Using a landscape fingerprint to identify changes in fault-slip behavior

Abstract

The Gabilan mesa tilts gently southwest away from the San Andreas fault in central California (western United States). Rather than attributing its existence to plate convergence, we argue that this large landform developed in response to a change in slip behavior along the San Andreas fault. Our interpretation is based on results from physical experiments. When we isolate a change in slip behavior (i.e., creeping to locked) as the only variable influencing deformation, a half-dome feature forms alongside the slip transition and mimics the shape and location of the Gabilan mesa adjacent to the San Andreas fault. We show other examples of half-dome features along the North Anatolian (Turkey), Philippine, and Chaman (Afghanistan-Pakistan) faults, suggesting that these domed landforms may provide indications of slip behavior transitions on poorly monitored faults.