Sedimentation in an active fold and thrust belt, from 1 Ma to present, Santa Barbara Channel, California

Syntectonic sedimentation in Santa Barbara basin, California, varied in linear and volumetric accumulation rate and in depocenter location since 1 Ma as a result of local and regional tectonism and changes in sediment distribution. This study provides insight into how rapidly, in space and time, deposition can change within a single, active-margin basin.;Isopach maps defined by stratigraphic reference horizons identified on deep-penetration and high resolution multichannel seismic reflection and chirp seismic data document dramatic shifts in location, shape, and accumulation rate of sedimentary depocenters during the last 1 Myr while overall sedimentation in depositional basins remained >1m/kyr. Depocenter evolution reflects the growth history of faults and folds, and related subsidence, whereas changes in sedimentation rates reflect diversion of Santa Clara River sediment from Santa Barbara to Santa Monica basin, resulting in the initiation of Hueneme Fan as early as 710 ka with initial subsidence of the Anacapa Ridge anticline.