Accommodation of Plate Motion in an Incipient Strike?Slip System: The Central Walker Lane

Geodesy shows that ?7 mm/yr of dextral shear is accumulating across the Central Walker Lane in absence through-going strike-slip faults. To better understand how this accommodated, we describe and quantify patterns slip rates active faults extending between Lake Tahoe basins. Lidar data geomorphic mapping show linear fault traces stepping geometries consistent with accommodation oblique-slip motion along Wassuk Smith Valley faults, whereas Mason Antelope valley are primarily dip-slip. Vertical based on cosmogenic ages Antelope, Smith, valleys 0.5+0.5/?0.3, 0.5+0.7/?0.4, 0.04+0.05/?0.03 mm/yr, respectively. A Pine Grove Hills has a rate 0.3–0.8 mm/yr. The remaining unaccounted-for expected to be accommodated by off-fault deformation, including block rotations, broad co-seismic warping, complex rupture patterns. Together these form left-stepping en echelon series dextral, oblique, normal extend from south north Tahoe, similar observed initial stages laboratory models. GPS profiles spanning entire compared new previously published rates, while kinematic efficiency ~60% ~90% Northern Southern Lane, respectively, it only ~25% Lane.