Abstract
Neotectonic movement in the United States appears to be controlled by a single system of interrelated basement structural zones. The intraplate adjustments along these zones give rise to almost all the seismicity and control much of the surface relief. The basic structures form a rectilinear pattern of northwest-trending fracture zones with mainly lateral movement and northeast-trending fault-controlled swales and arches undergoing vertical movements. Between these zones lie north-trending extensional faults. The northwest-trending fracture zones extend southeastward into the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic basins as the larger transform fracture zones. These zones become more active and prominent to the west, culminating in the very active zone formed by the San Andreas and related faults. The belts of vertical movement are more prominent to the east where they form the central and southern Appalachian highlands, the Arkansas-St. Lawrence lowland and the Mid-Continent Arch. The north-trending extensional faults appear related to right-lateral strike slip along the north west-trending zones. They are most prominent in the Great Basin in the west, but are also present in the east, as in Lake Champlain and Chesapeake Bay.
Many of the structural zones are indicated to have originated in the Precambrian and are reflected in the pattern of crustal thickness. They apparently represent an ancient structural framework that was reactivated by forces causing the present plate movement of North America.
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Barosh, P.J. (1992). Neotectonic Framework of the United States. In: Mason, R. (eds) Basement Tectonics 7. Proceedings of the International Conferences on Basement Tectonics, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0833-3_19
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