Matlab Algorithm for Systematic Vertical Separation Measurements of Tectonic Fault Scarps

We have studied the topography along the Lost River Fault in Idaho (USA) and in particular the rupture zone generated by the strong 1983 Borah Peak earthquake (Mw 6.9) almost 40 years after its occurrence. Our first reason for acquiring these data was to systematically measure vertical separation (VS) along the fault. To do this we have developed and implemented a scarp analysis algorithm in MATLAB (www.mathworks.com) which enables users to measure the vertical separation from a topographic profile. The code constructs a topographic profile along the preferred trend (generally perpendicular to the fault trace) and projects the best-fit lines to each of the hanging wall and footwall flat to the fault location. The vector difference between the intersection of these lines with a vertical plane at the fault location is the vertical separation. Please see the code guide for additional detail.