sinistral strike-slip
Concord Fault 18 California, United States DextralActive
Corinth Rift 110 Greece Rift zoneActive 1995 Aigio (M6.2); 1981 Alkyonides (M6.4-6.7); 1861 Helike (M6.6-6.7); 373 BC Helike
Craven Fault System Pennines Normal Fault Carboniferous
Darling Fault 950-1500 Western Australia, Australia Proterozoic
Dead Sea Transform ~1000 Sinai Peninsula Sinistral transformActive 1138 Aleppo earthquake
Delfi Fault Zone 25 Central Greece Normal to strike-slip
Denali Fault >500 British Columbia, Canada to Alaska, United StatesDextral strike-slipActive 2002 Denali (M7.9)
East African Rift ~5,000East AfricaRift zoneActive
East Anatolian Fault ~700 Turkey Sinistral strike-slipActive 2003 Bingöl (M6.4), 2010 Elâzığ (M6.1), 2020 Elâzığ (M6.7), 2023 Turkey (M7.8)
Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone Alabama to Virginia, United States Active 2003 Alabama (M4.6)
Elsinore Fault Zone 180 California, United States Dextral strike-slipActive
Eltanin Fault System Southern Ocean Dextral transformActive1600 km offset
Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone Hispaniola Sinistral strike-slipActive 2010 Haiti (M7.0), 2021 Haiti (M7.2)
European Cenozoic Rift System 1,100 France, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands Rift zoneActive 1992 Roermond (M5.3), 1356 Basel (M6.0-7.1)
Flores Back-arc Thrust Java and Banda Sea, IndonesiaThrustActive July–August 2018 Lombok (M6.4-6.9)
Garlock Fault 250 California, United States SinistralActive
Glarus thrust Switzerland Thrust faultCenozoic
Great Glen Fault Scotland Strike-slip Silurian to Cenozoic
Great Lakes Tectonic Zone (GLTZ) 1400 Great Lakes, United States Tectonic zone Neoarchean
Great Sumatran Fault 1650-1900 Sumatra, Indonesia Strike-slipActive 1943 Alahan Panjang (M7.2), 1994 Liwa (M7.0)
Greendale Fault >20 South Island, New Zealand Dextral strike-slipActive 2010 Canterbury (M7.1)
Guaymas Fault 325 California, United States Dextral strike-slipActive
Gulf of California Rift Zone 1300 Mexico Rift zoneActive 2010 Mexicali (M7.2)
Gulf of Suez Rift >250 Egypt Rift zoneLate Oligocene - end Miocene
Haiyuan Fault 1000Tibet, ChinaSinistralActive 1920, 1927
Hayward Fault Zone 119 San Francisco Bay, California, United States Strike-slipActive 1868 Hayward (M6.3–6.7)
Hellenic Arc 1000East Mediterranean Sea Thrust/Strike-slip 365 AD (M8.5+); 1303 AD (~8)
Honey Lake Fault Zone Nevada and California, United States Dextral strike-slipActive
Hope Fault 130 South Island, New Zealand Dextral strike-slipActive 1888 North Canterbury (M7.3), 2016 North Canterbury Mw7.8
Humboldt Fault Zone Nebraska to Kansas, United States Normal faultActive 1867 Manhattan, Kansas (M5.1)
Hurricane Fault 250Utah to Arizona, United States Normal 1992 Utah (M5.9)
Imperial Fault Zone California, United States Dextral strike-slipActive 1940 El Centro (M6.9), 1979 Imperial Valley (M6.4)
Ierapetra Fault 40 Crete Normal fault
Independence Valley fault system Nevada, United States Normal faultActive2008 Wells earthquake (M6.0)
Japan Trench 1400Off the coast of HonshuSubduction zoneActivesee Seismicity of the Sanriku coast
Kabaw Fault >300 Myanmar Oblique-thrustActive 1792 Rakhine (M8.8)
Kameni-Kolumbo Fault zone >60Greece, South Aegean Sea Dextral (?) Strike-slip
Kandi Fault Zone West Africa
Karakoram Fault 1000 Tibet Oblique-slip
Karsdorf Fault Germany
Kefalonia Transform Fault 180Greece, Ionian Sea Dextral strike SlipActive 1953 Kephalonia (M7.2)
Kego Fault Japan Active 2005 Fukuoka (M7.0)
Kekerengu Fault South Island, New Zealand DextralActive2016 - See Hope Fault M7.8
Kermadec-Tonga Subduction Zone 3000 New Zealand Subduction zoneActive
Kern Canyon Fault Sierra Nevada, California, United States Thrust fault
Kunlun fault 1500 Tibet Sinistral strike-slipActive 2001 Kunlun (M7.8)
Kuril–Kamchatka Trench 2900From the Kuril Islands to the Kamchatka Peninsula Subduction zoneActive
Kyaukkyan Fault 500 Myanmar DextralActive 1912 Shan state (M7.7)
Laguna Salada Fault 64–80 United States and Mexico Strike-slip Active 2010 Mexicali M7.2)
Laptev Sea Rift Arctic Ocean Rift zone
Lewis Overthrust Montana, United States Thrust Late Cretaceous to Early Paleocene
Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault 1000 Andes, Chile Strike-slip
Long Point–Eureka Heights Fault System Texas, United StatesNormal fault
Longmen Shan Fault Sichuan, ChinaThrust faultActive 2008 Sichuan (M8.0)
Lost River FaultIdaho, United States NormalActive 1983 Borah Peak (M6.9)
Lusatian Fault GermanyThrust fault
Macquarie Fault Zone >400South Pacific Ocean Fault (geology)#Strike-slip faults Active1989 Maquarie Isl. (8.2), 2008 Macquarie Island earthquake (M7.1)
Mae Chan Fault 120 Thailand and Laos SinstralActive2007 Laos (M6.3)
Magallanes–Fagnano Fault South America Transform
Main Boundary Thrust2000 Himalaya ThrustActive (although not uniformly)
Main Central Thrust 2200HimalayaThrustActive (although not uniformly) 1991 Uttarkashi (M6.8)
Main Frontal Thrust 2000HimalayaThrustActive 1505 Lo Mustang (M8.9), 1934 Bihar (M8.0)
Main Himalayan Thrust 2000HimalayaSubduction zone (continental collision)Active 1505 Lo Mustang (M8.9), 1950 Assam-Tibet (M8.6) 2015 Gorkha (M7.8), 2015 Nepal (M7.3)
Main Uralian Fault (MUF) 2000+ Urals Subduction zone
Marianna Fault Arkansas, United States
Marikina Valley Fault System Philippines Dextral strike-slipActive
Marlborough Fault System South Island, New Zealand Dextral strike-slipActive 1843 Wanganui (M~7.5)
Meers Fault Oklahoma, United States Oblique slipeActive Holocene
Medvednica Fault Zone Zagreb, Croatia Strike-slipActive 1880 (M6.3), 2020 (M5.3)
Mendocino Fracture Zone California, United States TransformActive
Moab Fault Utah, United States Normal faultActive
Mocha Fracture Zone Mocha Island, Chile TransformActive
Motagua Fault Guatemala TransformActive 1717, 1773, 1902, 1976, 1980, 2009
Mount Diablo Thrust 25 Contra Costa County, California, United States Blind thrustActive
Mygdonia Graben North GreeceNormal to strike-slipActive 1978 Thessaloniki (M6.4)
Nankai Trough 900South of Honshū, JapanSubduction zoneActivesee Nankai megathrust earthquakes
Neodani Fault Japan Oblique-slipActive 1891 Mino–Owari (M8.0)
New Madrid Fault Zone Missouri, United States Normal faultActive 1811–1812 three (M7-8)
Nootka Fault British Columbia, CanadaTransformActive
North Aegean Trough>250North Aegean Sea, Greece, Turkey Dextral strike-slipActive1912 (M7.6); 1982 (M6.7); 2014 (M6.9)
North Anatolian Fault Turkey Dextral strike-slipActive 1939 Erzincan (M7.8), 1912 Ganos (M7.4), 1999 Izmit (M7.4), 1999 Düzce (M7.2), 2022 Düzce (M6.1)
North Ikaria Fault >80Central Aegean Sea, GreeceDextral strike slip
North Island Fault System 500 North Island, New Zealand Dextral strike slipActive
Northridge Blind Thrust San Fernando Valley, United States Blind thrustActive 1994 Northridge (M6.7)
Palu-Koro Fault 500 Palu, Sigi, Donggala, IndonesiaSinistral strike-slipActive2005 Bora, Sigi earthquake (M6.2), 2018 Sulawesi earthquake (M7.5)
Periadriatic Seam 1000 Alps, Europe Dextral strike-slip
Pichilemu Fault 40 Chile Active 2010 Pichilemu (Libertador O'Higgins) (M6.9)
Piquiang Fault>70ChinaSinistral strike-slip
Pliny Trench300Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Hellenic Trench Sinistral strike-slip
Port Hills Fault South Island, New Zealand Oblique-thrustActive 2011 Christchurch (M6.3)
Puente Hills Thrust40 San Gabriel Valley, United States Blind thrustActive 1987 Whittier Narrows (M5.9)
Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault800Canada and AlaskaDextralActive 1949 Graham Island (M8.1), 1958 Lituya Bay (M7.8), 2012 Haida Gwaii (M7.8)
Pyramid Lake Fault Zone Nevada, United States Dextral strike-slip
Ramapo Fault 300 New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, United States Normal fault Triassic to Early Jurassic
Rawat Fault Pakistan
Raymond Fault California, United States
Red River Fault 900China, Vietnam Dextral strike-slipActive 1970 Tonghai (M7.1), 1925 Dali (M6.9-7.0), 2021 Dali (M6.1)
Red Sea Rift Red Sea Rift zone
Reigolil-Pirihueico Fault Andes
Rhine Rift Valley Germany and FranceRift zoneActive 1356 Basel (M6 to 7)
Rio Grande Rift Rio Grande Valley, United States and MexicoRift zone
Romeral Fault System 700ColombiaThrust and strike-slipActive 1983 (M5.5), 1999 (M6.2)
Sagami Trough 340Off the coast of Honshū Subduction zoneActivesee Kantō earthquakes
Sagaing Fault 1500MyanmarDextralActive 1839, May 1930, Dec 1930, 1946, 1956, 2012
Salzach-Ennstal-Mariazell-Puchberg Fault System (SEMP)400 [6] AustriaSinistral strike-slip
San Andreas Fault System (Banning fault, Mission Creek fault, South Pass fault, San Jacinto fault, Elsinore fault)1300 California, United States Dextral strike-slipActive 1906 San Francisco (M7.7 to 8.25), 1989 Loma Prieta (M6.9)
San Ramón Fault Chile Thrust fault
Sawtooth Fault Idaho, United States Normal fault
Seattle Fault Washington, United States Thrust faultActive
Septentrional-Orient fault zone Caribbean Sinistral strike-slipActive 1842 Cap-Haïtien (M8.1), 2020 (M7.7)
Shanxi Rift System ≥900northern China Rift zoneActive 1303 Hongdong (M7.2-7.6), 1556 Shaanxi (M8.0), 1626 Lingqiu (M7.0), 1695 Linfen (M7.8), 1815 Pinglu (M6.8)
Sierra Nevada Fault California, United States Normal faultActive 1872 Lone Pine (M7.4–8.3)
Skyros-Edremit Fault zone>150 Aegean Sea, Greece, Turkey Dextral Strike-slip Active1967, 1981
Sobral Fault Brazil Strike-slip
Sorong fault Oceania Sinistral strike-slipActive 2009 Kepulauan Talaud (M7.2)
South Tibetan Detachment 2000 Himalaya Detachment (normal)Paleogene
Southeast Bathurst Fault Zone Bathurst Island, Nunavut, CanadaRift zoneLate Cretaceous to Eocene
Sparta Fault65 Peloponnese, GreeceNormal faultActive 464 BC Sparta (M7.2)
Spili Fault20 Crete, GreeceNormal faultActive
Strabo Trench300Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Hellenic Trench Sinistral strike-slipActive
Sunda subduction megathrust 5500 South East Asia Subduction zoneActive 2004 Banda Aceh (M9.1), 2005 Nias (M8.6), 2007 Bengkulu (M8.4)
Tacoma Fault 56 Washington, United States Thrust faultActive
Tatsuda Fault JapanActive 1889 Kumamoto (M6.3)
Tintina Fault British Columbia, Canada to Alaska, United States Strike-slip Late Cretaceous to Oligocene
Ulakhan Fault Siberia to Aleutian Trench Sinistral strike-slipActive
Ungava Fault Zone Davis Strait Strike-slip Paleogene
Virginia Seismic Zone Virginia, United States Active 2011 Virginia (M5.8)
Wabash Valley Seismic Zone Illinois, Indiana, United States Normal faultActive 2008 Illinois (M5.4)
Wasatch Fault Utah, United States Normal faultActive 2020 Salt Lake City (M5.7)
Wellington Fault >100 North Island, New Zealand Dextral strike-slipActive
West Napa Fault 60 California, United States DextralActive 2000 Yountville, 2014 South Napa
Wairarapa Fault >100 North Island, New Zealand Dextral strike-slipActive 1855 Wairarapa (M8.2)
Wairau Fault 180 South Island, New Zealand Dextral strike-slipActive
White Wolf Fault San Joaquin Valley, California, United States Oblique-reverse (sinstral)Active 1952 Kern County (M7.5)
Whittier Fault California, United States Strike-slipActive
Wilzetta Fault 89 Oklahoma, United States Strike-slipActive 2011 Oklahoma (M5.6)
Xianshuihe fault system 350 China Sinistral strike-slipActive 1973 Luhuo (M7.6), 1981 Dawu (M6.8), 2010 Yushu (M6.9), 2022 Luding (M6.7)
Yorba Linda Trend California, United States Oblique-slipActive 2008 Chino Hills (M5.5)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine Fault</span> Right-lateral strike-slip fault, that runs almost the entire length of New Zealands South Island.

The Alpine Fault is a geological fault that runs almost the entire length of New Zealand's South Island, being about 600 km (370 mi). long, and forms the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Australian Plate. The Southern Alps have been uplifted on the fault over the last 12 million years in a series of earthquakes. However, most of the motion on the fault is strike-slip, with the Tasman district and West Coast moving north and Canterbury and Otago moving south. The average slip rates in the fault's central region are about 38 mm (1.5 in) a year, very fast by global standards. The last major earthquake on the Alpine Fault was in about 1717 AD with a great earthquake magnitude of Mw8.1. The probability of another one occurring within the next 50 years is estimated at 75 percent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Rift Valley</span> Geographic region in the Levant

The Jordan Rift Valley, also Jordan Valley(Hebrew: בִּקְעָת הַיַרְדֵּן Bīqʿāt haYardēn, Arabic: الغور Al-Ghor or Al-Ghawr), also called the Syro-African Depression, is an elongated depression located in modern-day Israel, Jordan and the West Bank. This geographic region includes the entire length of the Jordan River – from its sources, through the Hula Valley, the Korazim block, the Sea of Galilee, the (Lower) Jordan Valley, all the way to the Dead Sea, the lowest land elevation on Earth – and then continues through the Arabah depression, the Gulf of Aqaba whose shorelines it incorporates, until finally reaching the Red Sea proper at the Straits of Tiran.

Earthquake forecasting is a branch of the science of seismology concerned with the probabilistic assessment of general earthquake seismic hazard, including the frequency and magnitude of damaging earthquakes in a given area over years or decades. While forecasting is usually considered to be a type of prediction, earthquake forecasting is often differentiated from earthquake prediction, whose goal is the specification of the time, location, and magnitude of future earthquakes with sufficient precision that a warning can be issued. Both forecasting and prediction of earthquakes are distinguished from earthquake warning systems, which, upon detection of an earthquake, provide a real-time warning to regions that might be affected.

Episodic tremor and slip (ETS) is a seismological phenomenon observed in some subduction zones that is characterized by non-earthquake seismic rumbling, or tremor, and slow slip along the plate interface. Slow slip events are distinguished from earthquakes by their propagation speed and focus. In slow slip events, there is an apparent reversal of crustal motion, although the fault motion remains consistent with the direction of subduction. ETS events themselves are imperceptible to human beings and do not cause damage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Sea Transform</span> Fault system between the African and Arabian plates

The Dead Sea Transform (DST) fault system, also sometimes referred to as the Dead Sea Rift, is a series of faults that run for about 1,000 km from the Maras Triple Junction to the northern end of the Red Sea Rift. The fault system forms the transform boundary between the African Plate to the west and the Arabian Plate to the east. It is a zone of left lateral (sinistral) displacement, signifying the relative motions of the two plates. Both plates are moving in a general north-northeast direction, but the Arabian Plate is moving faster, resulting in the observed left lateral motions along the fault of approximately 107 km at its southern end. A component of extension is also present in the southern part of the transform, which has contributed to a series of depressions, or pull-apart basins, forming the Gulf of Aqaba, Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee, and Hula basins. A component of shortening affects the Lebanon restraining bend, leading to uplift on both sides of the Beqaa valley. There is local transtension in the northernmost part of the fault system, forming the Ghab pull-apart basin. The fault system runs roughly along the political border of Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon.

The 1969 Portugal earthquake struck western Portugal and Morocco on February 28 at 02:40 UTC. Originating west of the Strait of Gibraltar, the earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.8 and the maximum felt intensity was VII on the Mercalli intensity scale. In total, 13 people died and 80 sustained minor injuries. It is the largest earthquake to hit Portugal since the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altyn Tagh fault</span>

The Altyn Tagh Fault (ATF) is a 2,000 km long, active, sinistral strike-slip fault that forms the northwestern boundary of the Tibetan Plateau with the Tarim Basin. It is one of the major sinistral strike-slip structures that together help to accommodate the eastward motion of this zone of thickened crust, relative to the Eurasian Plate. A total displacement of about ~475 km has been estimated for this fault zone since the middle Oligocene, although the amount of displacement, age of initiation and slip rate are disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xianshuihe fault system</span> Geological feature in Asia

The Xianshuihe fault system is a major active sinistral (left-lateral) strike-slip fault zone in southwestern China, at the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. It has been responsible for many major earthquakes, and is one of the most seismically active fault zones in this part of China.

An earthquake occurred in southern Mongolia on December 4, 1957, measuring Mw 7.8–8.1 and assigned XII (Extreme) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. Surface faulting was observed in the aftermath with peak vertical and horizontal scarp reaching 9 m (30 ft). Because of the extremely sparse population in the area, this event, despite its magnitude, was not catastrophic. However, 30 people died and the towns of Dzun Bogd, Bayan-leg and Baruin Bogd were completely destroyed.

The Palu-Koro Fault or Palu-Koro Fault System is a major active NNW-SSE trending left-lateral strike-slip fault zone on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It caused the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haiyuan Fault</span> Intracontinental strike-slip fault in Tibet

The Haiyuan Fault is a major active intracontinental strike-slip (sinistral) fault in Central Asia.

The 1973 Luhuo earthquake struck near the town of Zhaggo in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, China on February 6, 1973, with a magnitude of 7.6 Ms. The earthquake had a maximum intensity of X (Extreme) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. It resulted in between 2,175 and 2,204 deaths and a further 2,743 injuries. Serious and widespread destruction occurred in Luhuo County.

Rachel Abercrombie is a seismologist at Boston University known for her research on the process of earthquake ruptures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oblique subduction</span> Tectonic process

Oblique subduction is a form of subduction for which the convergence direction differs from 90° to the plate boundary. Most convergent boundaries involve oblique subduction, particularly in the Ring of Fire including the Ryukyu, Aleutian, Central America and Chile subduction zones. In general, the obliquity angle is between 15° and 30°. Subduction zones with high obliquity angles include Sunda trench and Ryukyu arc.

The 1923 Renda earthquake occurred on March 24 at 20:40 local time between the counties of Daofu and Luhuo in Sichuan, China. The estimated Ms 7.3 earthquake was assigned a maximum modified Mercalli intensity scale rating of X (Extreme). Severe damage occurred in Sichuan, killing an estimated 4,800 people.

The 1955 Zheduotang earthquake, also known as the Kangding earthquake occurred on April 14 at 09:29:02 local time near the city of Kangding in the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan. The earthquake had a moment magnitude of 7.0 and a surface wave magnitude of 7.1 and struck at a depth of 10 km. Severe damage occurred in Kangding with the loss of 70 lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earthquake cycle</span>

The earthquake cycle refers to the phenomenon that earthquakes repeatedly occur on the same fault as the result of continual stress accumulation and periodic stress release. Earthquake cycles can occur on a variety of faults including subduction zones and continental faults. Depending on the size of the earthquake, an earthquake cycle can last decades, centuries, or longer. The Parkfield portion of the San Andreas fault is a well-known example where similarly located M6.0 earthquakes have been instrumentally recorded every 30–40 years.

Demian (Michael) Saffer is an American geophysicist based at The University of Texas at Austin where he is director of the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics and professor at the Department of Geological Sciences of the Jackson School of Geosciences. He studies the role of fluids and friction in the mechanics of subduction megathrust earthquakes.

References

  1. Yeats, R. (2012), Active Faults of the World, Cambridge University Press, p. 23, ISBN   978-0521190855
  2. "GNS Science, Alpine Fault". Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Ltd.
  3. Bendick, R.; Bilham, R.; Freymueller, J.; Larson, K.; andYin, G. (2000). "Geodetic evidence for a low slip rate in the Altyn Tagh fault system". Nature. 404 (6773): 69–72. Bibcode:2000Natur.404...69B. doi:10.1038/35003555. PMID   10716442. S2CID   4340488.
  4. Okal, EA (2009). "The 1956 earthquake and tsunami in Amorgos, Greece". Geophysical Journal International. 178 (3): 1533–1554. Bibcode:2009GeoJI.178.1533O. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2009.04237.x .
  5. White, RA (1985). "The Guatemala earthquake of 1816 on the Chixoy-Polochic fault". Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 75 (2): 455–73.
  6. Frost, Erik; Dolan, James; Sammis, Charles; Hacker, Brad; Cole, Joshua; Ratschbacher, Lothar (15 April 2009). "Progressive strain localization in a major strike‐slip fault exhumed from midseismogenic depths: Structural observations from the Salzach‐Ennstal‐Mariazell‐Puchberg fault system, Austria". Journal of Geophysical Research. 114 (B4): 1–14. Bibcode:2009JGRB..114.4406F. doi: 10.1029/2008JB005763 .