Landscape Evolution at an Active Plate Margin - Biological Science ...

The lack of evidence for 1872 rupture and for a rightlateral
displacement component of the Big Pine fault
segment suggests that the Big Pine fault segment may
not be strongly linked kinematically to the Owens
Valley fault south of the Poverty Hills. This, in turn,
allows for the possibility that the Big Pine fault segment
is sufficiently unrelated to the Owens Valley
fault that it should be considered a separate fault. In
addition, the Owens Valley fault south of the Poverty
Hills may continue northward past the eastern edge
of the Poverty Hills and into the Owens River floodplain,
where it is buried by recent alluvium. The right
lateral component of displacement along this fault,
documented by Beanland and Clark (1994), rather
than being transferred to the Big Pine fault segment
as suggested by them, is proposed to be transferred to
the right across the Owens Valley to the White Mountains
fault zone along the east side of Owens Valley.
This scenario is consistent with the presence of the
“Tinemaha releasing bend” east of the Poverty Hills
documented by Slemmons et al. (2008). Turn vehicles
around and retrace to Highway 395.
211.8 (0.3) Stop. TURN LEFT on State Highway 395.
Watch for traffic from both directions.
212.2 (0.4) Enter Big Pine. Continue past Bartell/
Blake Street. Stay in the left lane
212.6 (0.4) Big Pine School is on the right.
213.1 (0.5) TURN LEFT on Crocker, between two gas
stations with food marts.
213.6 (0.5) PARK on right. WALK west along the
road 1/10 mile.
STOP 1-10. Big Pine fault scarp discussion. Return
to vehicles, RETRACE to 395.
214.2 (0.6) Stop at Highway 395. TURN LEFT
(north).
214.4 (0.2) TURN LEFT (west) toward Inyo County
Parks campsite; Baker Creek campground.
214.7 (0.3) Stop sign.
215.2 (0.5) Cross the elevated Big Pine fault scarp and
remember that this scarp was developed by the 1872
earthquake of magnitude 7.5+ within a mile of the
communities of Big Pine, Independence, and Lone
Pine! The Owens Valley earthquake is the third largest
historic earthquake in the conterminous United States
(Ellsworth, 1990; Beanland and Clark, 1994).
D. R. Jessey and R. E. Reynolds
215.4 (0.2) Enter Baker Creek campground. TURN
AROUND and RETRACE to Hwy 395.
216.6 (1.2) Stop at Hwy 395. Watch for cross traffic.
TURN LEFT (north).
216.8 (0.2) Continue past the right turn to CA 168
east leading to Westgard Pass, Waucoba Canyon,
Goldfield, and Tonopah, Nevada.
218.1 (1.3) Continue past a left turn to Reynolds
Road. View across Klondike Lake to Owens Valley
Radio Observatory.
218.8 (0.7) Continue past a right turn to Klondike
Lake.
223.8 (5.0) Continue past a left turn to Keough Hot
Spring (a resort with swimming pool, picnic area,
etc.).
225.5 (1.7) Continue past a left turn (west) for Collins
Road. Domestic water from the SNFF comes hot from
the ground, and homes have to cool the water before
drinking.
228.5 (3.0) Continue past a right turn (east) to Warm
Springs Road.
230.0 (1.5) Continue past Schober Lane to Bishop.
230.5 (0.5) Enter Bishop.
231.0 (0.5) Continue past Line Street (Highway 168
west) at traffic signal.
231.6 (0.6) Yaney Street, with visitor center on the
right.
231.9 (0.3) We are at the junction of Hwy 395 and
Hwy 6. Hwy 395, here called the North Sierra Highway,
bends due west and continues to Sherwin Grade,
the Long Valley Caldera, and Mammoth. Highway 6
turns northeast, passing the community of Laws and
the Railroad Museum located on Silver Canyon Road,
and continues toward Benton and Tonopah.
End of Day 1
28 2009 Desert Symposium
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