Late Quaternary Offset of Alluvial Fan Surfaces along the Central Sierra Madre Fault, Southern California

Abstract:

The Sierra Madre fault (SMF) is an east-west trending reverse fault system along the southern flank of the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles, California. The ~140 km long SMF is separated into four segments, we focus on the multi-stranded, ~60 km long Central Sierra Madre fault (CSMF; W118.3-W117.7) as it lacks a well-characterized long-term geologic slip rate. We combine 1-m lidar DEM with geologic and geomorphic mapping to correlate alluvial fan surfaces along strike and across the fault strands in order to derive fault slip rates that cross the CSMF. We have refined mapping on two sets of terraces described by Crook et al. (1987) and references therein: a flight of Q3 surfaces (after nomenclature of Crook et al., 1987; McFadden, 1982) in Arroyo Seco with distinct terraces ~30 m, ~40 m, ~50 m, and ~55 m above the modern stream and in Pickens Canyon divided a Q3 and Q2 surface, with heights that are ~35 m and ~25 m above the modern stream respectively. Relative degree of clast weathering and soil development is consistent with geomorphic relationships; for example, hues of 7.5 YR to 10 YR are typical of Q3, while hues of 10 YR to 2.5 Y are typical of Q2. A scarp in the Q3 surface at Arroyo Seco has a vertical offset of ~16 m and a scarp in the Q3 at Pickens Canyon has a vertical offset of ~14 m, while the Q2 surface is not faulted. Our Quaternary dating strategy is focused on dating suites of terraces offset along CSMF scarps in order to provide broader stratigraphic context for the cosmogenic radionuclide and luminescence dating. We will present (pending) cosmogenic radionuclide depth profiles from the Q3 surfaces. A better-constrained slip rate for the CSMF will improve earthquake hazard assessment for the Los Angeles area and help clarify the tectonic role of the SMF in the broader plate boundary system. Additionally, the fan chronology will provide information about the timing of alluvial fan aggradation and incision in the western Transverse Ranges.