Active Tectonics

Over 250,000 people were killed in the Tangshan, China earthquake of 1976, and other less active tectonic processes can disrupt river channels or have a grave impact on repositories of radioactive wastes. Since tectonic processes can be critical to many human activities, the Geophysics Study Committee Panel on Active Tectonics has presented an evaluation of the current state of knowledge about tectonic events, which include not only earthquakes but volcanic eruptions and similar events. This book addresses three main topics: the tectonic processes and their rates, methods of identifying and evaluating active tectonics, and the effects of active tectonics on society. Table of Contents Front Matter Overview and Recommendations 1 Active Tectonics Along the Western Continental Margin of the Conterminous United States 2 Epeirogenic and Intraplate Movements 3 Evaluation of Active Faulting and Associated Hazards 4 Active Faults Related to Folding 5 Alluvial River Response to Active Tectonics 6 Coastal Tectonics 7 Tectonic Geomorphology of Escarpments and Mountain Fronts 8 Investigation of Active Tectonics: Use of Surficial Earth Processes 9 Seismological and Paleoseismological Techniques of Research in Active Tectonics 10 Geodetic Measurement of Active-Tectonic Processes 11 Near-Field Tectonic Geodesy 12 Morphologic Dating and Modeling Degradation of Fault Scarps 13 Dating Methods 14 Seismic Hazards: New Trends in Analysis Using Geologic Data 15 Volcanoes: Tectonic Setting and Impact on Society 16 Volcanic Hazard Assessment for Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste Index