Abstract
We present a realistic model of the San Andreas fault zone. We propose that aseismic ground displacement is a sum of visco-elastic relaxation following large earthquakes, transient fault slip, steady fault slip and a large-scale relative plate motion. We used the model to explain the aseismic ground displacements observed after the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.
The data do not resolve the question of which is the dominant mechanism, but viscoelastic relaxation can contribute a significant fraction of the displacement if the elastic plate thickness is 50 km or less. If the relative plate motion is taken to be 5.5 cm/yr, as found from plate rotation pole studies, then the zone of significant shearing in the mantle is probably at least 100 km thick beneath California.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Barker, T. (1976), Quasi-static motions near the San Andreas fault zone, Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 45, 689–706.
Ben-Menahem, A. and Singh, S. (1968), Multipolar elastic fields in a layer half space, Bull. seism. Soc. Am. 58, 1519–1572.
Biot, M. (1954), Theory of stress-strain relation in anisotropic viscoelasticity and relaxation phenomena, J. appl. Phys. 25, 1385–1391.
Brace, W. and Byerlee, J. (1970), California earthquakes: Why only shallow focus? Science, 168, 1573–1575.
Chinnery, M. (1963), The stress changes that accompany strike-slip faulting, Bull. seism. Soc. Am. 53, 921–932.
Crittenden, M. (1968), Effective viscosity of the earth derived from isostatic loading of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, J. geophys. Res. 68, 5517–5530.
Crough, S. (1975), Thermal model of oceanic lithosphere, Nature, 256, 388–390.
Froidevaux, C. and Schubert, G. (1975), Plate motion and structure of the continental asthenosphere: A realistic model of the upper mantle, J. geophys. Res. 80, 2553–2564.
Hayford, J. and Baldwin, A. (1907), The earth movements in the California earthquake of 1906, in Reports on Geodetic Measurements of Crustal Movements (ed. B. K. Meade), U.S.G.P.O. Publ. No. 0317-00167, Rockville, Md., 1973.
Jackson, D. (1971a), The attenuation of Love waves and toroidal oscillations of the earth, Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 25, 25–34.
Jackson, D. (1971b), Attenuation of seismic waves by grain boundary relaxation, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 68, 1577–1579.
Jackson, D. (1972), Interpretation of inaccurate, insufficient and inconsistent data, Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 28, 97–109.
Jackson, D. (1973), Marginal solutions to quasi-linear inverse problems in geophysics: The edgehog method, Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 35, 121–136.
Jackson, D. (1974), Tradeoffs and simultaneous optimizations in inverse problems, unpublished manuscript.
Knopoff, L. (1958), Energy release in earthquakes, Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 1, 44–52.
Lee, E. (1955), Stress analysis in visco-elastic bodies, Quart. J. appl. Math. 13, 183–190.
Leeds, A. (1975), Lithospheric thickness in the Western Pacific, Phys. Earth Planetary Interiors, 11, 61–64.
McConnell, R. (1965), Isostatic adjustment in a layered earth, J. geophys. Res. 70, 5171–5188.
McKenzie, D. (1967), The viscosity of the mantle, Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 14, 297–305.
McKenzie, D., The geophysical importance of high temperature creep, in The History of the Earth’s Crust (ed. R. Phinney) (Princeton Univ. Press., Princeton 1968).
Minster, J., Jordan, T., Molnar, P. and Haynes, E. (1974), Numerical modelling of instantaneous plate tectonics, Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 36, 541–576.
Nur, A. and Mavko, G. (1974), Postseismic viscoelastic rebound, Science, 183, 204–206.
Parmentier, E., Turcotte, D. and Torrance, K. (1976), Studies of finite amplitude non-Newtonian thermal convection with application to convection in the earth’s mantle, J. geophys. Res. 11, 1839–1846.
Peltier, W. R. (1974), The impulse response of a Maxwell earth, Rev. Geophys. space Phys. 12, 649–699.
Post, R. and Griggs, D. (1973), The earth’s mantle: Evidence of non-Newtonian flow, Science, 181, 1242–1244.
Press, F. (1965), Displacement, strains and tilts at teleseismic distances, J. geophys. Res. 70, 2395–2412.
Rundle, J. and Jackson, D. (1976a), A three-dimensional viscoelastic model of a strike-slip fault, Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. in press.
Rundle, J. and Jackson, D. (1976b), A realistic model of the San Andreas fault zone applied to the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, submitted to Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc.
Rybicki, K. (1971), The elastic residual field of a very long strike-slip fault in the presence of a discontinuity, Bull. seism. Soc. Am. 61, 79–92.
Savage, J. and Burford, R. (1973), Geodetic determination of relative plate motion in central California, J. geophys. Res. 78, 832–845.
Savage, J. (1975), Comment on ‘An analysis of strain accumulation on a strike slip fault’ by D. L. Turcotte and D. A. Spence, J. geophys. Res. 80, 4111–4114.
Smith, A. T. (1974), Time dependent strain accumulation and release at island arcs, Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, 55, 427, 1974.
Stocker, R. and Ashby, M. (1973), On the rheology of the upper mantle, Rev. Geophys. space Phys. 11, 392–426.
Thatcher, W. (1974), Strain release mechanism of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Science 184, 1283–1285.
Thatcher, W. (1975a), Strain accumulation and release mechanism of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, J. geophys. Res. 80, 4862–4872.
Thatcher, W. (1975b), Strain accumulation on the northern San Andreas fault zone since 1906, J. geophys. Res. 80, 4873–4880.
Turcotte, D. and Spence, D. (1974), An analysis of strain accumulation on a strike slip fault, J. geophys. Res. 79, 4407–412.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1977 Springer Basel AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rundle, J.B., Jackson, D.D. (1977). A Viscoelastic Relaxation Model for Post-Seismic Deformation from the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. In: Wyss, M. (eds) Stress in the Earth. Contributions to Current Research in Geophysics (CCRG). Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-5745-1_25
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-5745-1_25
Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Basel
Print ISBN: 978-3-0348-5746-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-0348-5745-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive