Eastern Denali Fault Surface Trace Map, Eastern Alaska and Adjacent Canada, 1978-2008

The eastern section of the Denali Fault did not rupture during the 2002 Denali Fault earthquake (Mw 7.9), however seismologic, geodetic, and geomorphic evidence along with a paleoseismic record of several past ground-rupturing earthquakes demonstrate the fault is active. Thick vegetation, along with complex glacial landforms, large braided rivers, and fault-parallel bedrock structure (e.g., bedding) obscure the Eastern Denali Fault's surface expression. Plafker and Clague mapped the fault in Alaska and Yukon respectively, providing the basis for generalized digital maps of the structure. While the generalized fault trace maps provide basic information for seismic hazard models (i.e., approximate fault location, total length), detailed fault trace maps may reveal information about past rupture length and offset, complementing paleoseismic information and informing future field investigations. This map of the active Eastern Denali Fault complements other data sets and may inform future investigations by providing an openly accessible digital interpretation of the location, length, and continuity of the fault's surface trace based partly on the accompanying digital topography dataset. Additionally, the digitized fault trace may provide geometric constraints useful for modeling earthquake scenarios and related seismic hazard.