Speed limit for oceanic transform faults

Research Article| May 01, 1989 Speed limit for oceanic transform faults David F. Naar; David F. Naar 1Hawaii Institute of Geophysics, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar R. N. Hey R. N. Hey 1Hawaii Institute of Geophysics, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information David F. Naar 1Hawaii Institute of Geophysics, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 R. N. Hey 1Hawaii Institute of Geophysics, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1989) 17 (5): 420–422. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)017<0420:SLFOTF>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation David F. Naar, R. N. Hey; Speed limit for oceanic transform faults. Geology 1989;; 17 (5): 420–422. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)017<0420:SLFOTF>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Oceanic transform faults with slip rates greater than ∼145 km/m.y. do not currently exist along the East Pacific Rise where sea-floor spreading rates range from 145 to 160 km/m.y. Instead, offsets of the the very fast spreading East Pacific Rise are accommodated by microplates, propogating rifts, or overlapping spreading centers. This suggests that there might be a speed limit above which transform faults do not exist. A physical reason for a speed limit is not known, but it might be related to unstable stress fields near the rifts tips, causing them to episodically propagate and prevent a transform fault from being formed. The spreading rates quoted are from our new (0-0.73 Ma) relative-motion model for the Pacific and Nazca plates. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.