THOMAS L.
HENYEY 1 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los
JAMES L. BISCHOFF f Angeles, California 90007
Tectonic Elements of the Northern
Part of the Gulf of California
ABSTRACT
Results from a continuous seismic survey
along closely spaced ship tracks in the northern
Gulf of California are presented in terms of the
tectonics of this region. Apparent vertical off-
sets of the most recent sediments, ranging in
height from several to a few hundred meters,
are associated with the central basins (Delfin
and Wagner basins), indicating they are the
loci of active tectonism. Structural relations
inferred from mapping these features are con-
sistent with plate tectonic concepts of the Gulf.
Delfin basin represents a single, complex,
northeast-southwest-trending, spreading cen-
ter. Two parallel transform faults, which flank
Angel de la Guarda Island and strike north-
ward into Delfin basin from the south, and a
complementary transform fault to the north
represented by the Wagner basins, end at this
spreading center. W i t h the possible exception
of the San Jacinto fault, no correlation of active
faults was found between the northern Gulf
and contiguous land areas. Interpretations of
other geophysical and geological data are com-
plicated by the high sedimentation rate in the
northern Gulf, yet are generally consistent
with our conclusions. Spatial and temporal
characteristics of plate boundaries in the north-
ern Gulf are probably influenced by the prox-
imity of continental structures.
INTRODUCTION
General Statement
According to plate tectonic theory, the Gulf
of California-San Andreas fault system is the
boundary between the N o r t h American and
Pacific plates. Although dominated by trans-
form faults, the Gulf of California structure
includes an undetermined number of short-
spreading centers generating new crust (Moore
and Buffington, 1968; Larson and others,
1968; Atwater, 1970). This is in contrast to
Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 84, p. 315-330, 14 figs., January 1973
315
that portion of the boundary represented by
the San Andreas fault to the north.
Although a systematic oceanographic and
marine geological study of the Gulf was under-
taken in the late 1950s (van Andel and Shor,
1964), the work was planned and carried out
prior to the development of plate tectonic
ideas, and thus study areas and ship tracks were
not chosen with this in mind. Continuous
seismic profiling was not part of the program.
Therefore, our study was undertaken to de-
lineate the tectonic features and thereby test
the applicability of plate tectonic theory in
this region.
Structural Framework
Rusnak and others (1964) used precision
depth recordings to establish the general
bathymetry of the Gulf from which they in-
ferred major fault trends. They suggested
right-lateral offsets of at least 250 k m based
upon the oblique separation of shorelines across
the Gulf. Their interpretation of fault positions
in the northern Gulf province was speculative
because of the thick sedimentary cover de-
posited by the Colorado River. Van Andel
(1964) reports a sedimentation rate of 316
cm/1,000 yrs in the northern Gulf. Correla-
tions with known onshore faults were also in-
ferred. Later work by Moore and Buffington
(1968) included a few reconnaissance seismic
profiles into the northern Gulf province. They
suggested transform faults in the northern
Gulf were continuous with known faults in
northern Baja California, such as the Agua
Blanca fault. Sykes (1968) and Lomnitz and
others (1970) have speculated on the location
of a series of transform faults and spreading
centers through the Gulf, north across the
Colorado River delta, and into the Imperial
Valley, based on recent seismicity, the occur-
rence of isolated volcanic centers, and existing
bathymetry.
316 HENYEY AND BISCHOFF
fornia along which continuous seismic profiling was
Methods
Ship tracks were run perpendicular to the
presumed orientation of both transform faults
and spreading centers (Fig. 1). Subbottom pro-
filing was carried out with a Bolt air gun
(Model 600B; 10-cu in. chamber, operating at
pressures between 1,500 and 2,000 psi) coupled
to a GifFt recorder. Bathymetry was obtained
from the seismic records in conjunction with a
sonar precision depth recorder. A nominal
water velocity of 1,460 m/sec was assumed.
Soundings were not corrected for local T-S
conditions and are considered accurate to ± 5
m in water deeper than 40 m and + 1 m in
shallower water. U. S. Hydrographic Office
chart H . 0 . 6 2 0 served as base map. T h e accu-
racy with which some of the landmarks are
located is questionable since the original survey
was carried out almost 100 years ago (Rusnak
and others, 1964), and this contributes to
navigation errors. Navigation was performed
using radar within 50 km of shore, and celestial
navigation and dead reckoning farther offshore.
Fixes were taken every 30 minutes, and the
tracks were linearly adjusted between fixes.
Navigation errors are considered to be approxi-
mately + 10 percent of the distance of a posi-
tion from the nearest land. Magnetic profiling
was carried out during this cruise by K. Klit-
gord of Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Stations were occupied for heat-flow studies
and bottom samples for geochemical studies.
T h e details of these studies will be presented
elsewhere.
 TECTONIC ELEMENTS, NORTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA 317

Figure 2. Bathymétrie map of the northern Gulf of California based on continuous seismic profiling.

DATA their nomenclature. Much of the northern

Bathymetry
The bathymetric map (Fig. 2) constructed
from the acoustic data compares closely to
that of Rusnak and others (1964), and we use
Gulf is covered with thick sediments that pro-
duce a shallow, featureless bottom over about
two-thirds of the area surveyed. Depths in
this region are less than 200 m. The central
part of the region, however, consists of a series
 318 HENYEY AND BISCHOFF
Figure 3. Fault map of the northern Gulf of Cali-
fornia. Note that line width indicates approximate ap-
parent vertical displacement. Dashed lines and queries
indicate where fault relations and extensions are ques-
tionable ; U indicates upthrown side. Regions discussed
of basins forming a north-south channel deep-
ening southward toward Angel de la Guarda
Island (Fig. 2). Closure is probably complete
on most of the smaller basins to the north
(Wagner) as well as for Delfin basin, the p a n d -
as upper and lower Warner and Delfin basins in the
text are also shown on this map. Pumice denotes out-
cropping of rhyolitic pumice discussed in text and
shown in Figure 6.
pal deep in ths nortnern Gulf province (Fig.
2). Sill heights above the floors of the Wagner
basins may be only a few tens of meters.
In many instances the transition from the
shallow region of no relief into a central basin
 TECTONIC ELEMENTS, NORTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA
is marked by an abrupt escarpment suggesting
either recent faulting or block slumping. The
basin floors are flat with moderately thick sedi-
ments. Sediments brought up in piston cores
do not reflect irregularities in deposition in
the most recent sediments and do not contain
remnants of well-indurated debris such as might
be produced by large-scale submarine slumping
or erosion of scarps.
Lower Delfin basin is elongate northeast-
southwest with steep slopes on three sides and
a more gradual shoaling to the northeast. Two
narrow, deep troughs strike into lower Delfin
basin from the south, one along the eastern
side of Angel de la Guarda Island, and the
other between this island and Baja California.
These troughs have high relief and are almost
devoid of sediments, indicating that these
features are tectonically active. This conclusion
was also reached by Shepard (1950) and Rusnak
and others (1964) with respect to the major
escarpments in other regions of the Gulf.
There is no evidence that these two troughs
continue as identifiable units north of the
Delfin basin deep.
The abundance of small-scale relief in the
central region of the northern Gulf is striking.
This relief is predominately associated with the
upper Delfin basin and the central series of
small basins trending northeastward toward
upper Wagner basin, and is characterized by
scarps ranging in height from several to a few
hundred meters, often repeating in a Basin and
Range configuration. This situation may result
from both normal and strike-slip faulting. It is
difficult to trace these features between tracks
because the sense of vertical displacement may
change along strike.
The bathymetric grain of lower Wagner
basin is northwesterly. At the northern end of
lower Wagner basin, the bathymetry forks
with the primary deep trending northeastward
(upper Wagner basin) and a branch trending
northwestward toward Consag Rock, a mass of
andesite projecting about 200 m above the
ocean surface and lying in the middle of this
trough.
Continuous Seismic Profiling
Our primary objective was to construct a
fault map based on the continuous seismic
information (Fig. 3). The mapping of the
structural and physiographic features is useful
in establishing the precise location of plate
boundaries. Figures 5 to 13 show important
subbottom features along the profile segments
319
whose locations are shown in Figure 4. Faults
were marked along profiles on the track chart
and extended between profiles based upon con-
figuration and size. Only those faults which dis-
place the most recent sediments have been in-
cluded, although numerous buried, apparently
inactive, faults were observed on the seismic
records.
Profile D D ' (Fig. 8) is typical of the records
from the shallow-water shelf regions of the
northern Gulf. Multiple interference precludes
the possibility of obtaining much subbottom
information in these regions.
Lower Delfín basin appears to be a notable
exception to basins having a thick sedimentary
section. Profile BB' (Fig. 6) shows that good
reflections are only observed to an apparent
depth of about 50 m. We infer this to mean
that the floor of Delfin basin consists of a thin
veneer of sediments overlying a crystalline
basement. Also shown on this profile is a pro-
trusion along the western escarpment of Delfin
basin which was found from a dredge to be
composed of rhyolitic pumice. The high relief
and lack of sedimentary cover suggest this to
be a young feature. Noteworthy is the fact that
it is on strike of the two large fault troughs
south of lower Delfin basin (Fig. 3). Profile AA'
(Fig. 5) shows a crossing of the fault trough
to the east of Angel de la Guarda Island. Pro-
files F F ' G G ' (Fig. 10) and H H ' (Fig. 11)
were taken northwest-southeast across the
structural elements of upper Delfin basin. The
domed structure along profile H H ' shows re-
peated offsets along its top surface and an
absence of good reflectors below 100 m. Profile
CC' (Fig. 7) was taken northeast-southwest
across lower Wagner basin; this figure graphi-
cally illustrates the micro-relief which charac-
terizes the deeps between the lower Delfin and
upper Wagner basins. Profile II' (Fig. 12) was
taken northwest-southeast across upper Wagner
basin. A single fresh-appearing scarp occurs on
the south side of the basin. Profile E E ' (Fig. 9)
shows a series of small vertical discontinuities
(block faults) which in many cases do not
displace the most recent sedimentary layers.
These features were most obvious on this pro-
file and a parallel one to the east, but only
occasionally appeared on northeast-southwest
profiles in this region. This suggests their grain
is northeast-southwest; that is, subparallel to
the structures immediately to the north in
Delfin basin. Finally, profile J}' (Fig. 13) shows
the track across the high between the north-
west-trending trough in which Consag Rock
 320 HENYEY AND BISCHOFF

Figure 4. Locations of preliminary heat-flow mea- vertical offsets appeared on northwest-southeast seismic
surements and seismic profiles (Figs. 5 to 13) in the profiles. Seismic profile lines refer to locations of Figures
northern Gulf. Shading indicates region where bu:ried 5 through 12.

is located and the upper Wagner basin. This
feature appears to be either a horst between
the two dropped blocks or a diapir within an
originally larger basin. We do not have any
additional evidence other than the seismic
profiles to help distinguish between these two
alternatives; it is significant that no magnetic
anomaly was found associated with this feature
as was found near Consag Rock, indicating
that if it is a diapir, it is sedimentary rather
 TECTONIC ELEMENTS, NORTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA
SCALE (Km.) 9
Figure 5. Seismic profile across fault trough which
strikes northward into Delfin basin along the east side
than volcanic. These basins appear to be the
result of faulting rather than erosion by ancient
river channels, an alternative suggested by
Rusnak and others (1964). Thatcher and Brune
(1971) report an earthquake swarm occurred in
March of 1969 in this region; the nature of
these events and their locations are not known
well enough to permit them to be used as
characteristic of either of these possibilities.
DISCUSSION
It appears likely that the Gulf is dominated
by transform faults separated by short ridge
segments, perhaps representing local tear-
aparts in a primary system of en echelon trans-
forms. This relation is unlike mid-ocean ridge-
rise systems or the often compared Red Sea,
where ridge structures or spreading centers
predominate. This is to be expected for the
Gulf since the relative Neogene plate motions
have been largely right-lateral rather than
tensional or compressive (Atwater, 1970).
321
, ? , j
of Angel de la Guarda Island,
Thus, we expect that the crustal structure in
the Gulf should be dominated by fault rather
than ridge features.
We accept in principle the model of ridge-
transform fault patterns suggested by Moore
and Buffington (1968); however, we do not
agree with relations previously suggested for
the northern Gulf. In particular, locations of
spreading centers and continuation onshore
into Baja California of either the primary trans-
form faults (see also Rusnak and others, 1964)
or their extensions do not agree with the evi-
dence we have from seismic profiling. We were
particularly concerned with the possibility that
onshore features in Baja California, such as the
Agua Blanca fault, might extend into some of
the structural elements in the Gulf. We thus
continued our tracks close to shore and searched
for offsets in the recent sediments. No offsets
were found and we conclude that such relations
do not exist between the northern Gulf and
the northern Baja California peninsula unless
 322 HENYEY AND BISCHOFF
Figure 6. Northeast-southwest seismic profile across
northern Delfin basin. Note thin section of well-laytred
they have been long inactive. This evidence
from the Gulf is now supported by the work of
Hamilton (1971) and Gastil and others (1969)
who have demonstrated that major faults in
Baja California are not traceable into the Gulf.
The Agua Blanca ends in a complex structural
environment west of Valle San Felipe, well in-
land from the coast. Lomnitz and others (1970)
propose two or perhaps three spreading centers
for the northern gulf based on seismic evi-
dence, and they continue faulting north into
the Imperial Valley. Our data preclude the
possibility of three spreading centers and,
within the area studied, we have evidence for
only one. The high sedimentation rate and our
lack of profiles north of Consag Rock do not
permit us to discuss the continuation of ridge-
transform structure into the Imperial Valley.
The two troughs on either side of Angel de
la Guarda Island (Fig. 3) clearly represent
tectonically active zones. The trough on the
west side exhibits little sediment fill and steep
material overlying poorly layered (opaque) medium,
Protrusion on the left is rhyolitic pumice.
relief, much of which may be due to recent
submarine volcanism. The trough to the east
shows steep sides with step structures (Fig. 5)
and apparently forms a parallel lineament to
that on t'ae west of the island. It is probable
;hat north of Angel de la Guarda Island these
two features merge along the western escarp-
ment of Delfin basin.
North of lower Delfin basin deep the struc-
ture appears to change abruptly from a north-
west-southeast trend to a northeast-southwest
trend (Fig. 3). We did not find obvious dis-
placements of the most recent sediments associ-
ated with the main deep of lower Delfin basin,
although the relief on t h ; basin walls is con-
siderable. We believe that erosion on these
slopes should not destroy all of the evidence of
recent faulting, and thus suggest that lower
Delfin basin may presently be less active than
upper Delfin basin. North of Delfin basin the
structural trend again changes to a northwest-
southeast trend. Scarps in this region (Fig. 3)
 TECTONIC ELEMENTS, NORTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA
Figure 7. Seismic profile across faulted structure of lower Wagner basin.
can clearly be traced between profiles. Some of
the most impressive scarps in the northern
Gulf province are found in the region of inter-
section of this trend with the transverse Delfin
basin trend to the south. N o r t h of lower
Wagner basin, the structural trend changes to
a northerly direction in upper Wagner basin.
Scarps are less frequent in this area, in part due
to the more rapid sedimentation.
From our evidence we conclude that the
large troughs flanking Angel de la Guarda
Island represent parallel transform faults, either
of which may take up strains between spreading
centers to the north and south. N o r t h of the
island, structures are more complex, and a
simple picture of several small spreading centers
connected by transform faults trending toward
the Colorado River delta and the Imperial
Valley does not appear to be justified. We sug-
gest that the structures trending northeast-
southwest in northern Delfin basin represent a
single complex spreading center. Structures
parallel to this proposed spreading center, such
as lower Delfin basin and the series of small
vertical discontinuities (profile E E ' ; shaded
323
area, Fig. 4), represent older and in some cases
continuing activity of this same center. These
features may represent activity originally asso-
ciated with northern Delfin basin that has
nearly ceased, perhaps by being spread away
from the center of active tectonism. T h e
channel formed by the Wagner basins reason-
ably represents the complementary transform
fault to the north of the Delfin basin spreading
center. Whether or not this transform is con-
tinuous with the San Jacinto fault depends on
whether or not one or more spreading centers
occur north of the Wagner basins. Two large
bends, one already suggested by the change in
structural grain between the lower and upper
Wagner basins and one near the Colorado delta
would be necessary if continuity existed. T h e
continuation of the Gulf physiography into the
Imperial Valley, however, seems to require the
existence of at least one additional spreading
center north of Delfin basin. It does not re-
quire, however, that this spreading center be
currently active if the San Jacinto fault has
provided a relatively recent bypass.
We infer that the present center of active
 a
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Figure 8. Seismic profile typical of shallow-water regions.

i i—i—i—i
SCALI (Km.)

Figure 9. Seismic profile showing apparent buried vertical onsets cast of Delfin basin.
 (/I
a
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o
u
DJ
in

0 2 4
1 i i i i
SCALE (Km.)

Figure 10. Northwest-southeast seismic profile across northern Delfin basin structure.

SCALE (Km.)

Figure 11. Northwest-southeast seismic profile upfaulted structure and appearance of opaque layer
across northern Delfin basin structure; west of profile to the right (see Fig. 6).
shown in Figure 10. Note transparent medium beneath
 326 HENYEY AND BISCHOFF
SCALE
Figure 12. Seismic profile across upper Wagner basin.
spreading is located on the western side of the
Gulf physiographic trough. The distance from
the center of this zone northwestward to the
continental part of Baja California is only 50
km or less, which should not be the case if
there has been at least 240 km of northwest
translation of Baja California from the Mexican
mainland (Larson and others, 1968; Rusnak
and others, 1964; Crowell, 1962). Thus, either
we have (1) a one-sided spreading center, or
(2) a relatively new spreading center, with
spreading having occurred elsewhere in the
northern Gulf at an earlier stage in its develop-
ment. The second case is preferred. The 50 km
is more similar to offsets found for the San
Jacinto fault (Sharp, 1967) than for the San
Andreas proper in southern California, sug-
gesting the activation of this center may coin-
cide with the initiation of the San Jacinto as
the active member of the San Andreas fault
system. Earlier spreading may have taken place
solely along the transform fault east of Angel
de la Guarda Island, which is likely in light of
the pre-4 m.y. granitic and metamorphic rocks
exposed on this island and the San Lorenzo
Islands to the south (Anderson, 1950).
Other geophysical data from this general
region bear on the conclusion that Delfin basin
represents a spreading zone. Earthquake swarms
(Km.)
having stress drops typical of mid-ocean ridge
earthquakes occur in this region. However, the
statistics are not sufficiently complete to use
suck events far delineating an entire spreading
center or establishing its precise location. The
tendency has been to place spreading centers
where swarms have: been observed; however,
it is likely that these swarms are only outlining
places of current activity in the neighborhood
of the center; there is no indication that swarms
have been occurring only at the observed loca-
tions for any significant period in the past.
Gravity data gathered by Harrison and
Mathur (1964) show Delfin basin, in marked
contrast to the rest of the northern province,
to be a region of high gravity with a local
maximum of -f-10 mgal. As they point out, this
suggests the basin contains high-density ma-
terial. This is consistent with our inference that
Delfin basin is nascent oceanic basement. The
gradients to the northwest and east from
Delfin basin would t hen represent the combina-
tion of thickening sediments away from the
spreading center and the proximity of the
thicker lower density continental crusts of
Baja California and Sonora. Thus, it is not
necessary to propose an unusual configuration
of near-surface sediments (density) to explain
the observed gravity.
 TECTONIC ELEMENTS, NORTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA
SCALE
Figure 13. Seismic profile north of Wagner basins
showing high between upper Wagner basin and trough
The seismic refraction data of Phillips
(1964) are largely inconclusive to our infer-
ences. His primary profile (stations 1,4,5, and
7) in the northern Gulf, parallel to the axis of
the Gulf, lies well to the east of the Delfin
basin-Wagner basin deeps in a region which ap-
pears to have significant sedimentary cover. His
second profile (stations 2 and 3) is transverse
to the Gulf physiography at the northern limit
of our inferred spreading center. Thus, it can-
not be expected that these data would give the
information needed to outline velocities within
the spreading center. Phillips favors a gradual
change from oceanic to continental crust from
south to north throughout the Gulf; in am-
biguous instances he prefers to choose a progres-
sively deeper layer 4 (mantle; 7.5 to 8.3 k m /
sec) to the north. However, if the refraction
lines in the northern Gulf had been farther to
the west his interpretation might have been
different. The suggestion from his profiles 2
and 3 is that near-surface crustal velocities are
appreciably higher in the central portion. He
concludes that the one of two alternative
interpretations which leads to a shallow layer 4
(Moho) under the central portion of the north-
ern Gulf is less likely. We suggest that rather
than the northern Gulf becoming more con-
tinentalized, a high sedimentation rate exists
which causes rapid burial of the oceanic (basal-
tic) crust. It is probable that in this region
even the spreading centers are becoming par-
tially buried, and thus a basaltic-sediment
mixture might result at the spreading center
327
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uUJ
Ift
(Km.)
in which Consag Rock is situated.
itself; that is, injection of magma into sedi-
ments. In this way the Moho is seemingly low-
ered and lower velocities occur at greater depth
as one proceeds northwestward toward the
Imperial Valley (see also Phillips, 1964). It
may be more realistic to interpret the refrac-
tion data in terms of a continuous velocity-
with-depth function rather than in terms of
discrete layers in the Gulf, particularly on the
spreading centers themselves.
Preliminary heat-flow data (Henyey and
Sclater, in prep.) in the northern Gulf show
that Delfin basin is a region significantly above
normal heat flow, suggesting the presence of
near-surface heat sources (Fig. 4). Heat-flow
data in Wagner basin are comparable to re-
gional values found in the Imperial Valley (J.
Coombs, 1971, oral commun.) and thus, taken
by themselves, do not imply the existence of a
spreading center here. Magnetic profiles along
the northwest-southeast tracks (Fig. 1) do not
reveal a symmetrical magnetic anomaly pattern
across the Delfin basin structure. The thick
sedimentary section and complex patterns of
magma injection into these sediments are
probably responsible for attenuating and ob-
scuring this expected pattern (Klitgord and
others, in prep.). The proximity of this region
to continental structure may also be a factor
in this regard.
CONCLUSIONS
The mapping of active faults accomplished
by this study provides important constraints
 328 HENYEY AND BISCHOFF

regarding plate boundaries in the northern Tectonic bypassing, parallel transform faults
Gulf province. Structural patterns revealed by (such as the San Andreas or San Jacinto on-
the mapping are characterized by a northeast- shore, and the two parallel faults on either side
southwest grain in Delfin basin terminated by of Angel de la Guarda Island), and the activa-
northwest-southeast structural trends to the tion of new and reactivation of old spreading
south and north. Moreover, these patterns limit centers, all of which may occur in the northern
to one the number of possible spreading centers Gulf province, possibly reflect the transition
in the region studied. Extending profiles near of the plate boundaries from oceanic to con-
coastlines on both sides of the Gulf demon- tinental regions, as well as the resistance to
strated that, with the possible exception of the plate motions produced by various continental
San Jacinto (Merriam, 1965) or its related crustal blocks (Lomnitz and others, 1970).
branches, active faults within the northern
Gulf proper were not continuous with mapped ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
or inferred faults in adjacent land areas. This work was done in the northern Gulf of
The precise relation between the San Jacinto- California in the fall of 1970 aboard the Univer-
San Andreas fault system and the tectonic sity of Southern California's research vessel,
structure of the northern Gulf represented by Velero IV. Data gathering at sea was greatly
Delfin and Wagner basins is still questionable. facilitated by help from the crew, J. Amundson,
Seismicity and volcanism have led other inves- K. Klitgord, D. Pasho, C. Phillipi, and J.
tigators to speculate on the existence of spread- Rogers. Carlos Acosta Del Campo of the
ing centers at several locations in the northern Consejo de Recursos Naturales No Renovables
Gulf province (see, for example, Lomnitz and de Mexico assisted aboard ship and his diplo-
others, 1970). These previous studies extend matic actions made permission for the trip
the San Jacinto fault on strike into the northern
Gulf and end it against the northeastern side of
a spreading center which is generally centered
on the upper Wagner basin. Our seismic profil-
ing, together with the heat-flow data, do not
support a spreading center centered on upper
Wagner basin, but we cannot rule out the
possibility of one to the north. Thus, two
choices are acceptable to us: (1) the change in
structural trend in the Wagner basins is simply
a bend in the transform fault similar to those
found along the San Andreas in southern Cali-
fornia, and continuity can be established with
the San Jacinto fault in the Colorado delta
region (Fig. 14); or (2) the San Jacinto fault
continues offshore of Punta Penasco and ends
against a spreading center located north of the
upper Wagner basin. The first choice would
almost certainly require a tectonic bypassing of
older spreading centers in the northern Gulf
because the Gulf physiography, which con-
tinues northward to the Imperial Valley, ap-
pears to require at least one additional spread-
ing center north of Delfin basin. This situation
would be similar to what definitely appears to
be at least a partial bypass by the San Jacinto
Figure 14. Faults and structural relations in the
fault of the Imperial Valley. Magnetic linea- northern Gulf of California region. The hachured
tions on strike of the San Jacinto fault offshore region denotes a single spreading center located in
of Punta Penasco (Klitgord and others, in Delfin basin. The query indicates that the relation
prep.; Sumner, 1971) and an earthquake between the San Jacinto fault and the northern Gulf
swarm east of Consag Rock with character- tectonic elements is still in doubt. Either the San
istically low stress drop events (Thatcher and Jacinto fault and transform fault south of the query
Brune, 1971) support the latter choice. are continuous or the two faults adjoin a second spread-
ing center in the vicinity of the query.
 TECTONIC ELEMENTS, NORTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA
possible. In the interpretation of our data, we
benefited from discussions with Gregory Davis,
Mason Hill, and Richard Merriam. Figures
were drafted by William Freyerabend. T h e
manuscript was critically reviewed and im-
proved by Warren Hamilton and Roger Larson.
Financial support was provided by National
Science Foundation Grants GA13008 and
GA23495, and by a grant-in-aid from Global
Marine Corporation, Los Angeles.
REFERENCES CITED
Anderson, C. A., 1950, Geology of islands and
neighboring land areas, pt. 1, in The 1940
E. W. Scripps cruise to the Gulf of California:
Geol. Soc. America Mem. 43, 53 p.
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MANUSCRIPT RECEIVED BY T H E SOCIETY MARCH
27, 1972
REVISED MANUSCRIPT RECEIVED AUGUST 21, 1972
CONTRIBUTION NUMBER 262, DEPARTMENT OF
G E O L O G I C A L SCIENCES, U N I V E R S I T Y OF S O U T H -
ERN CALIFORNIA