A Theoretical Study on ESR Dating of Geological Faults in Southern California

Abstract

<p> The recent urban sprawl in the tectonically active region of California has prompted palaeoseismologists, to find ways of forecasting potentially hazardous earthquakes on existing faults. Electron spin resonance (ESR) can be used to date fault gouge from different regions in a fault zone thereby providing a history of fault movements in a particular region. Therefore, an earthquake frequency pattern can be established and the faults can be rated as to their potential danger. </p> <p> ESR dating of fault gouge is based on the premise that the ESR signals of quartz grains in the gouge have been completely reset by movements on the fault. The elapsed time since faulting is recorded by a gradual charge build up in the quartz corresponding to radioactive decay of radionuclides in the fault gouge matrix. The mechanism of zeroing of the ESR signals in quartz during fault activity is not well understood. In order to better comprehend the zeroing process, the variation of ESR signals, AD and age, with respect to quartz grains size were studied. These parameters are affected by induced stress to a greater extent in the smaller grain sizes. Therefore, with sufficient stress, the smallest grain sizes (smaller than a critical size) will be totally reset and define a "plateau" of equal age. This plateau criteria is used to define total resetting in a fault gouge sample and only these portions of the samples are used for dating. The establishment of an equal age plateau is confirmed for one of the fault samples collected from Southern California. </p>