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Long-term continental deformation associated with transpressive plate motion: The San Andreas fault

¹ Department of Geosciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 4044 Derring Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
² Department of Geosciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
³ Department of Geology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
⁴ Department of Geology, Pasadena City College, Pasadena, California 91106, USA
⁵ Department of Geosciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 4044 Derring Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
⁶ Department of Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA

A synthesis of transpressive mountain building, as evidenced by rock uplift and topography along the entire San Andreas fault, reveals a complex crustal response to oblique plate motion. Convergent deformation increases toward the fault but does not correlate with the angle of plate-motion obliquity. The shortening estimated from rock uplift is also insufficient to account for the fault-normal motion based on relative plate velocity. This suggests that near-field convergence is influenced by local structural complexity and is not purely driven by regional transpression, and that the fault-normal component of plate motion is partly accommodated elsewhere. Heterogeneity in deformation and degree of slip partitioning highlight the importance of other factors in shaping transpressive continental deformation, including surface processes, material anisotropy, and strain weakening.

Key Words: transpression • San Andreas fault • thermochronometry • mountain building • continental transform faults

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. Dair and M. L. Cooke San Andreas fault geometry through the San Gorgonio Pass, California Geology, February 1, 2009; 37(2): 119 - 122. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]