Quick Search:    advanced search

GSW Home   GeoRef Home   My GSW Alerts   Contact GSW   About GSW   Journals List   Help

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wang, C.-y. Articles by Jones, D. L. Search for Related Content GeoRef GeoRef Citation

Predicting the areas of crustal faulting in the San Francisco Bay region

¹ Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720

We investigated the mechanism of the distinct deformation styles in fault-bounded crustal blocks in the San Francisco Bay region using a two-dimensional map-view model. The model features a nonlinear, elastoplastic (Coulomb) upper crust, and it includes all the major faults in the region. In addition to predicting accurately the long-term fault-slip rates and stress orientations in the region, the weak-fault model predicts areas of crustal faulting in close agreement with field observations. The most striking feature is the distinct spatial domains of the minimum horizontal principal stress (₂), which are spatially associated with the distinct deformation styles in the region. Crustal faulting is most likely to occur in areas with the least ₂ value.