SEGMENTATION PATTERN AND FAULT LINKAGE ALONG THE BATON ROUGE FAULT ZONE, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA

Examination of high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs), derived from light detecting and ranging (LiDAR) data, allows for an updated interpretation of fault segment hierarchy and linkage in the Baton Rouge fault zone (BRFZ) of southeastern Louisiana. BRFZ scarps developed within Pleistocene Prairie terrace deposits provide an opportunity to estimate variation in the vertical component (throw) of Quaternary displacement. Documenting the along-strike throw pattern is essential to understanding segment linkage along the fault zone. By comparing elevations within fault-parallel swaths of LiDAR data from footwalls and hangingwalls, we identify which segments of the BRFZ dominate the system and outline evidence of mature fault linkages by noting similar amounts of throw on linked fault segments. We show that, though now composed of a few large fault segments, the BRFZ was previously made up of many smaller faults, at least in the near-surface. A composite Quaternary throw profile along the entire system illustrates that the BRFZ continues westward, either merging with or interacting with the Tepetate fault. These results will play an important role in future studies of the BRFZ, including constraining slip rates and understanding its role in subsidence and wetland loss.