2017 Fall Meeting

11-15 December

Despite application of various geologic and geophysical methods, fault-related deformation in the shallow crust remains poorly understood. For example, geomorphic mapping and paleoseismology recover displacement across discrete fault traces, but cannot resolve slip at depth. Conventional geodetic measurements (e.g., InSAR, GNSS) capture deformation over larger regions and can infer slip at depth, but lack near-field data necessary to constrain shallow slip. Similarly, near-surface fault architecture and rheology are constrained using borehole data, rock mechanics experiments, and seismic tomography, each providing valuable, yet isolated, windows into the physics of shallow faulting. These varied approaches may lead to surprisingly different inferred slip rates, shallow slip deficits, predicted near-field ground motions, and conflicting interpretations of off-fault deformation; affecting our understanding of fault physics and probabilistic seismic hazard analysis. This session welcomes approaches that seek to reconcile these disparate observations and create unified models of the structure and deformation of the shallow crust.