Kd. Weaver et Jf. Dolan, Paleoseismology and geomorphology of the Raymond fault, Los Angeles County, California, B SEIS S AM, 90(6), 2000, pp. 1409-1429
The Raymond fault extends for 20 km in a broad convex-to-the-south are acro
ss the densely populated San Gabriel Valley northeast of Los Angeles. Altho
ugh south-facing scarps characterize much of the fault, geomorphic and seis
mological evidence indicate a predominance of left-lateral motion. An appar
ent 3.4-km left-lateral offset of a crystalline basement ridge at the east
end of the fault may approximate total slip on the fault. Data from one of
our paleoseismologic trenches, in combination with published data, indicate
that the most recent Raymond fault surface rupture occurred similar to1-2
ka. Estimates of fault-plane area suggest that rupture of the entire Raymon
d fault could generate an earthquake of M-w similar to 6.7. The similar kin
ematics of the Raymond fault and the Hollywood fault, along strike to the w
est, together with a pronounced fault-parallel gravity lineament and sparse
geomorphic evidence, suggests that there may be a through-going mechanical
connection between the two faults, and that they could conceivably rupture
together in large earthquakes. Published data, however, indicate that the
Hollywood fault ruptured to the surface most recently similar to6-9 ka, ind
icating that the most recent Raymond fault surface rupture apparently did n
ot extend westward onto the Hollywood fault. Data from another of our paleo
seismologic trenches yielded evidence for at least five latest Pleistocene
earthquakes, including at least four surface ruptures that occurred during
a brief, less than or equal to 10,000-year-long period between similar to 3
1.5 and 41.5 ka. The less than or equal to 3300 year-long, average recurren
ce interval for these events is much shorter than the interval suggested fo
r the past less than or equal to 40,000 years by the frequency of paleoeart
hquakes recognized in previous trenches. Thus, either the 31.5 ka to 31.5 k
a events represent a temporal cluster, and the recurrence interval for the
fault is highly irregular, or at least half of all Raymond fault earthquake
s that have occurred since similar to 31.5 ka have not yet been recognized.