Premium
Shear strength of the Great Pacific Fracture Zones
Author(s) -
Bonneville Alain,
McNutt Marcia
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/92gl02120
Subject(s) - geology , shear (geology) , seismology , fracture zone , petrology
Shipboard bathymetry and gravity data from 30 crossings of 6 great Pacific fracture zones (FZs), the Mendocino, Murray, Molokai, Clarion, Clipperton, and Udintsev, are compared with the predictions of a model in which FZs are locked beyond the ridge‐transform intersection, such that no vertical motion occurs on the fault in response to differential thermal subsidence. At least some sections of all of these FZs, except the Molokai, are consistent with this model and sustain shear stresses as high as 20 MPa. However, none of the FZs is locked along its entire length, as inferred from observed shear stresses dropping below 75% of the value necessary to maintain a locked fault. There is some suggestion that the unlocking may be related to excess volcanism.