Mechanism and Strain Characteristics of the White Wolf Fault as Indicated by the Aftershock Sequence

The strain rebound characteristics of the aftershock sequence of the Kern County earthquake of 1952 indicated that the aftershocks southeast of the fault were generated by compressional strains whereas those on the northwest side were produced by shearing strains. Assuming that the original strain zone is outlined_ by the aftershocks spatial pattern, values for the strain characteristics of the strain zone preceding the earthquake can be computed as follows: volume of strained rock = 7.3 X 10¹⁹; cm³; average strain = 8.7 X 10⁻⁵; average stress = 26 kg/cm²; purely elastic strain energy density = 6.6 X 10² erg/cm³; creep strain energy density roughly 5 X 10² ergs/cm³.