Marine paleoseismology is emerging as a promising field to extend earthquake time series in the past by the analysis of turbidite and mass wasting deposits possibly triggered by earthquakes. The Mediterranean region features a diverse range of tectonic settings, with associated seismic hazards that have immediate societal relevance to coastal areas. It is of particular interest for marine paleoseismology for the presence of several favourable conditions including: long earthquake time series (instrumental and historical, among the longest worldwide, plus a robust record of submarine cable breaks); availability of integrated chronostratigraphic tools (biostratigraphy, tephrochronology, sapropel layers); numerous studies on land and many sediment cores available offshore with unexploited potential for marine paleosesmology.
The aim of this session is to convene specialists in sedimentology and tectonics to investigate the potential of paleoseismological studies in variable tectonic settings of the Mediterranean where first-order uncertainties about seismogenic and tsunamogenic potential exist. The integration of marine paleoseismology and tectonic studies could extend the knowledge on the source and impact of past earthquakes in this densely populated area.