earth science

Eltanin fault system

Eltanin fault system is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Eltanin fault system rather than just read about it. In short: The Eltanin fault system (Eltanin fracture zone) is a series of six or seven dextral transform faults that offset the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge, a spreading zone between the Pacific plate and the Antarctic plate. This is extending by up to 7.93 cm/year (3.12 in/year).

Key takeaways

Eltanin fault system belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Eltanin fault system to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Eltanin fault system from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Eltanin fault system (Eltanin fracture zone) is a series of six or seven dextral transform faults that offset the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge, a spreading zone between the Pacific plate and the Antarctic plate. This is extending by up to 7.93 cm/year (3.12 in/year). It was named after the oceanographic ship USNS Eltanin.

Description The affected zone of the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge is about 800 km (500 mi) long, between 56° S, 145° W and 54.5° S, 118.5° W, southwest of Easter Island, and about as far as one can get from land on planet Earth (48°52.6′S 123°23.6′W). However, the total offset is about 1600 km. The two major faults in the Eltanin fracture zone are the Heezen transform fault and the Tharp transform fault, usually known as fracture zones as they extend inactively from the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge. A third named after Hollister, which is the shortest to the south, also exists and its active transform region has been linked to the other transform regions of the Eltanin fault system. They are about 1,000 km (620 mi) long and have been in the last 50 years the location of many earthquakes of up to Mw 6.4. One segment of the Heezen transform has ruptured with an average repeat interval of 4 years. Others related faults include the Vacquier transform fault, the Menard transform fault, and the Udintsev fault. To the northwest, in an almost linear fashion as seafloor features, are the Hollister Ridge and the Louisville Seamount Chain.

See also Hollister Ridge

Notes

Sources Sykes, Lynn R.; Ekstörm, Göran (2011). "Earthquakes along Eltanin transform system, SE Pacific Ocean: fault segments characterized by strong and poor seismic coupling and implications for long-term earthquake prediction". Geophysical Journal International. 188 (2): 421–434. Bibcode:2012GeoJI.188..421S. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2011.05284.x.

Further reading Beutel, Erin K.; Okal, Emile A. (2003). "Strength asperities along oceanic transform faults: a model for the origin of extensional earthquakes on the Eltanin transform system". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 216 (1/2): 27–41. Bibcode:2003E&PSL.216...27B. doi:10.1016/S0012-821X(03)00484-9. Kashintsev, G.L.; Frikh-khar, D. (1978). "Structure of the oceanic crust in the Eltanin Fault Zone (Pacific Ocean) based on petrographic data". Oceanology. 18: 39–42. Lonsdale, Peter (1986). "Tectonic and magmatic ridges in the eltanin fault system, South Pacific". Marine Geophysical Researches. 8 (3): 203–242. Bibcode:1986MarGR...8..203L. doi:10.1007/BF00305484. Lonsdale, Peter (1994). "Structural geomorphology of the Eltanin fault system and adjacent transform faults of the Pacific-Antarctic plate boundary". Marine Geophysical Researches. 16 (2): 105–143. Bibcode:1994MarGR..16..105L. doi:10.1007/BF01224756. Okal, Emile A.; Langenhorst, Amy R. (2000). "Seismic properties of the Eltanin Transform System, South Pacific". Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors. 119 ((3/4): 185–208. Bibcode:2000PEPI..119..185O. doi:10.1016/S0031-9201(99)00169-7. Stewart, Lisa M.; Okal, Emile A. (1983). "Seismicity and Aseismic Slip Along the Eltanin Fracture Zone" (PDF). Journal of Geophysical Research. 88 (B12): 10, 495–10, 507. Bibcode:1983JGR....8810495S. doi:10.1029/jb088ib12p10495.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Eltanin fault system

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Eltanin fault system claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Eltanin fault system before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Eltanin fault system ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Eltanin fault system

In research: Eltanin fault system appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Eltanin fault system in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Eltanin fault system is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fracture zones, Geology of Antarctica, Geology of the Pacific Ocean, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Eltanin fault system outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Eltanin fault system in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Eltanin fault system means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Eltanin fault system out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Eltanin fault system in simple terms?

Why does Eltanin fault system matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Eltanin fault system?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Eltanin fault system.