Rupture of the Pitáycachi Fault in the 1887 Mw 7.5 Sonora, Mexico earthquake (southern Basin-and-Range Province): Rupture kinematics and epicenter inferred from rupture branching patterns

Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth

Volumn 120, Issue 1, 2015, Pages 617-641

  Suter, Max ^a  

^a UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO   (Mexico)

Author keywords

earthquake rupture branching; earthquake rupture kinematics; earthquake surface rupture; rupture segmentation; segment linkage; slip distribution

Indexed keywords

EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER; EARTHQUAKE EVENT; EARTHQUAKE RUPTURE; FAULT SLIP; KINEMATICS; SEGMENTATION;

BASIN AND RANGE PROVINCE; MEXICO [NORTH AMERICA]; SIERRA MADRE OCCIDENTAL; SIERRA MADRE [MEXICO];

EID: 85027958930     PISSN: 21699313     EISSN: 21699356     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1002/2014JB011244     Document Type: Article

References (77)

1. Aguilera, J. G., (1888), Estudio de los fenõmenos séismicos del 3 de mayo de 1887, Ann. Minis. Fomento de la República Mexicana, 10, 5-56.
2. Angelier, J., (1990), Inversion of field data in fault tectonics to obtain the regional stress. III: A new rapid direct inversion method by analytical means, Geophys. J. Int., 103, 363-376.
3. Bahat, D., (1982), Extensional aspects of earthquake induced ruptures determined by an analysis of fracture bifurcation, Tectonophysics, 83, 163-183.
4. Baldridge, W. S., G. R. Keller, V. Haak, E. Wendlandt, G. R. Jiracek, and, K. H. Olsen, (1995), The Rio Grande rift, in Continental Rifts: Evolution, Structure, Tectonics, Dev. in Geotectonics, vol. 25, edited by, K. H. Olsen 233-275, Elsevier Science B. V, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
5. Berglund, H. T., A. F. Sheehan, M. H. Murray, M. Roy, A. R. Lowry, S. Nerem, and, F. Blume, (2012), Distributed deformation across the Rio Grande rift, Great Plains, and Colorado Plateau, Geology, 40, 23-26, doi: 10.1130/G32418.1.
6. Biggs, T. H., R. S. Leighty, S. J. Skotnicki, and, P. A. Pearthree, (1999), Geology and geomorphology of the San Bernardino valley, southeastern Arizona, Arizona Geological Survey, Open File Rep. 99-19, 20 pp.
7. W 6.3 L'Aquila, central Italy, earthquake and other global earthquakes, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 102, 918-935.
8. Bouchbinder, E., J. Fineberg, and, M. Marder, (2010), Dynamics of simple cracks, Ann. Rev. Condens. Matter Phys., 1, 371-395.
9. Broek, D., (1986), Elementary Engineering Fracture Mechanics, 4th revised ed., Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht, Netherlands.
10. Bucknam, R. C., and, R. E. Anderson, (1979), Estimation of fault-scarp ages from a scarp-height-slope-angle relationship, Geology, 7, 11-14.
11. Bull, W. B., and, P. A. Pearthree, (1988), Frequency and size of Quaternary surface ruptures of the Pitaycachi fault, northeastern Sonora Mexico, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 78, 956-978.
12. Bürgmann, R., D. D. Pollard, and, S. J. Martell, (1994), Slip distribution on faults: Effect of stress gradients, inelastic deformation, heterogeneous host-rock stiffness, and fault interactions, J. Struct. Geol., 16, 1675-1690.
13. W 7.5 Sonora earthquake in the Mexican Basin and Range Province, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 100, 1153-1164.
14. Chapin, C. E., and, S. M. Cather, (1994), Tectonic setting of the axial basins of the northern and central Rio Grande rift, in Basins of the Rio Grande Rift: Structure, Stratigraphy, and Tectonic setting, edited by, G. R. Keller, and, S. M. Cather, Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Pap., 291, 5-25.
15. Cole, J. C., S. A. Mahan, B. D. Stone, and, R. R. Shroba, (2007), Ages of Quaternary Rio Grande terrace-fill deposits, Albuquerque area, New Mexico, N. M. Geol., 29 (4), 122-132.
16. Cowie, P. A., and, C. H. Scholz, (1992), Physical explanation for the displacement-length relationship of faults using a post-yield fracture mechanics model, J. Struct. Geol., 14, 1133-1148.
17. dePolo, C. M., and, J. G. Anderson, (2000), Estimating the slip rates of normal faults in the Great Basin, USA, Basin Res., 12, 227-240.
18. dePolo, C. M., D. G. Clark, D. B. Slemmons, and, A. R. Ramelli, (1991), Historical surface faulting in the Basin and Range province, western North America: Implications for fault segmentation, J. Struct. Geol., 13, 123-136.
19. Doser, D. I., and, R. B. Smith, (1989), An assessment of source parameters of earthquakes in the Cordillera of the western United States, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 79, 1383-1409.
20. DuBois, S. M., and, A. W. Smith, (1980), The 1887 Earthquake in San Bernardino valley, Sonora: State of Arizona, Bureau of Geology and Mineral Technology, Spec. Pap. 3, 112 pp.
21. W 7 Machaze, Mozambique earthquake of 23 February 2006, Seismol. Res. Lett., 77, 426-439.
22. Ferrill, D. A., K. J. Smart, and, M. Necsoiu, (2008), Displacement-length scaling for single-event fault ruptures: Insight from Newberry Springs fault zone and implications for fault zone structure, in The Internal Structure of Fault Zones: Implications for Mechanical and Fluid-flow Properties, edited by, C. A. J. Wemberley et al,., Geol. Soc. London Spec. Publ., 299, 113-122.
23. Fisher, N. I., T. Lewis, and, B. J. J. Embleton, (1987), Statistical Analysis of Spherical Data, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, U. K.
24. González-Leõn, C. M., V. A. Valencia, M. Lõpez-Martínez, H. Bellon, M. Valencia-Moreno, and, T. Calmus, (2010), Arizpe sub-basin: A sedimentary and volcanic record of Basin and Range extension in north-central Sonora, Mexico, Rev. Mex. Cienc. Geol., 27, 292-312.
25. Goodfellow, G. E., (1887), The Sonora earthquake, Science, 10 (236), 81-82.
26. Goodfellow, G. E., (1888), The Sonora earthquake, Science, 11 (270), 162-166.
27. Haeussler, P. J., et al. (2004), Surface rupture and slip distribution of the Denali and Totschunda faults in the 3 November 2002 M 7.9 earthquake, Alaska, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 94, S23-S52.
28. Hecker, S., T. E. Dawson, and, D. P. Schwartz, (2010), Normal-faulting slip maxima and stress-drop variability: A geological perspective, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 100, 3130-3147.
29. International Atomic Energy Agency (2010), Seismic Hazards in Site Evaluation for Nuclear Installations, Safety Standard Series No. SSG-9, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria.
30. Jackson, J. A., (2002), Using earthquakes for continental tectonic geology, in International Handbook of Earthquake and Engineering Seismology, edited by, W. H. K. Lee, et al., part A 491-503, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif.
31. Keller, G. R., (2004), Geophysical constraints on the crustal structure of New Mexico, in The Geology of New Mexico, edited by, G. H. Mack, and, K. A. Giles, New Mexico Geol. Soc. Spec. Pub., 11, 439-456.
32. Keller, G. R., P. Morgan, and, W. R. Seager, (1990), Crustal structure, gravity anomalies and heat flow in the southern Rio Grande rift and their relationship to extensional tectonics, Tectonophysics, 174, 21-37.
33. Kempton, P. D., and, M. A. Dungan, (1989), Geology and petrology of basalts and included mafic, ultramafic, and granulitic xenoliths of the Geronimo volcanic field, southeastern Arizona, N. M. Bur. Mines Miner. Resour., Mem., 46, 161-185.
34. W ~7.8, 14 November 2001 Kokoxili earthquake, Kunlun fault, northern Tibet, China, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 95, 1970-1987.
35. Kurushin, R. A., A. Bayasgalan, M. Ölziybat, B. Enhtuvshin, P. Molnar, C. Bayarsayhan, K. W. Hudnut, and, J. Lin, (1997), The surface rupture of the 1957 Gobi-Altay, Mongolia, earthquake, Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Pap., 320, 143.
36. La Pointe, P. R., T. Cladouhos, and, S. Follin, (2002), Development, application, and evaluation of a methodology to estimate distributed slip on fractures due to future earthquakes for nuclear waste repository performance assessment, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 92, 923-944.
37. Li, Q., M. Liu, Q. Zhang, and, E. Sandvol, (2007), Stress evolution and seismicity in the central-eastern United States: Insights from geodynamic modeling, in Continental Intraplate Earthquakes: Science, Hazard, and Policy Issues, edited by, S. Stein, and, S. Mazzotti, Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Pap., 425, 149-166.
38. W 7.8 Kunlun earthquake, northern Tibetan Plateau, J. Struct. Geol., 33, 1302-1311.
39. Machette, M. N., S. F. Personius, C. M. Menges, and, P. A. Pearthree, (1986), Map showing Quaternary and Pliocene faults in the Silver City 1 x 2 quadrangle and the Douglas 1 x 2 quadrangle, southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, U. S. Geol. Survey, Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1465-C, scale 1: 250,000, with pamphlet, 20 p.
40. Mack, G. H., (2004), Middle and late Cenozoic crustal extension, sedimentation, and volcanism in the southern Rio Grande rift, Basin and Range, and southern Transition Zone of southwestern New Mexico, in The Geology of New Mexico, edited by, G. H. Mack, and, K. A. Giles, New Mexico Geol. Soc. Spec. Pub., 11, 389-406.
41. Manighetti, I., M. Campillo, C. Sammis, P. M. Mai, and, G. King, (2005), Evidence for self-similar, triangular slip distributions on earthquakes: Implications for earthquake and fault mechanics, J. Geophys. Res., 110, B05302, doi: 10.1029/2004JB003174.
42. McCalpin, J. P., (1995), Frequency distribution of geologically determined slip rates for normal faults in the western United States, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 85, 1867-1872.
43. McCalpin, J. P., (2009), Paleoseismology in extensional tectonic environments, in Paleoseismology, Int. Geophys., vol. 95, edited by, J. P. McCalpin, 2nd ed., 171-269, Academic Press, Burlington, Mass.
44. McDowell, F. W., J. Roldán-Quintana, and, R. Amaya-Martínez, (1997), Interrelationship of sedimentary and volcanic deposits associated with Tertiary extension in Sonora, Mexico, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 109, 1349-1360.
45. Natali, S. G., and, M. L. Sbar, (1982), Seismicity in the epicentral region of the 1887 northeastern Sonora earthquake, Mexico, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 72, 181-196.
46. Nordt, L., (2003), Late Quaternary fluvial landscape evolution in desert grasslands of northern Chihuahua, Mexico, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 115, 596-606.
47. Paz Moreno, F. A., A. Demant, J. J. Cochemé, J. Dostal, and, R. Montigny, (2003), The Quaternary Moctezuma volcanic field-A tholeiitic to alkali basaltic episode in the central Sonoran Basin and Range province, México, in Tectonic Evolution of Northwestern México and the Southwestern USA, edited by, S. E. Johnson, et al., Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Pap., 374, 439-455.
48. Pearthree, P. A., and, S. S. Calvo, (1987), The Santa Rita fault zone: Evidence for large magnitude earthquakes with very long recurrence intervals, Basin and Range Province of southeastern Arizona, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 77, 97-116.
49. Pearthree, P. A., W. B. Bull, and, T. C. Wallace, (1990), Geomorphology and Quaternary geology of the Pitaycachi fault, northeastern Sonora, Mexico, in Geologic Excursions Through the Sonoran Desert Region, Arizona and Sonora, edited by, G. E. Gehrels, and, J. E. Spencer, Ariz. Geol. Surv. Spec. Pap., 7, 124-135.
50. Sbar, M. L., and, S. M. DuBois, (1984), Attenuation of intensity for the 1887 northern Sonora, Mexico earthquake, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 74, 2613-2628.
51. Scholz, C. H., (2002), The Mechanics of Earthquakes and Faulting, 2nd ed., Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, U. K.
52. Scholz, C. H., (2007), Fault mechanics, in Treatise on Geophysics, edited by, D. L. Turcotte 441-483, Elsevier Science B. V, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
53. Scholz, C. H., and, J. Contreras, (1998), Mechanics of continental rift architecture, Geology, 26, 967-970.
54. Sharon, E., and, J. Fineberg, (1999), Confirming the continuum theory of dynamic brittle fracture for fast cracks, Nature, 397, 333-335.
55. Sharon, E., S. P. Gross, and, J. Fineberg, (1995), Local crack branching as a mechanism for instability in dynamic fracture, Phys. Rev. Lett., 74, 5096-5099.
56. Shaw, B. E., (2006), Initiation propagation and termination of elastodynamic ruptures associated with segmentation of faults and shaking hazard, J. Geophys. Res., 111, B08302, doi: 10.1029/2005JB004093.
57. Stein, S., and, M. Liu, (2009), Long aftershock sequences within continents and implications for earthquake hazard assessment, Nature, 462, 87-89.
58. Sumner, J. R., (1977), The Sonora earthquake of 1887, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 67, 1219-1223.
59. Suter, M., (1987), Orientational data on the state of stress in northeastern Mexico as inferred from stress-induced borehole elongations, J. Geophys. Res., 92, 2617-2626, doi: 10.1029/JB092iB03p02617.
60. Suter, M., (1991), State of stress and active deformation in Mexico and western Central America, in Neotectonics of North America, edited by, D. B. Slemmons, et al., Geol. Soc. Am., 1, 401-421.
61. Suter, M., (2001), The historical seismicity of northeastern Sonora and northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico (28-32N, 106-111W), J. South Am. Earth Sci., 14, 521-532.
62. W 7.5 Sonora, Mexico (Basin and Range Province) earthquake, Seismol. Res. Lett., 77, 134-147.
63. W 7.5 Sonora, Mexico earthquake, Rev. Mex. Cienc. Geol., 25, 179-195.
64. W 7.5 Sonora, Mexico earthquake, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 98, 2879-2893.
65. W = 7.4 earthquake, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 92, 581-589.
66. Tchalenko, J. S., and, N. N. Ambraseys, (1970), Structural analysis of the Dasht-eBayaz (Iran) earthquake fractures, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 81, 41-60.
67. W 7.1 16 October 1999 Hector Mine earthquake, San Bernardino County, Calif., Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 92, 1171-1191.
68. U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2012), Practical Implementation Guidelines for SSHAC Level 3 and 4 Hazard Studies, NUREG-2117 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D. C.
69. Wald, D. J., and, T. H. Heaton, (1994), Spatial and temporal distribution of slip for the 1992 Landers, California earthquake, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 84, 668-691.
70. Wallace, R. E., (1984), Fault scarps formed during the earthquakes of October 2 1915 in Pleasant Valley, Nevada, and some tectonic implications, U. S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. 1274-A, 1-33.
71. Wallace, T. C., and, P. A. Pearthree, (1989), Recent earthquakes in northern Sonora, Ariz. Geol., 19 (3), 6-7.
72. Wells, D. L., and, K. J. Coppersmith, (1994), New empirical relationships among magnitude, rupture length, rupture width, rupture area, and surface displacement, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 84, 974-1002.
73. Wesnousky, S. G., (2008), Displacement and geometrical characteristics of earthquake surface ruptures: Issues and implications for seismic-hazard analysis and the process of earthquake rupture, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 98, 1609-1632.
74. Xiao, H., and, J. Suppe, (1992), Origin of rollover, AAPG Bull., 76, 509-529.
75. Yeats, R. S., K. Sieh, and, C. R. Allen, (1997), The Geology of Earthquakes, Oxford Univ. Press, New York.
76. Youngs, R. R., et al. (2003), A Methodology for Probabilistic Fault Displacement Hazard Analysis (PFDHA), Earthquake Spectra, 19, 191-219, doi: 10.1193/1.1542891.
77. Zhang, P., F. Mao, and, D. B. Slemmons, (1999), Rupture terminations and size of segment boundaries from historical earthquake ruptures in the Basin and Range Province, Tectonophysics, 308, 37-52.