Paleoseismology of the Zia Fault and Its Impact on Seismic Hazard for Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

ABSTRACT The Zia Fault is one of three major east-dipping normal faults on the western margin of the Rio Grande Rift in the northern Albuquerque Basin. Our trenches were located about 250 m south of the northern rim of the Llano de Albuquerque (LdA), where a 100-m-wide graben has formed east of the main, 5-m-high fault scarp. The middle trench across the steepest, highest part of the scarp revealed evidence for four to five faulting events. Displacement in the latest three events ranged from 0.9