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Active strike-slip faulting in El Salvador, Central America

2005; Geological Society of America; Volume: 33; Issue: 12 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1130/g21992.1

1943-2682

Giacomo Corti, Eugenio Carminati, Francesco Mazzarini, Marvyn Oziel Garcia,

Botany and Geology in Latin America and Caribbean

Research Article| December 01, 2005 Active strike-slip faulting in El Salvador, Central America Giacomo Corti; Giacomo Corti 1Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse, CNR-IGG, Sezione di Firenze, Via G. La Pira, 4, 50121, Firenze, Italy Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Eugenio Carminati; Eugenio Carminati 2Università di Roma "La Sapienza," Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Francesco Mazzarini; Francesco Mazzarini 3Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Via della Faggiola, 32-56100 Pisa, Italy Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Marvyn Oziel Garcia Marvyn Oziel Garcia 4LaGeo, 15 Avenida Sur, Colonia Utila, Santa Tecla, La Libertad, El Salvador Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Giacomo Corti 1Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse, CNR-IGG, Sezione di Firenze, Via G. La Pira, 4, 50121, Firenze, Italy Eugenio Carminati 2Università di Roma "La Sapienza," Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy Francesco Mazzarini 3Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Via della Faggiola, 32-56100 Pisa, Italy Marvyn Oziel Garcia 4LaGeo, 15 Avenida Sur, Colonia Utila, Santa Tecla, La Libertad, El Salvador Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 23 Jun 2005 Revision Received: 08 Aug 2005 Accepted: 18 Aug 2005 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2005) 33 (12): 989–992. https://doi.org/10.1130/G21992.1 Article history Received: 23 Jun 2005 Revision Received: 08 Aug 2005 Accepted: 18 Aug 2005 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Giacomo Corti, Eugenio Carminati, Francesco Mazzarini, Marvyn Oziel Garcia; Active strike-slip faulting in El Salvador, Central America. Geology 2005;; 33 (12): 989–992. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G21992.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Several major earthquakes have affected El Salvador, Central America, during the Past 100 yr as a consequence of oblique subduction of the Cocos plate under the Caribbean plate, which is partitioned between trench-orthogonal compression and strike-slip deformation parallel to the volcanic arc. Focal mechanisms and the distribution of the most destructive earthquakes, together with geomorphologic evidence, suggest that this transcurrent component of motion may be accommodated by a major strike-slip fault (El Salvador fault zone). We present field geological, structural, and geomorphological data collected in central El Salvador that allow the constraint of the kinematics and the Quaternary activity of this major seismogenic strike-slip fault system. Data suggest that the El Salvador fault zone consists of at least two main ∼E-W fault segments (San Vicente and Berlin segments), with associated secondary synthetic (WNW-ESE) and antithetic (NNW-SSE) Riedel shears and NW-SE tensional structures. The two main fault segments overlap in a dextral en echelon style with the formation of an intervening pull-apart basin. Our original geological and geomorphologic data suggest a late Pleistocene–Holocene slip rate of ∼11 mm/yr along the Berlin segment, in contrast with low historical seismicity. The kinematics and rates of deformation suggested by our new data are consistent with models involving slip partitioning during oblique subduction, and support the notion that a trench-parallel component of motion between the Caribbean and Cocos plates is concentrated along E-W dextral strike-slip faults parallel to the volcanic arc. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.