Saribudak reported in mid-April 2024 that over 70% of Houston Geological Society members live in Harris County, Texas and many of those members are interested to learn more about the geology of the area. It is easy to see how geologic processes shape the landscape of Harris County after episodic events such as hurricanes or flooding, but other geologic processes such as faulting and subsidence are subtly at work over geologic timescales.
Map of well-documented faults in Harris County, based on Shaw and Lanning-
Rush (2005) and Engelkemeir and Khan (2008). The guidebook focuses on four
faults: 1) Long Point, 2) Eureka Heights, 3) Hockley, and 4) Willow Creek.
This guide focuses on the surface and subsurface expression of selected well-documented faults in the Houston area to provide geologic context for the processes that shape our community. This reference focuses on four faults in the greater Houston area: 1) Long Point, 2) Eureka-Heights, 3) Hockley, and 4) Willow Creek.
The geophysical data presented in this guide were gathered in the early 2000s by Mustafa Saribudak, and have been published by Saribudak and Nieuwenhuise (2006), Saribudak (2011 and 2012), and Saribudak et al. (2018) and elsewhere.* Recently, major highway construction projects have obscured or remediated ( e.g., asphalt patches) surface expression at some fault locations. But, upon close inspection, subtle fault deformation is visibly expressed as cracks or scarps.
This guide is intended to be a self-paced study, and the locations listed below are intended to be easily accessible, making this an activity to share with small groups. Driving directions and GPS coordinates of each fault are provided. Note that participants should always wear a high-visibility safety vest and only park in designated parking lots. Parking along highways is not a safe choice.
[* Note: It should be noted that a reference was deleted by the HGS Editor that Saribudak originally cited. Here is that missing reference by Campbell, et al., 2018: "Growth Faulting and Subsidence in the Houston, Texas Area: Guide to the Origins, Relationships, Hazards, Potential Impacts and Methods of Investigation: An Update": https://www.i2massociates.com/downloads/JGG-1-015.pdf].
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