2008 National Seismic Hazard Maps

2008 National Seismic Hazard Maps-Fault parameters

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Fault Name	State
Picuris-Pecos fault	New Mexico

GEOMETRY
Dip (degrees)	40/60/50
Dip direction	W
Sense of slip	normal
Rupture top (km)	0
Rupture bottom (km)	15
Rake (degrees)	-90
Length (km)	99

MODEL VALUES
Probability of activity	1
Minimum magnitude	6.5
Maximum magnitude	7.39
b-value	0.8

Assigned Dip	Fault-Parallel Slip Rate	Width	Annual Rate	a-value	Branch Weight
40	0.08	23.3	3.95e-05	0.881	0.2
50	0.07	19.6	2.78e-05	0.729	0.6
60	0.06	17.3	2.18e-05	0.622	0.2

Comments
The Picuris-Pecos fault was assigned a vertical slip rate of 0.05 mm/yr in the 1996 and subsequent national seismic-hazard maps. There were and still are no fault-specific data from which to calculate slip rates. Wong and others (1995) considered that a 5-m-high scarp would persist for only 100,000-150,000 years in the rugged terrane and moist climate of the surrounding Sangre de Christo Mountains. Accordingly, they considered a vertical slip rate of 0.05 mm/yr to be the upper bound of a long-term, average rate. Dip of fault changed to 50? based on redefined regional default value (Lund, 2006).

Comments

The Picuris-Pecos fault was assigned a vertical slip rate of 0.05 mm/yr in the 1996 and subsequent national seismic-hazard maps. There were and still are no fault-specific data from which to calculate slip rates. Wong and others (1995) considered that a 5-m-high scarp would persist for only 100,000-150,000 years in the rugged terrane and moist climate of the surrounding Sangre de Christo Mountains. Accordingly, they considered a vertical slip rate of 0.05 mm/yr to be the upper bound of a long-term, average rate. Dip of fault changed to 50? based on redefined regional default value (Lund, 2006).

Selected References
Wong, I., Kelson, K., Olig, S., Kolbe, T., Hemphill-Haley, M., Bott, J., Green, R., Kanakari, H., Sawyer, J., Silva, W., Stark, C., Haraden, C., Fenton, C., Unruh, J., Gardner, J., Reneau, S., and House, L., 1995, Seismic hazards evaluation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory: Technical report to Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, February 24, 1995, 3 volumes, 12 pls., 16 appen. Lund, W.R., ed., 2006, Basin and Range Province Earthquake Working Group seismic-hazard recommendations to the U.S. Geological Survey National Seismic Hazard Mapping Program: Utah Geological Survey Open-File Report 477, 23 p, ugspub.nr.utah.gov/publications/open_file_reports/OFR-477.pdf.

Selected References

Wong, I., Kelson, K., Olig, S., Kolbe, T., Hemphill-Haley, M., Bott, J., Green, R., Kanakari, H., Sawyer, J., Silva, W., Stark, C., Haraden, C., Fenton, C., Unruh, J., Gardner, J., Reneau, S., and House, L., 1995, Seismic hazards evaluation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory: Technical report to Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, February 24, 1995, 3 volumes, 12 pls., 16 appen.
Lund, W.R., ed., 2006, Basin and Range Province Earthquake Working Group seismic-hazard recommendations to the U.S. Geological Survey National Seismic Hazard Mapping Program: Utah Geological Survey Open-File Report 477, 23 p, ugspub.nr.utah.gov/publications/open_file_reports/OFR-477.pdf.