Cascadia Subduction Zone

Open-File Report 2007-1437-L
Prepared in cooperation with the California Geological Survey and the Southern California Earthquake Center
By:  and 

Links

Abstract

The geometry and recurrence times of large earthquakes associated with the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) were discussed and debated at a March 28-29, 2006 Pacific Northwest workshop for the USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps. The CSZ is modeled from Cape Mendocino in California to Vancouver Island in British Columbia. We include the same geometry and weighting scheme as was used in the 2002 model (Frankel and others, 2002) based on thermal constraints (Fig. 1; Fluck and others, 1997 and a reexamination by Wang et al., 2003, Fig. 11, eastern edge of intermediate shading). This scheme includes four possibilities for the lower (eastern) limit of seismic rupture: the base of elastic zone (weight 0.1), the base of transition zone (weight 0.2), the midpoint of the transition zone (weight 0.2), and a model with a long north-south segment at 123.8? W in the southern and central portions of the CSZ, with a dogleg to the northwest in the northern portion of the zone (weight 0.5). The latter model was derived from the approximate average longitude of the contour of the 30 km depth of the CSZ as modeled by Fluck et al. (1997). A global study of the maximum depth of thrust earthquakes on subduction zones by Tichelaar and Ruff (1993) indicated maximum depths of about 40 km for most of the subduction zones studied, although the Mexican subduction zone had a maximum depth of about 25 km (R. LaForge, pers. comm., 2006). The recent inversion of GPS data by McCaffrey et al. (2007) shows a significant amount of coupling (a coupling factor of 0.2-0.3) as far east as 123.8? West in some portions of the CSZ. Both of these lines of evidence lend support to the model with a north-south segment at 123.8? W.
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Cascadia Subduction Zone
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 2007-1437
Chapter L
DOI 10.3133/ofr20071437L
Edition Version 1.0
Year Published 2008
Language ENGLISH
Publisher Geological Survey (U.S.)
Contributing office(s) Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center
Description 7 p.
Larger Work Type Report
Larger Work Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Larger Work Title Appendix L in The Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, Version 2 (UCERF 2)
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details