The depth of pseudotachylyte formation from detailed thermochronology and constraints on coseismic stress drop variability

Pseudotachylytes are accepted as recording paleo-seismicity in the rock record. However, the interpretation of the mechanics of faulting based on pseudotachylyte generation is often hindered because the depth at which they form is poorly constrained. Here, we use thermochronology to determine the depth at which pseudotachylytes in the Sierra Nevada, California, formed. The pseudotachylytes formed in