GG-5210/6211, Autumn 2006

Reading Assignment #1

 

Stress In The Earth

 

Take a look at:  Global Stress Project Website:  http://www-wsm.physik.uni-karlsruhe.de/pub/introduction/introduction_frame.html

 

Reading:  To introduce you to professional papers in measurements and interpretation of stress. The optional list has other important background papers on stress measurements and interpretation. The papers are available in the professional journals in the Marriott Library, Science and Engineering section. 

 

After reading the papers, prepare a 1-page or less typed abstract of the paper including what you understood from the paper, the focus of the paper, a critique of the methodology, a discussion of accuracy and precision, and the importance of the paper.

 

I. Undergrad students:  Read the Flesch, 2000, and Zoback, 91, papers.

 

II. Graduate students:  In addition to the above, read the the Shen-Tu, ’98, paper.

 

Flesch, L.M., W.E. Holt, A.J. Haines, and B. Shen-Tu, 2000, Dynamic of the Pacific-North American plate boundary zone in the western United States, Science, 287, 834-836,

 

Holt, W.E., and A. J. Haines, 1993, Velocity fields in deforming Asia from the inversion of earthquake-released strains, Tectonics, v 12, p. 1-20.--Inverse solutions for stress fields.

 

Nakamura, K., 1977, Volcanoes as possible indicators of tectonic stress orientation-principle and proposal, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 2, 1-16.-- First discussion of stress from volcano dike orientations.

 

Shen-Tu, B. ; W. E. Holt,; and A. J. Haines, 1998, Contemporary kinematics of the western United States determined from earthquake moment tensors, very long baseline interferometry, and GPS observations, J. Geophys. Res. Vol. 103 , No. B8 , p. 18,087.– New ideas on the stress field of the western U.S. from recent GPS and earthquake data.

 

Zoback, M.D. and 12 others, 1987, New evidence on the state of stress of the San Andreas fault system, Science, 238, 1105-1111.--A new concept on the strength and weakness of faults.

 

Zoback, M.D. and Healy, J.H., 1984, Friction, faulting, and in-situ stress, Annales Geophysics, 2, 684-698.---Examples of borehole data

 

Zoback, M.L. and M. D. Zoback, 1991, Tectonic stress field of North America and relative plate motions, The Geology of North America, Decade map Volume 1, 339-366 -- Overview of stress of N. America.

 

Zoback, M.L., 1989, State of stress and modern deformation of the northern Basin and Range province, J. Geophys. Res. 94, 7105-7128. -- What’s happening in our back yard.

 

Zoback, M.L., 1992, First- and second-order pattern of stress in the lithosphere, The world stress map project, J. Geophys. Res. 97, 11703-11728.--Latest overview of global stress distribution.