Evidence for a Listric Wasatch Fault From the 2020 Magna, Utah,
Earthquake Sequence
Abstract
The 18 March 2020 M 5.7 Magna earthquake near Salt Lake City, Utah,
offers a rare glimpse into the subsurface geometry of the Wasatch fault
system—one of the world’s longest active normal faults and a major
source of seismic hazard in northern Utah. We analyze the Magna
earthquake sequence and resolve oblique-normal slip on a shallow
(30–35º) west-dipping fault at ~9–12 km depth.
Combined with near-surface geological observations of steep dip
(~70º), our results support a curved, or listric, fault
shape. High-precision aftershock locations show the activation of
multiple, low-angle (<30º) structures, indicating the
existence of a complicated fault system. Our observations provide the
first direct evidence for the deep structure of the Wasatch fault
system, and suggest that ground shaking in the Salt Lake City region in
future Wasatch fault earthquakes may be higher than previously
estimated.