Investigating patterns and kinematics of faults and associated fumarolic activity above a blind strike-slip system, Bishop Tuff, CA

The Volcanic Tableland is situated in the Eastern California Shear Zone at the northern end of Owens Valley, CA. Volcanism from the adjacent Long Valley Caldera led to the eruption and emplacement of the ~ 760 ka Bishop Tuff atop the tectonically active valley floor. Through high-resolution mapping, three-dimensional modeling, and the documentation of new kinematic evidence of faulting, this research sheds new light on the deformation of the Volcanic Tableland and its relationship to regional tectonic evolution. Dip-slip, oblique-slip, and strike-slip kinematic indicators (grooves and slickenlines) preserved in the Bishop Tuff are all indicative of transtensional regional tectonics that have been active, at a minimum, since the tuffs emplacement ~ 760 ka. Newly compiled evidence suggests that these regional tectonics were responsible for the early formation of conjugate fractures and their subsequent enhancement to function as fumarolic pathways, thus governing fumarolic activity at the surface of the Volcanic Tableland.