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Reilinger, R.

Publications and source records attributed to Reilinger, R..

Evidence of ongoing crustal deformation related to magmatic activity near Socorro, New Mexico

Leveling measurements conducted in 1980-1981 by the National Geodetic Survey in the Socorro area of the Rio Grande rift are analyzed. Crustal uplift related to magma inflation in the midcrustal magma body is detected; an uplift of 0.18 cm/yr is measured for the time between 1951-1980. The survey data of 1911 and 1959 are compared to the present data and good correlation is observed. The systematic leveling errors including height-dependence and refraction errors are studied. The 30-km-wide subsidence in the area is examined. The spatial correlation between seismic activity, the Socorro magma body, and crustal deformation in Socorro is investigated. The crustal movement from magma reservior activities is modeled using the formulations of Dieterich and Decker (1975). The modeling of the deformation reveals that the movement in the Socorro area is associated with the 19-km deep Socorro magma body.

Larsen, S.

Surface deformation associated with the November 23, 1977, Caucete, Argentina, earthquake sequence

The 1977 Caucete (San Juan) earthquake considered in the present paper occurred near the Sierra Pie de Palo in the Sierras Pampeanas tectonic province of western Argentina. In the study reported, coseismic surface deformation is combined with seismic observations (main shock and aftershocks, both teleseismic and local data) to place constraints on the geometry and slip of the main fault responsible for the 1977 earthquake. The implications of the 1977 event for long-term crustal shortening and earthquake recurrence rates in this region are also discussed. It is concluded that the 1977 Caucete earthquake was accompanied by more than 1 m of vertical uplift.

Kadinsky-Cade, K.

Earthquake deformation cycle in the Andean Back Arc, western Argentina

It is pointed out that the 1977 Caucete earthquake was an east-west compressive event which occurred at a depth of about 17 km in the Andean back arc approximately 450 km east of the Chile trench. The present study is primarily concerned with the mechanics of fault behavior prior to and after the 1977 earthquake, as evidenced by preseismic and postseismic vertical deformation. Simple fault models for each phase of deformation are presented. The models of preseismic slip, coseismic slip, and postseismic slip consist of uniform dislocations in an elastic half-space following the method of Chinnery (1961). The basically elastic models presented demonstrate that deformations in the vicinity of the 1977 Caucete, Argentina, earthquake are consistent with activity on some portion of the coseismic fault. This is evidence that these deformations are directly related to the processes of strain accumulation and release associated with the event.

Reilinger, R.

Coseismic and postseismic vertical movements associated with the 1940 M7.1 Imperial Valley, California, earthquake

Leveling surveys conducted along two routes that cross the Imperial fault in southern California indicate spatially coherent elevation changes attributable to coseismic and postseismic effects of the 1940, M7.1 Imperial Valley earthquake. The 1931-1941 elevation changes are consistent with theoretical models of vertical deformation of an elastic half space for a finite length strike-slip fault, using fault parameters that are consistent with the observed surface offsets following the 1940 earthquake. The elevation changes suggest an earthquake scenario consisting of a large coeismic slip in the southern half of the fault which transferred stress to the northern part as well as to the Brawley fault to the northeast.

Reilinger, R.

Precise leveling, space geodesy and geodynamics

The implications of currently available leveling data on understanding the crustal dynamics of the continental United States are investigated. Neotectonic deformation, near surface movements, systematic errors in releveling measurements, and the implications of this information for earthquake prediction are described. Vertical crustal movements in the vicinity of the 1931 Valentine, Texas, earthquake which may represent coseismic deformation are investigated. The detection of vertical fault displacements by precise leveling in western Kentucky is reported. An empirical basis for defining releveling anomalies and its implications for crustal deformation in southern California is presented. Releveling measurements in the eastern United States and their meaning in the context of possible crustal deformation, including uplift of the Appalachian Mountains, eastward tilting of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and apparent movements associated with a number of structural features along the east coast, are reported.

Reilinger, R.

Elevation changes near the San Gabriel Fault, Southern California

Analysis of repeated leveling observations in the vicinity of the San Gabriel Fault in Southern California indicate subsidence immediately south of the Fault relative to points to the north, south and east. These observations were previously interpreted as reflecting tectonic motions associated with either the 'Palmdale Bulge' or with preseismic effects of the San Fernando earthquake. Relative subsidence between 1953 and 1964 reaches approximately 9 cm and extends over a distance of more than 20 km. Subsidence occurs directly above the Saugus aquifer and shows a temporal correlation with the history of water level decline within the aquifer. The degree of subsidence of individual benchmarks is roughly proportional to the product of aquifer thickness and water level decline at the location of the benchmarks. Thses observations strongly suggest that movements of the surface near the San Gabriel Fault, previously inferred to be of tectonic origin, actually result from near surface sediment compaction within the Saugus basin.

Reilinger, R.

New evidence for tectonic uplift in the Diablo Plateau region, West Texas

The National Geodetic Survey completed approximately 170 km of releveling in the Diablo Plateau-Salt Basin region during the fall of 1977. The survey was specifically designed to detect possible vertical crustal movements in the area. The new releveling measurements confirm contemporary uplift of the region and suggest that uplift has been continuous for the entire time the movements were monitored (1934-1977). Although the precise mechanism responsible for the observed uplift is unknown, it is almost certainly of tectonic origin. The pattern of uparching is perturbed at the Salt Basin graben, indicating 4.2 + or - 0.3 cm of subsidence relative to its margins between 1958 and 1977.

Reilinger, R.