The Southern California Earthquake Center Geologic Vertical Motion Database

Nathan A. Niemi, Michael E. Oskin, & Thomas K. Rockwell

Published 2008, SCEC Contribution #1167

The SCEC Geologic Vertical Motion Database (VMDB) integrates disparate sources of geologic uplift and subsidence data at 10⁴- to 10⁶-year time scales into a single resource for investigations of crustal deformation in southern California. Over 2000 vertical deformation rate data points in southern California and northern Baja California populate the database. Four mature data sets are now represented: marine terraces, incised river terraces, thermochronology, and stratigraphic surfaces. An innovative architecture and interface of the VMDB exposes distinct data sets and reference frames, permitting user exploration of this complex data set and the assumptions that underlie conversion of deformed geologic markers and ages into absolute uplift rates. Online data exploration and download tools are available through all common web browsers, allowing the distribution of vertical motion results as an HTML table, as tab-delimited GIS-compatible text files or via a map interface through the Google Maps^TM web service. The data set represents a mature product for research of fault activity and elastic deformation of southern California.

Citation
Niemi, N. A., Oskin, M. E., & Rockwell, T. K. (2008). The Southern California Earthquake Center Geologic Vertical Motion Database. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 9, Q07010. doi: 10.1029/2008GC002017.