Shallow Lake, Strong Shake: Record of Seismically Triggered Lacustrine Sedimentation From the 1959 M7.3 Hebgen Lake Earthquake Within Henrys Lake, Idaho
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: We investigate a shallow lake basin for evidence of a large historic intraplate earthquake in western North America. Henrys Lake, Idaho is an atypical candidate for lacustrine paleoseismic study given its shallow depth (∼7 m) and low relief (≤2° slopes). Here, we test the earthquake‐recording capacity of this basin type by showing sedimentological evidence of the 1959 M7.3 Hebgen Lake earthquake within sediment cores, using anthropogenically produced 137Cs activity to constrain timing. In addition to expanding the morphologic range of basins targeted for lacustrine paleoseismic studies, this work has implications for sediment response in dam‐enhanced basins. Lack of sedimentological evidence for other earthquakes coupled with radiocarbon chronology reveals that the 1959 event is the only clearly recorded earthquake within Henrys Lake since the mid‐Holocene. Henrys Lake offers a proxy for paleo‐earthquake signatures within similar lacustrine environments and underscores the importance of further paleoseismic studies in the region.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters
DOI: 10.1029/2024gl110889
Institutions: United States Geological Survey, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Montana Technological University, Denver Federal Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Language: English
Subfield: Geophysics
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,900
OpenAlex ID: W4404393747