The African plate is currently enduring crustal deformation, not only at its northern convergent boundaries with Eurasia and in the divergent East African rift system that tend to separate it into several sub-plates, but also within the rest of the continent. Seismicity and deformation in the African plate is often underestimated due to the scarcity of geophysical observatories (seismic stations, GPS, …), the poor knowledge of neotectonic structures and also the rather low rate at which deformation occurs. Intraplate stress field is governed by interactions between plate boundary forces (orogenic collision on the northern margin and spreading ridges surrounding the rest of the plate) and locally generated buoyancy forces related to the development of the African Superswell. This stress field acts on a strongly heterogeneous crust, causing active faulting, volcanism and related natural hazards.

The previous editions of this session were focused on the observation, analysis and modeling, and the driving mechanisms of the seismotectonic processes for a proper assessment of related natural hazards. This year, we want to broaden the focus by including also volcanism, which is also participating to crustal deformation and can be a significant hazard, and also by considering not only the present-day processes, but also the Late Mesosoic-Cenozoic crustal movements (both vertical and horizontal) that shaped the African continent.

We therefore welcome contributions on the crustal deformation in Africa, its causes, mechanisms and consequences, including but not limited to seismicity, focal mechanisms, active faulting, tectono-magmatic interactions, volcanism, geodetic and paleoseismic strain rates, as well as on the deep structure of the African continent. These contributions should consider not only the current processes active today, but also the Late Mesosoic-Cenozoic period, based on observation, analysis and modelling.

This session is sponsored by the IGCP-UNESCO project-601 Seismotectonics and seismic hazards in Africa.