REU: Late Neogene Faulting and Tectonic Evolution: A Studyof Forearc Plate Margin Settings in New Zealand and California

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A cooperative investigation will be undertaken with New Zealand scientists to better understand the changing nature of deformation across the exposed, subaerial portion of the forearc region of the eastern portion of the North Island of New Zealand and compare these findings with data from a similar tectonic setting in California. The New Zealand study area will be a transect from Hawkes Bay westward to the Ruahine Range. California study sites will be along faults of the San Andreas fault zone to the east and north of Cape Mendocino. Specific investigative techniques include detailed mapping of selected fault segments and analysis of fault-related fractures to determine fault style, strain ratios, and axes of principal strain. Results will further the understanding of the spatial distribution of strain across the forearc region in such settings. Mapping may also identify additional active faults in this moderately populated part of New Zealand. Findings will perhaps add further insight into deformation associated with northward migration of the San Andreas Transform Zone in California.