Yellowstone Plume, Hotspot, Teton Fault, and Wasatch Front Earthquake Research

Persistent Seismicity and Energetics of the 2010 Earthquake Sequence of the Gros Ventre-Teton Area, Wyoming

Presented at the 2010 AGU Fall Meeting

Seismicity has persisted along a zone south of the Yellowstone volcanic field in the Gros Ventre Range, Wyoming, and on the eastern edge of the asesimic Quat. high slip-rate Teton fault. Concentrated seismicity has in this area occurs in sporadic sequences documented since 1923 with notable earthquakes in the decade preceding the deadly 1925 Gros Ventre slide that eventually lead to the failure of a dam blocked by the slide in 1927. Notable seismicity of the Gros Ventre region, using data from the Teton, Yellowstone and USArray seismic networks, has continued in the last decade with sequences in 2002, 2004, culminating in an energetic sequence beginning in May, 2009 through a sequence of more than 180 well located earthquakes mainly from August 5 to August 17 of 0.5

Earthquake Hazards of the Teton-Yellowstone Area

Seismicity and earthquake hazard analysis of the Teton-Yellowstone region, Wyoming

Published in Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research in November 2009

Probablistic seismic hazards were estimated for the Yellowstone and Teton regions using new, more accurately located earthquake catalogues, geologic fault slip rates, and background earthquake occurrence rates. The new earthquake catalogues were determined from three- dimensional seismic velocity models, resulting in more precise hypocenters. The results of the analysis reveal that the greatest hazards are associated with the Teton fault, which has a high slip rate of 1.3 mm/yr yet is seismically quiescent with diffuse earthquake distribution only in the southern Jackson Hole Valley and Gros Ventre Range. In Yellowstone, hazards are associated with the active earthquake zone between the Hebgen Lake fault zone and northern caldera boundary, as well as the Mt. Sheridan fault in southeast Yellowstone, which slip rates of 1.4 mm/yr. The Yellowstone-Teton region is among the regions of highest seismic hazard in the western U.S.

More Information: A PDF of the article.

Tectonics of the Teton Fault

The Teton fault, Wyoming: Topographic signature, neotectonics, and mechanisms of deformation

Published in Journal of Geophysical Research in October 1994

Various geological and geophysical methods were used to characterize the evolution and seismic history of the Teton fault. Mapping reveals the westward tilt of the hanging wall towards the Teton fault, resulting in anomalous drainage of the Snake River, which is perched on the westward slope where the river channel was incised prior to Teton fault displacement. Modeling suggests that the tilt was caused by 110-125 m of displacement on the fault in the last 25,000-75,000 years by 10-50 M>7 earthquakes. Seismic refraction and gravity models indicate a total throw of 2.5-3.5 km, with displacement of Laramide structures whose thrust faults displaced Precambrian strata which were later uplifted by Teton faulting and exposed in the high peaks of the Teton Range.

More Information: A PDF of the article.

Seismotectonics and Earthquake Hazards of the Teton Fault

The Teton fault, Wyoming: seismotectonics, Quaternary history, and earthquake hazards

Published in Geology of Wyoming: Wyoming Geological Survey Memoir No. 5 in 1993

More Information: A PDF of the article.

Seismic Exploration of Jackson Lake Structure and History

Seismic surveys and Quaternary history of Jackson Lake, Wyoming

Published in Geology of Wyoming: Wyoming Geological Survey Memoir No. 5 in 1993

More Information: A PDF of the article.

Teton Fault Field Trip Guide

Neotectonics and structural evolution of the Teton Fault

Published in Geologic field tours of western Wyoming and parts of adjacent Idaho, Montana, and Utah: Geological Survey of Wyoming Public Information Circular No. 29 in 1990

More Information: A PDF of the article.

Earthquake Distribution of the Tetons

Seismicity of the Teton-Southern Yellowstone Region, Wyoming

Published in Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America in 1983

More Information: A PDF of the article.

Earthquakes and Landslides around Jackson Hole

Seismicity and the possibility of earthquake related landslides in the Teton-Gros Ventre-Jackson Hole Area, Wyoming

Published in Contributions to Geology in 1976

The distribution of earthquakes in the Teton region was determined from short-term seismic deployments and historical accounts, revealing that the Teton fault itself was aseismic, while diffuse seismicity occurred to the south and west of the Teton fault. Sporadic earthquakes were recorded from 1870 to 1933, after which the frequency of events diminished. An area of active seismicity was found in the Mt. Leidy Highlands and Gros Ventre Range, a region characterized by unstable slopes and several prehistoric landslides. Several small earthquakes were found to precede the 1925 Lower Gros Ventre slide, with the largest at M3 or 4 about 20 hours before the slide. It is proposed that regional seismicity can contribute to landslide hazards by initiating creep through liquefaction in the unstable slopes and subsequent massive failure.

More Information: A PDF of the article.

Field Guide to Geology of Eastern Idaho and the Tetons

Neogene-Quaternary Tectonics and Volcanism of Southern Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Southeastern Idaho

Published in Guidebook to the Geology of Eastern Idaho in 1999

This field trip guide describes an itinerary that visits several sites that illustrate the complex geologic history of eastern Idaho. Recent, Neogene through Quaternary history is dominated by Yellowstone hotspot volcanism and Basin and Range-style normal faulting, and the resulting structures can be seen in the Snake River Plain and nearby mountain ranges. Additional highlights of the trip (1) include 8 Ma lava flows in southern Jackson Hole that differ in composition from Yellowstone-related basalts and rhyolites and are of uncertain origin, (2) slide blocks of paleozoic rocks in Grand Valley that are proposed to have been emplaced during major ignimbrite eruptions from the Heise volcanic field, (3) the Teton Range and Jackson Hole and the evolution of the Teton fault, and (4) the proposed southeast Idaho lineament, a possible tear fault that may accommodate shifts in deformation and seismicity.

More Information: A PDF of the article.