Search USGS⌕ Search

Geology topics

M. R. Goldman

Publications and source records attributed to M. R. Goldman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2016

Structure of the 1906 near-surface rupture zone of the San Andreas Fault, San Francisco Peninsula segment, near Woodside, California

High-resolution seismic-reflection and refraction images of the 1906 surface rupture zone of the San Andreas Fault near Woodside, California reveal evidence for one or more additional near-surface (within about 3 meters [m] depth) fault strands within about 25 m of the 1906 surface rupture. The 1906 surface rupture above the groundwater table (vadose zone) has been observed in paleoseismic trenches that coincide with our seismic profile and is seismically characterized by a discrete zone of low P-wave velocities (Vp), low S-wave velocities (Vs), high Vp/Vs ratios, and high Poisson’s ratios. A second near-surface fault strand, located about 17 m to the southwest of the 1906 surface rupture, is inferred by similar seismic anomalies. Between these two near-surface fault strands and below 5 m depth, we observed a near-vertical fault strand characterized by a zone of high Vp, low Vs, high Vp/Vs ratios, and high Poisson’s ratios on refraction tomography images and near-vertical diffractions on seismic-reflection images. This prominent subsurface zone of seismic anomalies is laterally offset from the 1906 surface rupture by about 8 m and likely represents the active main (long-term) strand of the San Andreas Fault at 5 to 10 m depth. Geometries of the near-surface and subsurface (about 5 to 10 m depth) fault zone suggest that the 1906 surface rupture dips southwestward to join the main strand of the San Andreas Fault at about 5 to 10 m below the surface. The 1906 surface rupture forms a prominent groundwater barrier in the upper 3 to 5 m, but our interpreted secondary near-surface fault strand to the southwest forms a weaker barrier, suggesting that there has been less or less-recent near-surface slip on that strand. At about 6 m depth, the main strand of the San Andreas Fault consists of water-saturated blue clay (collected from a hand-augered borehole), which is similar to deeply weathered serpentinite observed within the main strand of the San Andreas Fault at nearby sites. Multiple fault strands in the area of the 1906 surface rupture may account for variations in geologic slip rates calculated from several paleoseismic sites along the Peninsula segment of the San Andreas Fault.t.

California↗
USGS2013

Fine-scale delineation of the location of and relative ground shaking within the San Andreas Fault zone at San Andreas Lake, San Mateo County, California

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is seismically retrofitting the water delivery system at San Andreas Lake, San Mateo County, California, where the reservoir intake system crosses the San Andreas Fault (SAF). The near-surface fault location and geometry are important considerations in the retrofit effort. Because the SAF trends through highly distorted Franciscan mélange and beneath much of the reservoir, the exact trace of the 1906 surface rupture is difficult to determine from surface mapping at San Andreas Lake. Based on surface mapping, it also is unclear if there are additional fault splays that extend northeast or southwest of the main surface rupture. To better understand the fault structure at San Andreas Lake, the U.S. Geological Survey acquired a series of seismic imaging profiles across the SAF at San Andreas Lake in 2008, 2009, and 2011, when the lake level was near historical lows and the surface traces of the SAF were exposed for the first time in decades. We used multiple seismic methods to locate the main 1906 rupture zone and fault splays within about 100 meters northeast of the main rupture zone. Our seismic observations are internally consistent, and our seismic indicators of faulting generally correlate with fault locations inferred from surface mapping. We also tested the accuracy of our seismic methods by comparing our seismically located faults with surface ruptures mapped by Schussler (1906) immediately after the April 18, 1906 San Francisco earthquake of approximate magnitude 7.9; our seismically determined fault locations were highly accurate. Near the reservoir intake facility at San Andreas Lake, our seismic data indicate the main 1906 surface rupture zone consists of at least three near-surface fault traces. Movement on multiple fault traces can have appreciable engineering significance because, unlike movement on a single strike-slip fault trace, differential movement on multiple fault traces may exert compressive and extensional stresses on built structures within the fault zone. Such differential movement and resulting distortion of built structures appear to have occurred between fault traces at the gatewell near the southern end of San Andreas Lake during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake (Schussler, 1906). In addition to the three fault traces within the main 1906 surface rupture zone, our data indicate at least one additional fault trace (or zone) about 80 meters northeast of the main 1906 surface rupture zone. Because ground shaking also can damage structures, we used fault-zone guided waves to investigate ground shaking within the fault zones relative to ground shaking outside the fault zones. Peak ground velocity (PGV) measurements from our guided-wave study indicate that ground shaking is greater at each of the surface fault traces, varying with the frequency of the seismic data and the wave type (P versus S). S-wave PGV increases by as much as 5–6 times at the fault traces relative to areas outside the fault zone, and P-wave PGV increases by as much as 3–10 times. Assuming shaking increases linearly with increasing earthquake magnitude, these data suggest strong shaking may pose a significant hazard to built structures that extend across the fault traces. Similarly complex fault structures likely underlie other strike-slip faults (such as the Hayward, Calaveras, and Silver Creek Faults) that intersect structures of the water delivery system, and these fault structures similarly should be investigated.

California↗
USGS2009

San Andreas fault geometry at Desert Hot Springs, California, and its effects on earthquake hazards and groundwater

The Mission Creek and Banning faults are two of the principal strands of the San Andreas fault zone in the northern Coachella Valley of southern California. Structural characteristics of the faults affect both regional earthquake hazards and local groundwater resources. We use seismic, gravity, and geological data to characterize the San Andreas fault zone in the vicinity of Desert Hot Springs. Seismic images of the upper 500 m of the Mission Creek fault at Desert Hot Springs show multiple fault strands distributed over a 500 m wide zone, with concentrated faulting within a central 200 m wide area of the fault zone. High-velocity (up to 5000 m=sec) rocks on the northeast side of the fault are juxtaposed against a low-velocity (<2000 m=sec) basin on the southwest side within the upper few hundred meters. Near-surface strands of the Mission Creek fault dip steeply southwestward and northeastward and merge at depth to form a narrower, steeply southwestward-dipping or near-vertical (80?? to 90??) fault zone. The Banning fault, in contrast, dips northeastward (45?? to 70??) toward the Mission Creek fault, and the two faults likely merge into a single San Andreas fault zone at depth, indicating a transtensional fault system. Mainshock hypocenters for two of the historically largest (M >6.0) earthquakes in the area (in 1948 and 1986) occurred at or near the depths (~10 to 12 km) of the merged (San Andreas) fault. Large-magnitude earthquakes that nucleate at or below the merged fault will likely generate strong shaking from guided waves along both fault zones and from amplified seismic waves in the low-velocity basin between the two fault zones. The Mission Creek fault zone is a groundwater barrier with the top of the water table varying by 60 m in depth and the aquifer varying by about 50 m in thickness across a 200 m wide zone of concentrated faulting.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗
USGS2008

Near-surface location, geometry, and velocities of the Santa Monica Fault Zone, Los Angeles, California

High-resolution seismic-reflection and seismic-refraction imaging, combined with existing borehole, earthquake, and paleoseismic trenching data, suggest that the Santa Monica fault zone in Los Angeles consists of multiple strands from several kilometers depth to the near surface. We interpret our seismic data as showing two shallow-depth low-angle fault strands and multiple near-vertical (???85??) faults in the upper 100 m. One of the low-angle faults dips northward at about 28?? and approaches the surface at the base of a topographic scarp on the grounds of the Wadsworth VA Hospital (WVAH). The other principal low-angle fault dips northward at about 20?? and projects toward the surface about 200 m south of the topographic scarp, near the northernmost areas of the Los Angeles Basin that experienced strong shaking during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The 20?? north-dipping low-angle fault is also apparent on a previously published seismic-reflection image by Pratt et al. (1998) and appears to extend northward to at least Wilshire Boulevard, where the fault may be about 450 m below the surface. Slip rates determined at the WVAH site could be significantly underestimated if it is assumed that slip occurs only on a single strand of the Santa Monica fault or if it is assumed that the near-surface faults dip at angles greater than 20-28??. At the WVAH, tomographic velocity modeling shows a significant decrease in velocity across near-surface strands of the Santa Monica fault. P-wave velocities range from about 500 m/sec at the surface to about 4500 m/sec within the upper 50 m on the north side of the fault zone at WVAH, but maximum measured velocities on the south side of the low-angle fault zone at WVAH are about 3500 m/sec. These refraction velocities compare favorably with velocities measured in nearby boreholes by Gibbs et al. (2000). This study illustrates the utility of com- bined seismic-reflection and seismic-refraction methods, which allow more accurate reflection imaging and compositional estimations across areas with highly variable velocities, a property that is characteristic of most fault zones.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗
USGS2008

Structure of the San Bernardino Basin along two seismic transects: Rialto-Colton Fault to the San Andreas Fault and along the I-215 Freeway (I-10 to SR30)

In this report, we present seismic data and acquisition parameters for two seismic profiles acquired in the San Bernardino, California area in May and October 2003. We refer to these seismic profiles as the San Bernardino Regional (SBR) and San Bernardino High-Resolution (SBHR) seismic profiles. We present both un-interpreted and interpreted seismic images so that the structure of the area can independently interpreted by others. We explain the rationale for our interpretations within the text of this report, and in addition, we provide a large body of supporting evidence. The SBR seismic profile extended across the San Bernardino Basin approximately N30?E from the town of Colton to the town of Highland. The data were acquired at night when the signal-to-noise ratios were reasonably good, and for the larger shots, seismic energy propagated across the ~20-km-long array. Tomographic velocity data are available to depths of about 4 km, and low-fold reflection data are available to depths in excess of 5 km. The SBR seismic data reveal an asymmetric, fault-bound basin to about 5 km depth. The SBHR seismic profile trended along the I-215 freeway from its intersection with the Santa Ana River to approximately State Road 30 in San Bernardino. Seismic data acquired along the I-215 freeway provide detailed images, with CDP spacing of approximately 2.5 m along an approximately 8.2-km-long profile; shot and geophone spacing was 5 m. For logistical reasons, the high-resolution (SBHR) seismic data were acquired during daylight hours on the shoulder of the I-215 freeway and within 5 to 10 m of high-traffic volumes, resulting in low signal-to-noise ratios. The limited offset at which refracted first-arrivals could be measured along the SBHR seismic profile limited our measurements of tomographic refraction velocities to relatively shallow (< 150 m) depths. The SBHR reflection data reveal a basin with complex structural details within the upper kilometer. The two seismic profiles show internal consistency and consistency with other existing geophysical data. Collectively, the data suggest that the I-215 freeway trends along the faulted edge of a pull-apart basin, within a zone where the principal slip of the San Jacinto Fault is transferred to the San Andreas Fault. Because the I-215 freeway trends at low angles to these flower-structure faults, both primary and numerous secondary faults are apparent between the I-10 exchange and State Road-30, suggesting that much of the 8-km-long segment of the I-215 freeway could experience movement along primary or secondary faults.

California↗
USGS2007

Near-Surface Structure and Velocities of the Northeastern Santa Cruz Mountains and the Western Santa Clara Valley, California, From Seismic Imaging

Introduction The Santa Clara Valley (SCV) is located in the southern San Francisco Bay area of California and is bounded by the Santa Cruz Mountains to the southwest, the Diablo Ranges to the northeast, and the San Francisco Bay to the north (Fig. 1). The SCV, which includes the City of San Jose, numerous smaller cities, and much of the high-technology manufacturing and research area commonly referred to as the Silicon Valley, has a population in excess of 1.7 million people (2000 U. S. Census;http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06085.html The SCV is situated between major active faults of the San Andreas Fault system, including the San Andreas Fault to the southwest and the Hayward and Calaveras faults to the northeast, and other faults inferred to lie beneath the alluvium of the SCV (CWDR, 1967; Bortugno et al., 1991). The importance of the SCV as a major industrial center, its large population, and its proximity to major earthquake faults are important considerations with respect to earthquake hazards and water-resource management. The fault-bounded alluvial aquifer system beneath the valley is the source of about one-third of the water supply for the metropolitan area (Hanson et al., 2004). To better address the earthquake hazards of the SCV, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has undertaken a program to evaluate potential seismic sources, the effects of strong ground shaking, and stratigraphy associated with the regional aquifer system. As part of that program and to better understand water resources of the valley, the USGS and the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) began joint studies to characterize the faults, stratigraphy, and structures beneath the SCV in the year 2000. Such features are important to both agencies because they directly influence the availability and management of groundwater resources in the valley, and they affect the severity and distribution of strong shaking from local and regional earthquakes sources that may affect reservoirs, pipelines, and flood-protection facilities maintained by SCVWD. As one component of these joint studies, the USGS acquired an approximately 10-km-long, high-resolution, combined seismic reflection/refraction transect from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the central SCV in December 2000 (Figs. 1 and 2a,b). The overall seismic investigation of the western Santa Clara Valley also included an ~18-km-long, lower-resolution (~50-m sensor) seismic imaging survey from the central Santa Cruz Mountains to the central part of the valley (Fig. 1). Collectively, we refer to these seismic investigations as the 2000 western Santa Clara Seismic Investigations (SCSI). Results of the high-resolution investigation, referred to as SCSI-HR, are presented in this report, and Catchings et al. (2006) present results of the low-resolution investigation (SCSI-LR) in a separate report. In this report, we present data acquisition parameters, unprocessed and processed seismic data, and interpretations of the SCSI-HR seismic transect.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2006

Structure and Velocities of the Northeastern Santa Cruz Mountains and the Western Santa Clara Valley, California, from the SCSI-LR Seismic Survey

Introduction: The Santa Clara Valley is located in the southern San Francisco Bay area of California and generally includes the area south of the San Francisco Bay between the Santa Cruz Mountains on the southwest and the Diablo Ranges on the northeast. The area has a population of approximately 1.7 million including the city of San Jose, numerous smaller cities, and much of the high-technology manufacturing and research area commonly referred to as the Silicon Valley. Major active strands of the San Andreas Fault system bound the Santa Clara Valley, including the San Andreas fault to the southwest and the Hayward and Calaveras faults to the northeast; related faults likely underlie the alluvium of the valley. This report focuses on subsurface structures of the western Santa Clara Valley and the northeastern Santa Cruz Mountains and their potential effects on earthquake hazards and ground-water resource management in the area. Earthquake hazards and ground-water resources in the Santa Clara Valley are important considerations to California and the Nation because of the valley's preeminence as a major technical and industrial center, proximity to major earthquakes faults, and large population. To assess the earthquake hazards of the Santa Clara Valley better, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has undertaken a program to evaluate potential earthquake sources and potential effects of strong ground shaking within the valley. As part of that program, and to better assess water resources of the valley, the USGS and the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) began conducting collaborative studies to characterize the faults, stratigraphy, and structures beneath the alluvial cover of the Santa Clara Valley in the year 2000. Such geologic features are important to both agencies because they directly influence the availability and management of groundwater resources in the valley, and they affect the severity and distribution of strong shaking from local or regional earthquakes sources. As one component of these joint studies, the U. S. Geological Survey acquired more than 28 km of combined seismic reflection/refraction data from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the central Santa Clara Valley in December 2000. The seismic investigation included both high-resolution (~5-m shot and sensor spacing) and relatively lower-resolution (~50-m sensor) seismic surveys from the central Santa Cruz Mountains to the central part of the valley. Collectively, we refer to these seismic investigations as the 2000 western Santa Clara Seismic Investigations (SCSI).

Open-File Report↗
USGS2006

Subsurface structure of the East Bay Plain ground-water basin: San Francisco Bay to the Hayward fault, Alameda County, California

The area of California between the San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, Santa Clara Valley, and the Diablo Ranges (East Bay Hills), commonly referred to as the 'East Bay', contains the East Bay Plain and Niles Cone ground-water basins. The area has a population of 1.46 million (2003 US Census), largely distributed among several cities, including Alameda, Berkeley, Fremont, Hayward, Newark, Oakland, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, and Union City. Major known tectonic structures in the East Bay area include the Hayward Fault and the Diablo Range to the east and a relatively deep sedimentary basin known as the San Leandro Basin beneath the eastern part of the bay. Known active faults, such as the Hayward, Calaveras, and San Andreas pose significant earthquake hazards to the region, and these and related faults also affect ground-water flow in the San Francisco Bay area. Because most of the valley comprising the San Francisco Bay area is covered by Holocene alluvium or water at the surface, our knowledge of the existence and locations of such faults, their potential hazards, and their effects on ground-water flow within the alluvial basins is incomplete. To better understand the subsurface stratigraphy and structures and their effects on ground-water and earthquake hazards, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), acquired a series of high-resolution seismic reflection and refraction profiles across the East Bay Plain near San Leandro in June 2002. In this report, we present results of the seismic imaging investigations, with emphasis on ground water.

California↗
USGS2003

Data report for the main line of the PSINE seismic survey across the San Andreas Fault and SAFOD Site near Parkfield, California

In October and November 1998, the U.S. Geological Survey, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Stanford University, and Geometrics Corporation jointly acquired a highresolution seismic reflection/refraction profile across the San Andreas Fault Zone (SAFZ) and the proposed San-Andreas-Fault-Observatory-at-Depth (SAFOD) drill site located near Parkfield, California (Fig. 1a). We refer to this seismic survey as the Parkfield Seismic Imaging-Ninety Eight (PSINE) survey, the highest-resolution seismic survey yet completed across the SAF in central California. This report, which presents acquisition parameters and example shot gathers for the PSINE seismic survey, is intended to provide necessary information for those who wish to use the PSINE data for research. The PSINE survey is part of the proposed SAFOD investigation: a proposed study to investigate physical and chemical properties and processes that control deformation and earthquake generation within the SAF zone by drilling into the active trace of the fault (Zoback et al., 1998; www.earthscope.org). Geological and geophysical investigations are planned prior to, during, and after completion of the borehole. The PSINE survey, which was one of the pre-drilling investigations, was designed to determine the subsurface stratigraphic and structural relations in the vicinity of the proposed drill site, to better locate the target fault zone within the subsurface, and to image obstacles that may impede drilling. Data acquisition parameters, experiment setup, and parameters needed to work with the PSINE data are provided in this report. The PSINE data provide useful reflective images (Catchings et al., in prep; Rymer et al., in prep; Hole et al.,) and velocity data (Catchings et al., 2002) in the vicinity of the SAFOD drill site and the San Andreas fault.

California↗
USGS2001

Seismic images and fault relations of the Santa Monica thrust fault, West Los Angeles, California

In May 1997, the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Southern California (USC) acquired high-resolution seismic reflection and refraction images on the grounds of the Wadsworth Veterans Administration Hospital (WVAH) in the city of Los Angeles (Fig. 1a,b). The objective of the seismic survey was to better understand the near-surface geometry and faulting characteristics of the Santa Monica fault zone. In this report, we present seismic images, an interpretation of those images, and a comparison of our results with results from studies by Dolan and Pratt (1997), Pratt et al. (1998) and Gibbs et al. (2000). The Santa Monica fault is one of the several northeast-southwest-trending, north-dipping, reverse faults that extend through the Los Angeles metropolitan area (Fig. 1a). Through much of area, the Santa Monica fault trends subparallel to the Hollywood fault, but the two faults apparently join into a single fault zone to the southwest and to the northeast (Dolan et al., 1995). The Santa Monica and Hollywood faults may be part of a larger fault system that extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Transverse Ranges. Crook et al. (1983) refer to this fault system as the Malibu Coast-Santa Monica-Raymond-Cucamonga fault system. They suggest that these faults have not formed a contiguous zone since the Pleistocene and conclude that each of the faults should be treated as a separate fault with respect to seismic hazards. However, Dolan et al. (1995) suggest that the Hollywood and Santa Monica faults are capable of generating Mw 6.8 and Mw 7.0 earthquakes, respectively. Thus, regardless of whether the overall fault system is connected and capable of rupturing in one event, individually, each of the faults present a sizable earthquake hazard to the Los Angeles metropolitan area. If, however, these faults are connected, and they were to rupture along a continuous fault rupture, the resulting hazard would be even greater. Although the Santa Monica fault represents a hazard to millions of people, its lateral extent and rupture history are not well known, due largely to limited knowledge of the fault location, geometry, and relationship to other faults. The Santa Monica fault has been obscured at the surface by alluvium and urbanization. For example, Dolan et al. (1995) could find only one 200-m-long stretch of the Santa Monica fault that was not covered by either streets or buildings. Of the 19-km length onshore section of the Santa Monica fault, its apparent location has been delineated largely on the basis of geomorphic features and oil-well drilling. Seismic imaging efforts, in combination with other investigative methods, may be the best approach in locating and understanding the Santa Monica fault in the Los Angeles region. This investigation and another recent seismic imaging investigation (Pratt et al., 1998) were undertaken to resolve the near-surface location, fault geometry, and faulting relations associated with the Santa Monica fault.

California↗
USGS2001

High-resolution seismic reflection/refraction images near the outer margin of the Chesapeake Bay impact crater, York-James Peninsula, southeastern Virginia

Powars and Bruce (1999) showed that the Chesapeake Bay region of southeastern Virginia was the site of an asteroid or comet impact during the late Eocene, approximately 35 million years ago (Fig. 1). Initial borehole and marine seismic-reflection data revealed a 90-km-diameter impact structure, referred to as the Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater (CBIC), that lies buried beneath the southern Chesapeake Bay and surrounding Virginia Coastal Plain (Powars and Bruce, Figs. 1b). Stratigraphic correlations among a series of boreholes suggest that the impact disrupted basement rock and the overlying Cretaceous through middle Eocene deltaic and marine sediments. The CBIC truncates important regional sedimentary aquifer systems and possibly caused differential flushing of connate seawater. Therefore, the CBIC affects the present-day ground-water quantity and quality in the rapidly growing Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia. Impact-generated faults in the basement rock may be the sources of small-to-moderate earthquakes that have been occurred around the perimeter of the impact structure over the past few hundred years (Johnson et al., 1998). Powars and Bruce (1999) suggest that 150 m to 490 m of relatively undisturbed, post-impact Coastal-Plain sediments overlie the impact-disrupted sediments and basement rocks west of Chesapeake Bay. Their interpretation of marine seismic data, released from Texaco and Exxon, revealed a central 38-km-wide, 1.6-km-deep disrupted zone in the basement rocks (inner basin), which is surrounded by a 21- to 31-km-wide, 1- km-deep annular trough. Steep rim escarpments surround these features, which they mapped regionally as the outer and inner margins (rims) of the CBIC (Fig. 1b). The outer margin is a slumped terrace zone that has a 120- to 305-m-high gullied escarpment and varies in width from 0.8 to 3.2 km. However, the geographic bounds of the CBIC, its effects on the regional aquifer systems, and the distribution of impact generated faults and fractures in basement are not well determined. To better determine some of the unknowns associated with the CBIC, we conducted a 350-m-long, high-resolution seismic reflection and refraction survey, referred to here as the CBIC-1 seismic survey, on the York-James Peninsula in June 1999. In particular, we attempted to: better define the outer margin of the CBIC, understand lateral variations in the stratigraphic sequence, help assess potential hazards associated with regional seismicity, and determine acquisition parameters needed for shallow-depth seismic imaging in the Chesapeake Bay area.

Virginia↗
USGS1999

High-resolution seismic reflection/refraction imaging from Interstate 10 to Cherry Valley Boulevard, Cherry Valley, Riverside County, California: Implications for water resources and earthquake hazards

This report is the second of two reports on seismic imaging investigations conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) during the summers of 1997 and 1998 in the Cherry Valley area in California (Figure 1a). In the first report (Catchings et al., 1999), data and interpretations were presented for four seismic imaging profiles (CV-1, CV-2, CV-3, and CV-4) acquired during the summer of 1997 . In this report, we present data and interpretations for three additional profiles (CV-5, CV-6, and CV-7) acquired during the summer of 1998 and the combined seismic images for all seven profiles. This report addresses both groundwater resources and earthquake hazards in the San Gorgonio Pass area because the shallow (upper few hundred meters) subsurface stratigraphy and structure affect both issues. The cities of Cherry Valley and Beaumont are located approximately 130 km (~80 miles) east of Los Angeles, California along the southern alluvial fan of the San Bernardino Mountains (see Figure 1b). These cities are two of several small cities that are located within San Gorgonio Pass, a lower-lying area between the San Bernardino and the San Jacinto Mountains. Cherry Valley and Beaumont are desert cities with summer daytime temperatures often well above 100 o F. High water usage in the arid climate taxes the available groundwater supply in the region, increasing the need for efficient management of the groundwater resources. The USGS and the San Gorgonio Water District (SGWD) work cooperatively to evaluate the quantity and quality of groundwater supply in the San Gorgonio Pass region. To better manage the water supplies within the District during wet and dry periods, the SGWD sought to develop a groundwater recharge program, whereby, excess water would be stored in underground aquifers during wet periods (principally winter months) and retrieved during dry periods (principally summer months). The SGWD preferred a surface recharge approach because it could be less expensive than a recharging program based on injection wells. However, at an existing surface recharge site, surface recharge of the aquifer was limited by the presence of clayrich layers that impede the downward percolation of the surface water. In boreholes, these clay-rich layers were found to extend from the near surface to about 50 m depth. If practical, the SGWD desired to relocate the recharge ponds to another location within the Cherry Valley–Beaumont area. This required that sites be found where the clay-rich layers were absent. The SGWD elected to explore for such sites by employing a combination of drilling and seismic techniques. A number of near-surface faults have been suggested in the Cherry Valley-Beaumont area (Figure 1b). However, there may be additional unmapped faults that underlie the alluvial valley of San Gorgonio Pass. Because faults are known to act as barriers to lateral groundwater flow in alluvial groundwater systems, mapped and unmapped subsurface faults in the Cherry Valley-Beaumont area would likely influence groundwater flow and the lateral distribution of recharged water. These same faults may pose a significant hazard to the local desert communities and to greater areas of southern California due to the presence of lifelines (water, electrical, gas, transportation, etc.) that extend through San Gorgonio Pass to larger urban areas. The three principal goals of the seismic investigation presented in this report were to laterally map the subsurface stratigraphic horizons, locate faults that may act as barriers to groundwater flow, and measure velocities of shallow sediments that may give rise to amplified shaking during major earthquakes.

California↗
USGS1998

Faulting apparently related to the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake and possible co-seismic origin of surface cracks in Potrero Canyon, Los Angeles County, California

Apparent southward-dipping, reverse-fault zones are imaged to depths of about 1.5 km beneath Potrero Canyon, Los Angeles County, California. Based on their orientation and projection to the surface, we suggest that the imaged fault zones are extensions of the Oak Ridge fault. Geologic mapping by others and correlations with seismicity studies suggest that the Oak Ridge fault is the causative fault of the 17 January 1994 Northridge earthquake (Northridge fault). Our seismically imaged faults may be among several faults that collectively comprise the Northridge thrust fault system. Unusually strong shaking in Potrero Canyon during the Northridge earthquake may have resulted from focusing of seismic energy or co-seismic movement along existing, related shallow-depth faults. The strong shaking produced ground-surface cracks and sand blows distributed along the length of the canyon. Seismic reflection and refraction images show that shallow-depth faults may underlie some of the observed surface cracks. The relationship between observed surface cracks and imaged faults indicates that some of the surface cracks may have developed from nontectonic alluvial movement, but others may be fault related. Immediately beneath the surface cracks, P-wave velocities are unusually low (<400 m/sec), and there are velocity anomalies consistent with a seismic reflection image of shallow faulting to depths of at least 100 m. On the basis of velocity data, we suggest that unconsolidated soils (<800 m/sec) extend to depths of about 15 to 20 m beneath our datum (<25 m below ground surface). The underlying rocks range in velocity from about 1000 to 5000 m/sec in the upper 100 m. This study illustrates the utility of high-resolution seismic imaging in assessing local and regional seismic hazards.

California↗