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SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database

WORKING GROUP

EGD Developers
Scott Marshall
Alex Hatem
Sinan Akçiz

Contributors
Glen Biasi
Tim Dawson
Tom Rockwell
Ray Weldon
USGS NSHM 2023 Group
UCERF3 Group

SCEC Software Team
Mei-Hui Su 
Phil Maechling 
Edric Pauk 
Tran Huynh 

DATA PRODUCTS
COMING SOON! Version 2023.09 archive with full documentation and DOI.

DATA EXPLORER

A data access tool that provides 2D map view of the SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database. Data components can be queried and downloaded.

 
SOFTWARE SUPPORT
SCEC COMMUNITY MODELS
RELATED RESEARCH
View of the SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database Explorer interface which provides quick and easy access to geologic fault slip rate data for California, Nevada, and a small portion of Arizona and northern Mexico.

Introduction

The SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database comprises a collection of geologic slip rate estimates for faults in California, Nevada, and a small portion of northernmost Mexico. Field-derived geologic slip rates are a critical component of seismic hazard estimates (e.g., UCERF3 (Field et al. 2013) USGS NSHM (Hatem et al. 2022a, 2022b), Wesnousky, 1986), and are used in a wide range of SCEC-related efforts. Geologic slip rate estimates for active faults in California and Nevada exist in various publications including (but not limited to) peer-reviewed journals, technical reports, field guidebooks, theses, but are not always easy or even possible to access. The purpose of the SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database is to simplify the process of identifying existing geologic slip rate estimates for a given region or fault(s) and to provide direct web links to the relevant publications (where available) so that users can find, read, and gain an understanding the relevant work. Importantly, the SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database is meant to be a living archive with an approximately annual update cycle, so as new results are published, we have created a user submission form for the community to provide feedback and/or let us know about new and/or missing information.

Acknowledgements

The SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database would not have been possible without the efforts of a large group of individuals that compiled similar information for past earthquake hazard efforts. Specifically, the Geologic Slip Rate Database currently consists of a subset sites found in the USGS NSHM23_EQGeoDB_v2 database (Hatem et al. 2022a, 2022b), which carries forward slip rates previously compiled in appendix B of the UCERF3 report (Dawson & Weldon 2013). The SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database differs in that it is intended to be a living database that can be continually maintained by SCEC community input, and is paired with a user-friendly web-based tool that allows for quick searching and discovery of existing geologic slip rate estimates with direct links to associated references (where available).

Current Version of the Geologic Slip Rate Database

The current version of the SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database is version 2023.09. As this is the first released version, the database currently contains only sites and slip rate information from the USGS NSHM23_EQGeoDB_v2 database (Hatem et al., 2022a, 2022b) that meet our criteria. This database contains data from studies published up to December 2020. From these sites, we only include sites that meet the following criteria:
  • Study sites are within the spatial region encompassing -125.00 < Longitude < -114.04 and 31.70 < Latitude < 42.00. This covers all of California and Nevada and a small portion of Arizona and northern Mexico.
  • Slip rate estimates are based on geologic field measurements (i.e., not geodetic) and are not categorical slip rate estimates used in seismic hazard estimates.
  • Future additions must be published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal and publicly available (i.e., have a DOI). We recognize that this may prevent certain types of studies from being included, but the Geologic Slip Rate Database focuses on peer-reviewed and published data.
The Geologic Slip Rate Database contains a detailed and extensive set of metadata associated with each site including, but not limited to, longitude/latitude, slip rate and uncertainty (where available), references, and other useful information about each study site. Integrated hyperlinked references with the metadata and web tools allow users to quickly find the existing slip rates on a given fault or region and provides direct access to the primary references where/when available. The SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database is not intended to replace careful reading and understanding of primary literature, but is designed to simplify the discovery process when searching for existing slip rate estimates. The database information is provided without any evaluation of the quality or accuracy of individual published slip rate estimates and is simply a collection of what geologic slip rate estimates have been made. We hope that the SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database will greatly simplify the process of discovering and cataloging existing slip rate estimates and will provide more equitable access to this critical information.

Geologic Slip Rate Database Explorer

To facilitate broad usage, we have created the SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database Explorer, a web-based tool that allows users to easily view, query, and download the database. This web-tool allows users to visualize geologic slip rate sites in a 2D map-based view. Users can also search the database by several useful metrics (fault name, site name, longitude and latitude, min/max slip rate, etc.). The explorer also provides overlays of the SCEC Community Fault Model, the Geologic Framework Model (from the Community Rheology Model), and the ability for users to upload their own spatially registered data (e.g., image overlays, paths, lines, points, etc.) in .kml/.kmz format. The map interface can be resized (small, medium, and full screen) using the square in the bottom right corner of the map interface to allow for detailed comparisons.

User Submission and Feedback Form

Creating and maintaining a database like the SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database involves consistent data management, detailed literature review, and assistance from the community. Thus, it is reasonable to expect that we may not have identified all existing geologic slip rate estimates, or that some information may be inaccurate. If you know of a site that is not in the current database, please use the Geologic Slip Rate Database User Submission and Feedback Form to provide the necessary information so missing sites may be included in the next release. We plan on an approximately annual update cycle, but this depends on funding, personnel, and other considerations. Currently, all slip rate sites sites included in the USGS NSHM23_EQGeoDB_v2 database (which contains studies up to December 2020) and the UCERF3 appendix B that meet our previously stated criteria have been grandfathered in, but future additions must be published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal and publicly available (i.e., have a DOI). We recognize that this may prevent certain types of studies from being included, but the Slip Rate Database focuses on peer-reviewed and published data. Suggesting slip rate additions to the SCEC Geologic Slip Rate Database does not guarantee inclusion to future database versions, USGS NSHM updates, or other products.

User Submission and Feedback Form

Related Publications and Presentations

Marshall, S. T., Akciz, S. O., Hatem, A., Su, M-H., Maechling, P. J., Huynh, T. T., & Pauk, E. (2022, 09). The SCEC Community Paleoseismic Database (CPD). Poster Presentation at 2022 SCEC Annual Meeting, SCEC Contribution 12172
Marshall, S. T., Hatem, A., Akciz, S. O., Su, M-H., Maechling, P. J., Huynh, T. T., & Pauk, E. (2023, 09). The SCEC Earthquake Geology Database (EGD). Poster Presentation at 2023 SCEC Annual Meeting, SCEC Contribution 13125

References

  • Dawson, T.E. and Weldon, R.J. II, 2013. Geologic-Slip-Rate Data and Geologic Deformation Model, Table B1 of the UCERF3 report. Available at https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1165, SCEC Contribution 1792.
  • Field, E.H., Biasi, G.P., Bird, P., Dawson, T.E., Felzer, K.R., Jackson, D.D., Johnson, K.M., Jordan, T.H., Madden, C., Michael, A.J., Milner, K.R., Page, M.T., Parsons, T., Powers, P.M., Shaw, B.E., Thatcher, W.R., Weldon, R.J., II, and Zeng, Y., 2013, Uniform California earthquake rupture forecast, version 3 (UCERF3)—The time-independent model: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2013–1165, 97 p., California Geological Survey Special Report 228, and Southern California Earthquake Center Publication 1792, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1165, SCEC Contribution 1792.
  • Hatem, A.E., Collett, C.M., Briggs, R.W., Gold, R.D., Angster, S.J., Powers, P.M., Field, E.H., Anderson, M., Ben-Horin, J.Y., Dawson, T., DeLong, S., DuRoss, C., Thompson Jobe, J., Kleber, E., Knudsen, K.L., Koehler, R., Koning, D., Lifton, Z., Madin, I., Mauch, J., Morgan, M., Pearthree, P., Pollitz, F., Scharer, K., Sherrod, B., Stickney, M., Wittke, S., and Zachariasen, J., 2022, Earthquake geology inputs for the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) 2023 (western US) (ver. 2.0, February 2022): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9AU713N.
  • Hatem, A.E., Collett, C.M., Briggs, R.W., Gold, R.D., Angster, S.J., Field, E.H., Powers, P.M., & Earthquake Geology Working Group, 2022b. Simplifying complex fault data for systems-level analysis: Earthquake geology inputs for U.S. NSHM 2023. Sci Data 9, 506 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01609-7
  • Wesnousky, S. G. (1986). Earthquakes, Quaternary faults, and seismic hazard in California. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 91(B12), 12587-12631. https://doi.org/10.1029/JB091iB12p12587