Gulf of California Rift Zone
Encyclopedia
The Gulf of California Rift Zone (GCRZ) is the northernmost extension of the East Pacific Rise
which extends some 1300 km from the mouth of the Gulf of California
to the southern terminus of the San Andreas Fault
at the Salton Sink
.
The GCRZ is an incipient rift zone akin to the Red Sea Rift
where continental crust
associated with the North American Plate
is being pulled apart by tectonic forces and being replaced by newly formed oceanic crust
and seafloor spreading
.
East Pacific Rise
The East Pacific Rise is a mid-oceanic ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Pacific Ocean. It separates the Pacific Plate to the west from the North American Plate, the Rivera Plate, the Cocos Plate, the Nazca Plate, and the Antarctic Plate...
which extends some 1300 km from the mouth of the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
to the southern terminus of the San Andreas Fault
San Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
at the Salton Sink
Salton Sink
The Salton Sink is a geographic sink in the Coachella and Imperial valleys of southeastern California. It is in the Colorado Desert subregion of the Sonoran Desert ecoregion...
.
The GCRZ is an incipient rift zone akin to the Red Sea Rift
Red Sea Rift
The Red Sea Rift is a spreading center between two tectonic plates, the African Plate and the Arabian Plate. It extends down the length of the Red Sea, stretching from the southern end of the Dead Sea Transform to a triple junction with the Aden Ridge and the East African Rift in the Afar...
where continental crust
Continental crust
The continental crust is the layer of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks which form the continents and the areas of shallow seabed close to their shores, known as continental shelves. This layer is sometimes called sial due to more felsic, or granitic, bulk composition, which lies in...
associated with the North American Plate
North American Plate
The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland, Cuba, Bahamas, and parts of Siberia, Japan and Iceland. It extends eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Chersky Range in eastern Siberia. The plate includes both continental and oceanic crust...
is being pulled apart by tectonic forces and being replaced by newly formed oceanic crust
Oceanic crust
Oceanic crust is the part of Earth's lithosphere that surfaces in the ocean basins. Oceanic crust is primarily composed of mafic rocks, or sima, which is rich in iron and magnesium...
and seafloor spreading
Seafloor spreading
Seafloor spreading is a process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge. Seafloor spreading helps explain continental drift in the theory of plate tectonics....
.
List of Transform Faults
From north to south:- Imperial Fault
- Cerro Prieto FaultCerro Prieto FaultThe Cerro Prieto Fault is a transform fault located in far northern Baja California. It runs between the Cerro Prieto spreading center located southwest of Mexicali, and the Wagner Basin, another spreading center which lies under the Gulf of California...
- Ballenas FaultBallenas FaultThe Ballenas Fault is a transform fault located on the seabed of the Gulf of California, extending through the Canal de Ballenas which separates the Isla Ángel de la Guarda from the Baja California Peninsula. The fault is an integral part of the East Pacific Rise, linking the Delfin Basin in the...
- Partida Fault
- San Lorenzo Fault
- Guaymas FaultGuaymas FaultThe Guaymas Fault is a major right lateral-moving transform fault which runs along the seabed of the Gulf of California. It is an integral part of the Gulf of California Rift Zone, the northern extremity of the East Pacific Rise...
- Carmen FaultCarmen FaultThe Carmen Fault is a right lateral-moving transform fault located on the seafloor of the southern Gulf of California. It links the Guaymas Basin to the north with the Carmen Basin to the south. All these features are part of the Gulf of California Rift Zone, the northern extension of the East...
- Farallon FaultFarallon FaultThe Farallon Fault is a right lateral-moving transform fault located on the seafloor of the southern Gulf of California. It links the Carmen Basin to the north with the Farallon Basin to the south. All these features are part of the Gulf of California Rift Zone, the northern extension of the East...
- Atl FaultAtl FaultThe Atl Fault is a right lateral-moving transform fault located on the seafloor of the southern Gulf of California. It links the Farallon Basin to the north with the Pescadero Basin to the south. All these features are part of the Gulf of California Rift Zone, the northern extension of the East...
- Murillo Fault
- Pescadero FaultPescadero FaultThe Pescadero Fault is a right lateral-moving transform fault located on the seafloor of the southern Gulf of California. It links the Pescadero Basin to the north with the Alarcon Basin to the south. All these features are part of the Gulf of California Rift Zone, the northern extension of the...
- Tamayo FaultTamayo FaultThe Tamayo Fault is a major right lateral-moving transform fault located on the seabed at the mouth of the Gulf of California. The fault is the southernmost transform in the Gulf of California Rift Zone. The fault links the Rivera Ridge segment of the East Pacific Rise in the south with the...
List of Rift Basins
From north to south:- Brawley seismic zoneBrawley seismic zoneThe Brawley Seismic Zone , also known as the Brawley fault zone, is a predominantly extensional tectonic zone that connects the southern terminus of the San Andreas Fault with the Imperial Fault in Southern California...
- Cerro PrietoCerro PrietoCerro Prieto is a small rural town located in the county of La Misión in the northwestern part of the Mexican state of Hidalgo....
- Wagner BasinWagner BasinThe Wagner Basin is a submarine depression in the far northern part of the Gulf of California. It is the northernmost underwater depression associated with the East Pacific Rise. The depression is a result of subsidence caused by the extensional forces imparted by a spreading center...
- Consag BasinConsag BasinThe Consag Basin is a submarine depression in the far northern part of the Gulf of California associated with the East Pacific Rise. It lies south of the Wagner Basin with which it is closely linked. The depression is a result of subsidence caused by the extensional forces probably imparted by the...
- Delfin BasinDelfin BasinThe Delfin Basin is a pair of interconnected submarine depressions located on the seabed of the northern Gulf of California. The northernmost of these is called the Upper Delfin Basin while the southernmost is called the Lower Delfin Basin...
- San Pedro Martir Basin
- Guaymas BasinGuaymas BasinThe Guaymas Basin is a submarine depression located on the seabed in the central area of the Gulf of California. It is the largest such basin in the Gulf. The basin results from the activity of one of the several spreading centers in the Gulf. The basin is linked to the Carmen Fault to the...
- Carmen BasinCarmen BasinThe Carmen Basin is a submarine depression located on the seabed at the southern end of the Gulf of California. The basin results from the activity of one of the several spreading centers in the Gulf. The basin is linked to the Farallon Fault to the south, and the Carmen Fault in the...
- Farallon BasinFarallon BasinThe Farallon Basin is a submarine depression located on the seabed at the southern end of the Gulf of California. The basin results from the activity of one of the several spreading centers in the Gulf...
- Pescadero BasinPescadero BasinThe Pescadero Basin is a submarine depression located on the seabed at the southern end of the Gulf of California. The basin results from the activity of one of the several spreading centers in the Gulf. The basin is linked to the Pescadero Fault to the south, and the Atl Fault in the...
- Alarcon BasinAlarcon BasinThe Alarcon Basin is a submarine depression located on the seabed at the southern end of the Gulf of California. The basin results from the activity of the southernmost spreading center in the Gulf. This spreading center has also produced the southernmost oceanic rift in the Gulf of California...