A dislocation model for the Fairview Peak, Nevada, earthquake

Abstract

Maruyama's equations have been used to calculate both vertical and horizontal surface displacements for a Volterra dislocation in a uniform half space. The shape of the dislocation surface is assumed to be a plane rectangle. A least-squares procedure has been used to determine the dislocation surface which best fits the geodetic data for the Fairview Peak, Nevada, earthquake of December 16, 1954. The best model strikes N9°E, has a total length of 50 km, a width of 8. ± 2. km, a dip of 57° ± 6°, and a fault displacement of 2.3 ± 0.4 m normal dip slip and 2.9 ± 0.4 m dextral strike slip. The width of the model is probably somewhat less than the true width of the fault, but the other parameters appear to be quite reasonable. The N9°E strike of the model is thought to be more realistic than the N4°W to N11°W strikes indicated by nodal-plane solutions. It appears that the Dixie Valley earthquake of December 16, 1954 was associated with normal slip on a fault plane parallel to, but offset from, the fault plane of the Fairview Peak earthquake.