Preliminary Report on the 1995 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence in Eastern California

Abstract

The Ridgecrest earthquake sequence began on 17 August 1995 with a M_L 5.4 earthquake. As of October 3, 1995, the Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN) had recorded over 4,500 events in the sequence, with eight events of M ≥ 4.0. These earthquakes are occurring along the eastern edge of the Indian Wells Valley along a small stretch of the thoroughgoing Eastern California Shear Zone (ECSZ). Previous large events within the ECSZ include the 1992 (M_w 7.3) Landers earthquake sequence and the 1872 (M 7.6) Owens Valley earthquake. The only large earthquake to occur near Indian Wells Valle, was the 1946 Walker Pass (M 6.0) earthquake on an unknown fault in the Sierra Nevada mountains to the west. The ECSZ transfers some of the relative motion between the North America and Pacific Plates away from the San Andreas fault to the western Great Basin of the Basin and Range province.

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