57 New Geologic Research Along the Plate's Edge: The USGS Southern California Areal Mapping Project (SCAMP) (Posters)
GEOLOGIC MAPPING OF THE SAN RAFAEL MTN. QUADRANGLE, SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, REVEALS AN OLDER CAMUESA FAULT
Paper number: 57-15
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Authors
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John G. VedderU.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA
Abstract
Our mapping indicates that the Camuesa fault is older than formerly thought. Previous geologic maps portrayed the Camuesa fault as a relatively young, throughgoing, right-lateral strike-slip fault that separated upright Cretaceous and Miocene strata on the north from Franciscan rocks on the south. Detailed field studies show instead that (1) the Camuesa fault separates overturned Espada Formation on the north from Franciscan rocks on the south, and (2) the Camuesa fault appears to be truncated by an angular unconformity at the base of the Miocene sequence. These relationships suggest that no significant movement has occurred along the Camuesa fault for at least 20 million years and the fault is therefore an unlikely source of damaging earthquakes.