Hurricane Fault Explained

Hurricane Fault
Namedfor:Hurricane, Utah
Country:United States
State:Arizona, Utah
Cities:St. George, Utah area
Part Of:Colorado Plateau, Basin and Range Province
Length:250km (160miles)
Plate:North American
Status:Active
Earthquakes:1992 and others[1]
Type:Normal fault
Movement:0.15 to 0.25 mm/yr[2]

The Hurricane Fault is an intracrustal seismic fault that runs along the boundary between the Colorado Plateau block and the Basin and Range geologic province of western North America. It is a 250-km-long, north–south striking, high-angle, down-to-the-west normal fault, running from about Cedar City, Utah southward into northwestern Arizona. The fault is named for the community of Hurricane.

The 1992 St. George earthquake (magnitude 5.8), which triggered a damaging landslide, has been attributed to the Hurricane Fault.[3]

Notes and References

  1. News: Land Lines: Hurricane Fault . 20 September 2022 . KNAU Arizona Public Radio . 21 June 2012 . en.
  2. Amoroso . L. . Paleoseismology and Neotectonics of the Shivwits Section of the Hurricane Fault, Northwestern Arizona . Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America . 1 October 2004 . 94 . 5 . 1919–1942 . 10.1785/012003241 . 2004BuSSA..94.1919A . 20 September 2022 . en.
  3. Stewart . Meg E. . Taylor . Wanda J. . Pearthree . Philip A. . Solomon . Barry J. . Hurlow . Hugh A.. 1997 . Neotectonics, fault segmentation, and seismic hazards along the Hurricane fault in Utah and Arizona . Brigham Young University Geology Studies . 42 . 235–278. 14 June 2020.