December 13, 10am - noon
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Eastern California Shear Zone:
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David M. Miller, Ph.D.
The eastern California shear zone is a broad mosaic of active faults that extends from the Little San Bernardino Mountains north across the Mojave Desert into northern California and Nevada. Not only are these faults capable of destructive earthquakes, as witnessed by the Landers, Hector Mine, and Ridgecrest events of the past 30 years, but it holds many secrets that influence earthquake hazards for the rest of California as well. We'll follow the deep time history of the shear zone as well as explore how the interlinked faults have worked together for millions of years. Faults of the northern Mojave Desert will be described in detail to illustrate the complexity of the fault zones and their corresponding earthquake hazards. Findings from the recent Ridgecrest earthquake illustrate many of these complexities. David M. Miller (dmiller@usgs.gov) retired after 39 years as a research geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, CA. After obtaining a B.S. in geology at Binghamton University and a Ph.D. in geology at UCLA, Dave mapped and studied bedrock geology in northern Utah and the Mojave Desert, publishing numerous geologic maps and related articles and books. Over the last 20 years, he shifted to Quaternary geology, focusing mainly on the Mojave Desert, and publishing surficial geologic maps, maps on earthquake fault hazards, and studies showing the linkages among surface deposits, plant communities, and surface hydrology. . |
PLANTSThe presence of petrified wood scattered across the desert floor tells a vivid story of pre-historic woodlands in the distant past.
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PALEOCLIMATEThe climatic and environmental story told by the rocks and fossils of the Park begins about 7 million years ago in the Miocene.
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VERTEBRATESDiscoveries from the fossil beds of the Anza-Borrego Desert have contributed to our understanding of the evolutionary history of many vertebrate lineages.
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ROCKSA look inside the rocks of Borrego. Bright colors identify the components of this plutonic rock.
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MAMMOTHSThe climatic and environmental story told by the rocks and fossils of the Park begins about 7 million years ago in the Miocene.
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INVERTEBRATESMany of the species live today in the Gulf of California and a surprising number survive only in the Caribbean Sea.
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STRATIGRAPHYForces originating in the relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates are tearing the southwestern edge of North America apart.
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RECENT DISCOVERIESA fossil bird beak found in the 1960s has recently been re-identified as belonging to a “terror bird" - family Phorusrhacidae.
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EVENTSPlan to join us in October for our annual Open House, November for the start of our Certification Program, and at our monthly lectures from December to April. Read More |
