What Controls Early Restraining Bend Growth? Structural, Morphometric, and Numerical Modeling Analyses From the Eastern California Shear Zone

Restraining bends influence topography, strike-slip evolution, and earthquake rupture dynamics, however the specific factors governing their geometry and development in the crust are not well established. These relationships are challenging to investigate in field examples due to cannibalization and erosion of earlier structures with cumulative strain. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the structure, morphology, and kinematics of 22 basement-cored restraining bends on low net-slip faults (<10 km) within the southern Eastern California shear zone (SECSZ) via mapping, topographic analyses, and 3D numerical modeling. The bends are self-similar in form with most exhibiting focused relief between high-angle bounding faults with an arrowhead shape in map view and a “whaleback” longitudinal profile. Slight changes in that form occur with increasing size indicating predictable growth that appears to be primarily controlled by local fault geometries (i.e., bifurcation angle), rather than the influence of fault obliquity relative to far-field plate motion, due to inefficient slip-transfer across interconnected irregularly trending closely spaced faults. Modeling results indicate that the self-similar fault-bound geometry of SECSZ restraining bends may arise from elevated shear strain at the outer corners of single transpressional fault bends with increasing cumulative slip. This, in turn, promotes growth of a new fault leading to efficient accommodation of local convergent strain via uplift between bounding faults. Finally, our results indicate that the kilometer-scale restraining bends contribute minimally to regional contraction as they only penetrate the upper third of the seismogenic crust and are therefore also unlikely to impede large earthquake surface ruptures.