Headline: Earthquakes in California and Old Dike Swarms: How

Can Rock Intrusions Influence Tremors in the Future?

Summary/Meta Description: California is one of the states in the U.S. that is always visited by
earthquakes, and experts study the role of dike swarms in predicting the occurrence of tremors.
Learn more about it in this article.

Keywords: earthquakes in California, dike swarm, rock intrusion, tremor

Content:
In the U.S., California is one of the most tectonically active states, registering hundreds of
earthquakes per year. Although most of these tremors are too weak to be felt by humans, a major
earthquake can strike once in a while and can cause significant damages to buildings and other
physical infrastructures.

In Southern California, the earthquakes are the result of the relative motion between the Pacific
Plate and North American Plate, and are primarily accommodated by the San Andreas Fault
System. The remaining motion occurs on similar fault zones further inland such as the Eastern
California Shear Zone.

Dike Swarms in California

Scientists are still trying to explain the complexity of this fault geometry, as they present a
challenge in evaluating regional seismic hazards. In a study led by U.S. Geological Survey
scientist Johanna M. Nevitt, experts explored the relationship between active faults and older
igneous dikes in southern California.

When a crack cuts through rocks and gets filled with magma, it leads to a cross-cutting feature
called a dike. When a collection of dikes intrudes into continental crust, a dike swarm is formed.

In eastern California, a large group of northwest-trending dikes formed 148 million years ago.
Known as the Independence dike swarm, this ancient geologic feature forms an important part of
the Earth's crust, and is also considered as a zone of weakness. In fact, large earthquakes in
southeastern California have taken place within the footprint of the Independence dike swarm.

Meanwhile, another geologic structure called the Mt. Tule dike swarm ilcan be found at
approximately 65 miles east of San Diego near Jacumba, California. It shows a variety of strikes
and dips with varying degrees of rock deformation in the form of folds and bends. It also has a
general trend of strike evident from satellite image and a general trend of dip confirmed by field
work.

READ ALSO: Earthquake Prediction May Finally Be Possible; GPS Data Offers Way of
Detecting Underground Tremors
Predicting Future Tremors
Understanding the influence of dikes on the mechanical properties of the crust plays an important
role in understanding the occurrence of large earthquakes.

With the use of remote sensing data, field observations and mechanical modeling of the 2019
magnitude-7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake, Nevitt and her colleagues investigated the geological
history of southeastern California and its role in controlling the slip distribution. They discovered
that slip distribution is mainly controlled by the geometry of the fault and the orientation of stress
in the crust.

The fault geometry in the region closely follows the surrounding Independence dike swarm. It
was suggested that the dikes and the fractures associated with them served as weakened zones
that have currently become a series of faults.

If individual structures such as dikes and fractures within the Independence dike swarm have the
potential to reactivate, then the formation of faults along these existing zones of weakness might
make sense, since they provide the planes that are ready to slip.

However, the causal relationship between dikes, rotation of faults, and regional seismicity may
not be straightforward. Because of this, additional geological investigations might be required.

RELATED ARTICLE: Why the California Earthquakes Were Back-to-Back

Check out more news and information on Earthquake in Science Times.

https://temblor.net/temblor/igneous-activity-influences-faults-15495/

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northern_California_satellite_photo_square.jpg

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18O53r1qLdbd5_njJ0HBd4t1H0RgLUhQkuOTdWZVH55A/edit?usp=sharing