History of Late Holocene Earthquakes at the Willow Creek Site and on the Nephi Segment, Wasatch Fault Zone, Utah

History of Late Holocene Earthquakes at the Willow Creek Site and on the Nephi Segment, Wasatch Fault Zone, Utah
Author: Anthony J. Crone
Publisher: Utah Geological Survey
Total Pages: 65
Release: 2014-09-15
Genre: CD-ROMs
ISBN: 1557918945

This 43-page report presents new data from the Willow Creek site that provides well-defined and narrow bounds on the times of the three youngest earthquakes on the southern strand of the Nephi segment, Wasatch Fault zone, and refines the time of the youngest earthquake to about 200 years ago. This is the youngest surface rupture on the entire Wasatch fault zone, which occurred about a century or less before European settles arrived in Utah. Two trenches at the Willow Creek site exposed three scarp-derived colluvial wedges that are evidence of three paleoearthquakes. OxCal modeling of ages from Willow Creek indicate that paleoearthquake WC1 occurred at 0.2 ± 0.1 ka, WC2 occurred at 1.2 ± 0.1 ka, and WC3 occurred at 1.9 ± 0.6 ka. Stratigraphic constraints on the time of paleoearthquake WC4 are extremely poor, so OxCal modeling only yields a broadly constrained age of 4.7 ± 1.8 ka. Results from the Willow Creek site significantly refine the times of late Holocene earthquakes on the Southern strand of the Nephi segment, and this result, when combined with a reanalysis of the stratigraphic and chronologic information from previous investigations at North Creek and Red Canyon, yield a stronger basis of correlating individual earthquakes between all three sites.

The Wasatch Fault

The Wasatch Fault
Author: Sandra N. Eldredge
Publisher: Utah Geological Survey
Total Pages: 20
Release: 1996-01-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1557913870

A beautifully designed and easy to understand publication discussing the geologic history of the Wasatch Fault and possible dangers it poses to anyone living nearby. This is a perfect introduction to the fault for anyone of all ages.

Post-Bonneville Paleoearthquake Chronology of the Salt Lake City Segment, Wasatch Fault Zone, from the 1999 "Megatrench" Site

Post-Bonneville Paleoearthquake Chronology of the Salt Lake City Segment, Wasatch Fault Zone, from the 1999
Author: James McCalpin
Publisher: Utah Geological Survey
Total Pages: 45
Release: 2002
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1557916705

This report presents the results of a paleoseismic investigation designed to date a long series of consecutive earthquakes on the Wasatch fault zone and to measure the variability of recurrence times between the events. Geologists have long recognized that the comparatively short average recurrence interval (compared to most other basin-and-range normal faults) between large surface-faulting earthquakes on the Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch fault zone during mid- to late-Holocene time is potentially anomalous, and possibly affected by the rise and fall of Lake Bonneville. This study extends the paleoearthquake record back to Bonneville time, nearly doubling the previous record, and provides new information on the timing and periodicity of surface faulting on the Salt Lake City segment from the latest Pleistocene through the Holocene. The trench and accompanying auger hole for this study exposed 26 meters of vertical section, roughly four times that of a typical paleoseismic trench on the Wasatch fault zone, hence the name “Megatrench.”

Paleoseismic Investigation on the Salt Lake City Segment of the Wasatch Fault Zone at the South Fork Dry Creek and Dry Gulch Sites, Salt Lake County, Utah

Paleoseismic Investigation on the Salt Lake City Segment of the Wasatch Fault Zone at the South Fork Dry Creek and Dry Gulch Sites, Salt Lake County, Utah
Author: Bill D. Black
Publisher: Utah Geological Survey
Total Pages: 28
Release: 1996
Genre: Faults (Geology)
ISBN: 1557913994

The South Fork Dry Creek and Dry Gulch sites lie within a few hundred meters of each other in the southeastern part of the Salt Lake Valley, and together provide the only location on the heavily urbanized Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch fault zone where it is possible to develop a complete surface-faulting chronology for the segment since middle Holocene time (the past 6,000 years). Investigations at the two sites took place intermittently between 1985 and 1995 as permission was obtained to trench more and more of the scarps within the broad fault zone. The new information reported here on the size, timing, and especially recurrence of surface-faulting earthquakes on the Salt Lake City segment shows that the earthquake hazard presented by this segment of the Wasatch fault is greater than previously thought. Such information is vital to public officials, planners, and others making decisions regarding earthquake-hazard mitigation. 22 pages + 1 plate

Evaluating Surface Faulting Chronologies of Graben-Bounding Faults in Salt Lake Valley, Utah - New Paleoseismic Data from the Salt Lake City Segment of the Wasatch Fault Zone and the West Valley Fault Zone

Evaluating Surface Faulting Chronologies of Graben-Bounding Faults in Salt Lake Valley, Utah - New Paleoseismic Data from the Salt Lake City Segment of the Wasatch Fault Zone and the West Valley Fault Zone
Author: Christopher B. DuRoss
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2014
Genre: Faults (Geology)
ISBN: 9781557918895

The Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch Fault zone and the West Valley fault zone are Holocene active faults that have evidence of large magnitude surface faulting earthquakes. Paleoseismic research trenches provide data that shed light on the faulting behavior and interaction of fault systems.

Paleoseismic Investigation of the Northern Strand of the Nephi Segment of the Wasatch Fault Zone at Santaquin, Utah

Paleoseismic Investigation of the Northern Strand of the Nephi Segment of the Wasatch Fault Zone at Santaquin, Utah
Author: Christopher B. DuRoss
Publisher: Utah Geological Survey
Total Pages: 39
Release: 2008
Genre: CD-ROMs
ISBN: 1557917892

This CD contains a 33 page report, appendix, and plate. This study presents the results of fault-trench excavations near Santaquin, Utah, and includes discussion of (1) previous paleoseismic investigations on the Nephi segment, (2) the geology of the Santaquin trench site and excavations (3) paleoseismic results, including the timing of the most recent surface-faulting earthquake, fault displacement and slip rate, and surface-faulting earthquake recurrence and (4) implications for the segmentation of the southern Wasatch fault zone.