Aseismic slip and fault-normal strain along the central creeping section of the San Andreas fault

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 35; no. 14; pp. L14305 - n/a
• Main Authors: Rolandone, F., Bürgmann, R., Agnew, D. C., Johanson, I. A., Templeton, D. C., d'Alessio, M. A., Titus, S. J., DeMets, C., Tikoff, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Geophysical Union 01.07.2008; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Continental tectonics; creeping segment; Dynamics and mechanics of faulting; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Environmental Sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Geodesy and Gravity; GPS and EDM data; San Andreas fault; strike-slip and transform; Tectonic deformation; Tectonophysics; San Andreas Fault; Coast Ranges; California; United States; GPS and EDM data; creeping segment; San Andreas fault; strain; strain rates; shear; geologic sections; Regional scope; creep; cycles; earthquakes; North America; Long term; Modeling; Dislocation; rupture; Global Positioning System; slip rates; slip; contraction; transient phenomena; Strain rate
• ISSN: 0094-8276; 1944-8007
• DOI: 10.1029/2008GL034437

We use GPS data to measure the aseismic slip along the central San Andreas fault (CSAF) and the deformation across adjacent faults. Comparison of EDM and GPS data sets implies that, except for small‐scale transients, the fault motion has been steady over the last 40 years. We add 42 new GPS velocities along the CSAF to constrain the regional strain distribution. Shear strain rates are less than 0.083 ± 0.010 μstrain/yr adjacent to the creeping SAF, with 1–4.5 mm/yr of contraction across the Coast Ranges. Dislocation modeling of the data gives a deep, long‐term slip rate of 31–35 mm/yr and a shallow (0–12 km) creep rate of 28 mm/yr along the central portion of the CSAF, consistent with surface creep measurements. The lower shallow slip rate may be due to the effect of partial locking along the CSAF or reflect reduced creep rates late in the earthquake cycle of the adjoining SAF rupture zones.