Geological Sciences represent a crucial perspective for investigating past earthquakes and possibly predicting (middle-long term) future ones. Indeed, many moderate to strong crustal events produce direct and permanent effects on the earth surface (i.e. morphogenic earthquakes) and therefore "earthquake geologists" can recognise, describe, measure, analyse and interpret all these linear and/or areal features from superficial-shallow investigations. Geological Sciences can investigate both single-event effects (even several years after they were formed) as well as the cumulative ones.
The Geology of past earthquakes is also of primary importance for seismic hazard assessment, which requires the interplay of different disciplines and expertises. For example, geological studies can provide crucial information for regions where instrumental seismic records or detailed historical accounts are not available, but that generated destructive earthquakes in the past and may generate similar events in the future. Geological approaches to the investigation of past earthquakes are fundamental to contribute to determine or to infer crucial seismotectonic parameters for seismic hazard assessment, including the maximum expected magnitude, the return period for a given magnitude and the mean slip-rate.
In this session, we welcome contributions focusing on all methodological aspects and different approaches used by the geological community to investigate active faults. Both theoretical issues and case studies describing and critically discussing any geological aspect of earthquakes and seismogenic faults are expected. Particularly welcome are presentations showing the contribution of field investigations, and geological studies in general, to seismic hazard assessment. We look forward to a lively and cross-disciplinary programme that will bring together a broad range of expertises.