MODELING THE LOCAL STRESS-FIELD AND KINEMATICS OF THE SAN-ANDREAS FAULT SYSTEM

The present paper is a continuation of the previous work on modeling the local stress field induced by the San Andreas fault system (Nikonov et al., 1975). This system has been simulated on plane elastic models made of optically sensitive material, the models being under homogeneous uniaxial compression. The photoelastic method has been used to study the redistribution of τmax around the fault system with sides closed under compression. Three main features emerge in the kinematics of fault-system modeling. The first is a peculiar distortion of an originally rectangular grid, reflecting right-lateral movements on the San Andreas fault. This is especially noticeable in its central part. The second is the appearance and spreading of tear breaks near the ends of the zone nearly normal to the strike of the ends of the master fault. The third feature is separation of fault wings in certain sections of the San Andreas fault in the model. All these features are in general correspondence with the phenomena actually observed in the San Andreas fault system. © 1979.