Late Pleistocene slip on a low-angle normal fault, Searles Valley, California

The mechanical feasibility of normal-sense slip on low-angle faults remains a conundrum in extensional tectonics. The rarity of demonstrably active low-angle normal faults may imply that very specifi c criteria must be satisfi ed for signifi cant fault displacement. We present new geologic observations, geomorphic mapping, and structural analysis for a low-angle fault zone along the eastern margin of Searles Valley, California. Our observations indicate that Pleistocene displacement along the range-front fault scarps is the near-surface expression of slip on a bedrock-rooted low-angle normal fault. Along the central portion of the range front in Searles Valley, high-angle faults offset late Pleistocene alluvial and lacustrine surfaces. These faults merge downward into a westdipping, low-angle fault, but do not displace the low-angle surface. These geometric relations are satisfi ed only when displacement on the high-angle faults is accommodated by slip on the basal low-angle fault. We use displaced alluvial fan surfaces to determine slip rates across the fault system over late Pleistocene to Holocene time. Combining radiocarbon ages of lacustrine tufa deposits with high-precision topographic surveys of fault scarps yields average slip rates of 0.21- 0.35 m/k.y. Additional mapping of faults within the Slate Range at the northern end of Searles Valley suggests that slip is transferred northward to the Manly Pass fault, a bedrock normal fault that trends northeast into Panamint Valley. Thus, although displacement along the range-front fault system dies out northward, we infer that active deformation occurs within the range and likely links extension in Searles Valley with deformation in Panamint Valley

Frictional properties of natural fault gouge from a low-angle normal fault, Panamit Valley, California

We investigate the relationship between frictional strength and clay mineralogy of natural fault gouge from a low-angle normal fault in Panamint Valley, California. Gouge samples were collected from the fault zone at five locations along a north-south transect of the range-bounding fault system, spanning a variety of bedrock lithologies. Samples were powdered and sheared in the double-direct shear configuration at room temperature and humidity. The coefficient of friction, μ, was measured at a range of normal stresses from 5 to 150 MPa for all samples. Our results reinforce the intuitive understanding that natural fault gouge zones are inherently heterogeneous. Samples from a single location exhibit dramatic differences in behavior, yet all three were collected within a meter of the fault core. For most of the samples, friction varies from μ = 0.6 to μ = 0.7, consistent with Byerlee's law. However, samples with greater than 50 wt % total clay content were much weaker (μ = 0.2-0.4). Expandable clay content of the samples ranged from 10 to 40 wt %. Frictional weakness did not correlate with expandable clays. Our results indicate that friction decreases with increasing total clay content, rather than with the abundance of expandable clays. The combination of field relations, analytical results, and friction measurements indicates a positive correlation between clay content, fabric intensity, and localization of strain in the fault core. A mechanism based upon foliations enveloping angular elements to reduce friction is suggested for weakening of fault gouge composed of mixed clay and granular material. We provide broad constraints of 1-5 km on the depth of gouge generation and the depth at which fault weakness initiates. We show that slip on the Panamint Valley fault and similar low-angle normal faults is mechanically feasible in the mid-upper crust it the strength of the fault is limited by weak, clay-rich fault gouge. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union