Abstract
The Teton fault is a major, range-front normal fault that bounds the east side of the ~70 km-long Teton Range, located in northwestern Wyoming. It is an integral component of the 1,300 km-long Intermountain Seismic Belt, an active zone of intraplate seismicity that extends from southern Utah, northward through western Wyoming, eastern Idaho and western Montana. Geologically the Teton fault has evolved in the last 7 to 9 million years accumulating 6 to 9 km of displacement, concomitant with the development of the Basin-Range extensional tectonics in western Wyoming. In the past 5 to 8 million years, the nearby Yellowstone hotspot has likely influenced the activity of the fault including the timing and amount of slip on the fault. Quaternary scarps of the Teton fault extend for ~55 km, north-south along the east side of the Teton Range and provide excellent exposures of the Teton fault. The Teton fault is the primary structure responsible for producing more than 2,100 m (7,000 ft) of vertical topographic relief of the range front and is the single most important factor contribution to the spectacular topography and scenery of the Teton Range - hence to the essence of the Grand Teton National Park.