Surficial fractures from the middle of the 2019 Ridgecrest mainshock mapped from high-resolution aerial imagery

Brian J. Aguilar, Alba M. Rodriguez Padilla, Mercedes Quintana, Thomas A. Shea, & Michael E. Oskin

Published August 15, 2021, SCEC Contribution #11439, 2021 SCEC Annual Meeting Poster #072 (PDF)

The surface deformation field of an earthquake contains information about rupture propagation and fault geometry. The 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake sequence caused a surface rupture that was documented by 5cm resolution aerial imagery collected by the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping. We mapped a section of the mainshock from this imagery where the earthquake ruptured through lake bed sediments in the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station. This map highlights the principal rupture trace but also reveals secondary fracturing, offset channels, liquefaction features, and broad zones of distributed deformation that extend up to kilometers away from the primary faults. These maps may be incorporated into probabilistic displacement hazard assessments for the region.

Key Words
Geology, Surface Rupture, Mapping

Citation
Aguilar, B. J., Rodriguez Padilla, A. M., Quintana, M., Shea, T. A., & Oskin, M. E. (2021, 08). Surficial fractures from the middle of the 2019 Ridgecrest mainshock mapped from high-resolution aerial imagery. Poster Presentation at 2021 SCEC Annual Meeting.

Related Projects & Working Groups
Earthquake Geology