Mexico Quaternary Fault Database

Abstract

We present a Geographic Information System (GIS) database that synthesizes information on the geometry, the sense of movement and the last displacement on known Quaternary faults in Mexico. Faults are classified according to the age of the last known geologic displacement and the quantity and quality of the information available. Class A faults have documented displacement in the Holocene; Class B faults have Pleistocene displacement with possible reactivation in the Holocene; and Class C faults have a last known displacement in the Pleistocene. The database includes the fault name, the type of fault, the fault geometry, the fault length, the evidence for displacement, the slip rate, the recurrence interval, and the size of the most recent earthquake associated with each fault. The database compiles Quaternary fault information for Mexico that can be readily updated as more geologic data become available.