AbstractsEarth & Environmental Science

The distribution of pediments in the Coyote Ranges, Southern California

by Belinda Jean Stevens




Institution: California State University – Chico
Department:
Year: 2015
Keywords: Pediments; The Coyote Ranges; San Diego County
Posted: 02/05/2017
Record ID: 2132065
Full text PDF: http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/145272


Abstract

The Coyote Ranges lies across the boundary of the San Diego and Imperial Counties of southern California, and is bounded on the southern flank by the active right lateral strike-slip Elsinore Fault. The active San Andreas Fault system has caused the Coyote Ranges to be uplifted resulting in the formation of erosional structures such as pediments. The inaccessibility and ruggedness of the terrain have deterred detailed pediment research in and around the Ranges, which may reveal local interactions and regional correlations. During the winters of 2012 and 2013, I performed manual mapping of pediments on aerial photographs, took documentary photographs of the sites, and made extensive handwritten field notes to capture the specific locations and geology of the pediments. Analysis of the data resulted in the categorization of more than 500 pediments, identification of pediment relationships, comparison of measured gradients, and identification of formational and/or modifying agents. Results have determined that pedimentation is not affected by geology, and some processes are active either singularly or in dual roles. It is possible that pediments within the Coyote Ranges can be used in determining the rate and timing of uplift and the identification of areas with more uplifted activity. Advisors/Committee Members: Melcon, Paul Zenope (advisor).