Displays

Understanding the physical parameters and processes that control the seismogenic behavior of subduction zones megathrust faults remains one of the outstanding challenges in Earth Sciences.

Here we present important results from several large seismic experiments aimed at addressing this question. These experiments focused on the three subduction zones off Greece, the Lesser Antilles islands, and Ecuador, with different convergence rates and seismic activities. Surveys included multibeam bathymetry, multichannel reflection seismic (MCS) and wide-angle seismic (WAS) acquisitions over the forearc domain, as well as teleseismic receiver-functions and local earthquakes monitoring with temporary deployments of seismological networks.

Our results demonstrate the needs of both dense and extensive geophysical investigations.

In the central Lesser Antilles subduction zone, the interplate has been imaged down to the backstop at 12-15 km depth over the 350-km-long Antigua to Martinique islands segment. The outer forearc crust is strongly faulted in response to the two subducting Tiburon and Barracuda ridges (SISMANTILLES1-and-2 surveys). Two WAS profiles constrained the deeper geometry of the interplate down to the forearc Moho located at 28 km depth (TRAIL survey). The OBS networks deployed over several months (OBSANTILLES and OBSISMER surveys) revealed mantle wedge supraslab earthquakes and M4-5 possible repeaters with flat-trust mechanisms. The joint active-source/local earthquake seismic tomography let us to unveil the Vp and Vp/Vs heterogeneity along the slab surface and derive unprecedented constraints on multi-stage fluid release from subducting slow-spread oceanic lithosphere. Farther northwest, where the convergence obliquity strongly increases, we constrained the geometry of the interplate down to the forearc Moho at 25 km depth. Strain partitioning localizes on inherited major structures within the forearc domain, like the left-lateral partitioning system of the Anegada Passage and the 850-km-long Bunce fault, located along the backstop (ANTITHESIS survey).

On the southwestern Hellenic subduction zone, MCS and WAS acquisitions highlight the existence of an outer forearc crust beneath the forearc Matapan Trough, but its highly complex structure prevented us to image the interplate (ULYSSE survey). Acquisition by the R/V Marcus Langseth with its 8-km-long streamer finally made it possible (SISMED survey). Dense receiver-function acquisition on a 300-km-long mobile seismic network constrained the 3D geometry of the slab top underneath central Greece. This imaging revealed that the subducting oceanic crust and backstop updip limit are segmented by 9 trench-normal subvertical faults, seismically active at intermediate depths and possibly of inherited origin (THALES WAS RIGHT survey).

South of the 1906 M8.8 Ecuador-Columbia rupture area, the April 2016 Mw7.8 Pedernales subduction earthquake and its ensuing postseismic phase revealed a combination of seismic/aseismic slip behavior. Fluid-enriched parts of the megathrust fault and structural margin segmentation are hypothesized to play a major role in controlling slip behavior but direct observations are still lacking. Previous MCS acquisitions revealed very locally a fluid-rich subduction channel along with severe damage effect of the forearc margin due to seamounts subduction (SISTEUR survey). Forthcoming 3D seismic acquisition along this segment will examine the impact of the along-strike and along-dip variations of the physical properties and fluid content on the slip mode (HIPER survey).

How to cite: Laigle, M., Agurto-Detzel, H., Bécel, A., Boucard, M., Chalumeau, C., Charvis, P., Dessa, J.-X., Galve, A., Hernandez, M.-J., Hussni, S., Klingelhoefer, F., Kopp, H., Laurencin, M., Lebrun, J.-F., Marcaillou, B., Michaud, F., Paulatto, M., Ribodetti, A., Sachpazi, M., and Schenini, L.: Imaging the megathrust in subduction zones: lessons from Greece, Ecuador and the Lesser Antilles, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-14636, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-14636, 2020.

The Israeli continental slope is dissected by numerous thin-skinned normal faults, deforming the Pliocene-Quaternary section. This extensional faulting is caused by subsurface deformation of the Messinian salt underlying Pliocene rocks. It began in the early Gelasian, at 2.6 Ma, and it is still active today, as indicated by the ruptured seabed. High-resolution bathymetric data reveal shore-parallel seabed steps reaching heights of a few tens of meters. Considering that since the beginning of faulting the average sedimentation rate (100-400 m/My) exceeds the displacement rate (50-100 m/My), the presence of numerous unburied fault scarps indicates seismic ruptures rather than slow creep. For example, considering recent sedimentation rates as measured in seabed cores (5 cm/ka = 50 m/My), if an earthquake produces a 5-m-high fault scarp, it would take about 100 ky to bury it. These preliminary considerations highlight the importance of hazard assessment for seabed infrastructures.

The recent development of gas fields offshore Israel, as well as the increasing number of planned infrastructures on the seafloor requires a risk assessment, geohazard management, and particularly accurate mapping of faults. Unlike onshore geohazard management, there is no statutory fault map for offshore Israel. Moreover, 'active' and 'potentially active' faults in the offshore area are still not defined. The purpose of this study is to prepare a fault map and discuss criteria for defining the level of fault activity in the marine environment. To accomplish this goal, we use high-resolution bathymetric data and 3D seismic surveys, allowing 3D mapping of faults much better than usually possible onshore.

For bathymetry, we developed an algorithm, which automatically calculates the height of fault scars along predefined segments. Results indicate higher faults scarps in the north, consistent with extension measurement and steepness of the continental slope that also increases northward. A 3D mapping of fault planes shows that (1) many small faults at the seabed are actually segments of a major fault. This allows reducing the total number of faults to a few large ones. (2) A significant fault can be hidden below the surface with no bathymetric expression. (3) The structure of a seismic reflector dated to 350 ka emphasizes areas with greater recent activity much better than the best available bathymetric data. This allows a quick way to focus on hazardous areas. The next stage of the research will be to measure the area of fault planes and calculate potential earthquake magnitudes. Altogether, we point out the advantage of 3D seismic mapping for geohazard assessment.

How to cite: Laor, M. and Gvirtzman, Z.: Geohazard assessment of submarine salt-related thin-skinned faults: Levant Basin, offshore Israel, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-305, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-305, 2020.

The NW-SE convergence (4-5 mm/yr) between the African and Eurasian plates controls the present-day crustal deformation in the Alboran Sea (westernmost Mediterranean). Although seismic activity is mainly characterized by low to moderate magnitude events, large and destructive earthquakes (I > IX) have occurred in this region (i.e., 1522 Almeria, 1790 Oran, 1910 Adra, 1994 and 2004 Al-Hoceima or 2016 Al-Idrissi earthquakes). The identification and the seismogenic characterization of the active structures in the Alboran Sea using ultra high-resolution (UHR) geophysical data is essential to evaluate better the exposure of the South Iberian Peninsula and North African coasts to related natural hazards (i.e., large earthquakes and related tsunamis and triggered landslides). During the SHAKE cruise, the Asterx and Idefx AUVs (Ifremer, france) were used to acquire UHR bathymetric (1m grid) and seismic (cm vertical resolution) data across the main active faults systems in the Alboran Sea with the aim to carry out sub-aqueous paleoseismological studies. One of the studied active structures has been the Yusuf Fault System (YFS), a dextral strike-slip system that is one of the largest structures in the Alboran Sea and a lithospheric boundary between different crustal domains: the East Alboran Basin to the north and the North African Margin to the south. It trends WNW-ESE, is ~150 km-long and can be divided into two main segments (W and E), producing the formation of a pull-apart basin where both overlap. The analysis of the UHR geophysical dataset reveals that in the imaged area this system is a complex structure composed by an array of strike-slip faults. Most of them reach up and offset the seafloor and the upper Pleistocene to Holocene sedimentary units. The results of the on-fault paleoseismological analyses reveal that the YFS may have generated at least 8 earthquakes in recent times. Although a detailed on-site geochronology is not available, a regional chronostratigraphic correlation have allowed estimating that the events have occurred during the last 200 ka, then providing an average recurrence interval of 27.5 ka. The estimated average vertical offset is about 0.64 m while the vertical slip-rate would be around 0.03 mm/yr. However, this value needs to be considered as a minimum since YFS is predominantly a strike-slip fault and the lateral slip will be much larger than the vertical one. According to different empirical relationships, the YFS could produce earthquakes above magnitude M_w 7.0. Finally, our results demonstrate that detailed geomorphological, active tectonic and paleoseismological studies are essential to reveal the present-day activity and to characterize the seismic behavior of the YFS, with crucial implications for seismic (and tsunami) hazard assessment in the surrounding coastal areas.

How to cite: Perea, H., Gràcia, E., Almeida, S., Gómez de la Peña, L., Martínez-Loriente, S., and Bartolomé, R.: Revealing the earthquake history during the last 200 ka on a large submarine strike-slip fault: The Yusuf Fault System (Alboran Sea), EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-13362, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-13362, 2020.

Arc-continent collision and post-orogenic extension are both currently in progress in different parts of the Taiwan mountain belt. In particular, the junction of eastern Taiwan and the southernmost Ryukyu arc-trench system is a complex tectonic region where the Philippine Sea Plate (PSP) changes from overriding the Eurasian Plate (EUP) to subducting beneath the EUP. The Taiwan Integrated Geodynamic Research (TAIGER) program collected two wide-angle and multi-channel seismic transects (T5 and T6) across the Taiwan mountain belt and the western end of the Ryukyu arc-trench system, which provide good constraints on the seismic velocity structure of the crust. However, due to the resolution problems, the detailed deep structures are not fully understood, especially offshore eastern Taiwan and in the southernmost Ryukyu fore-arc area, where seismic activity is frequent. In this study, we perform 2-D gravity modeling along these two P-wave (Vp) transects, which not only helps to reduce the non-unique problem but also provides a possible solution for the deeper structures where the velocity model is not well constrained. Conversion of the P-wave velocity to density allows us to model the gravity anomaly and then provide a likely density model for the study area. Gravity modeling along profile T5 shows relatively high-density (3.10 g/cm³) material beneath eastern Taiwan under the Longitudinal Valley between the Central Range and the Coastal Range. The source of this high-density material could be serpentinized mantle, with serpentinization caused by the dehydration of the subducting Eurasian Plate. Along profile T6, the revised density model indicates that the subducting Gagua Ridge has a deep crustal root and extends northward to the Ryukyu fore-arc area.

How to cite: Doo, W.-B., Wang, H.-F., Huang, Y.-S., Lo, C.-L., Wang, S.-Y., and Kuo-Chen, H.: Deep crustal structure in the Taiwan-Ryukyu arc-trench system junction area: determined from gravity modeling, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-2249, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-2249, 2020.

The Lesser Antilles Subduction Zone (LASZ), forming the plate boundary between North and South American plates and the Caribbean plate, has not produced any recent large instrumentally recorded thrust earthquake. The 1843 earthquake event (~M_w 8.5) located offshore Guadeloupe is possibly subduction thrust related. Previous studies in the north-central LASZ based on active source seismic data have examined the overall configuration of the forearc domain, especially the geometry of the backstop and effect of subducted oceanic ridges. However, the detailed architecture of the accretionary wedge is still poorly known, as are wedge structures like splay faults that may host slip during future megathrust ruptures. In this study, we use selected re-processed deep multichannel seismic (MCS) profiles from the SISMANTILLES surveys (2001, 2007) and higher-resolution MCS profiles from the CASEIS survey (2016) complemented by a bathymetric data compilation. Analysis of this combined dataset yields a more comprehensive characterization of the accretionary wedge offshore Guadeloupe and reveals features that had not been previously described in this area.

The time-domain seismic data processing sequences was performed on selected MCS profiles from the SISMANTILLES surveys (profiles H, I and K) to mitigate the strong background noises and the ringy effect from the single-bubble air-gun source. The reprocessed images clearly show the presence of arcward-dipping splay faults extending from décollement to the seafloor. The most prominent one roughly delineates a boundary between the more topographically elevated inner wedge and the less-elevated frontal domain of the accretionary wedge. We estimate an along-strike (N-S) extent of ~168 km for the identified splay faults, between 16°12′N and 17°21′N; their northward continuation is then disturbed by the subducting Barracuda Ridge. In the vicinity of the northern flank of the Barracuda Ridge, landward of the deformation front, we observe a duplex-type structure above the décollement. Its geometry is reminiscent of the initial stage of the development of underplating duplexes as observed in analog models. We suggest that the evolution of such underplating basal duplex may result from the increase in friction due to the subduction of Barracuda Ridge and the increase in sedimentary loading on its northern flank. This observation highlights the complex role played by the Barracuda Ridge on the shaping and deformation of the frontal prism.

How to cite: Li, L., Carton, H., Feuillet, N., Bénâtre, G., and Pan, Y.: Frontal accretionary wedge structure from seismic reflection imaging in the Lesser Antilles, Guadeloupe-Antigua sector, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-10340, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-10340, 2020.

At the Lesser Antilles Subduction Zone (LASZ), the American plates subduct under the Caribbean plate at a slow rate of ~2 cm/yr. No major subduction megathrust earthquakes have occurred in the area since the 1839 and 1843 historical events, and the LASZ is typically considered weakly coupled. At the front of the LASZ, the Barbados accretionary wedge (BAW) is one of the largest accretionary wedges in the world. The width of the BAW decreases northward, owing to the increasing distance to the sediment source (Orinoco river) and the presence of several aseismic oceanic ridges, in particular the Tiburon ridge, that stops sediment progression. Marine geophysical studies conducted to date over the northern part of the BAW (Guadeloupe-Martinique sector) have mostly focused on resolving the geometry of the backstop. However, the structure of the wedge and the mechanical behavior of the subduction interface remain poorly known. Our study aims to describe the geometry of the BAW by a detailed morpho-tectonic analysis in order to place constraints on present and past dynamic interactions between the subducting and overriding plates.

New high-resolution bathymetric data (gridded at 50 meters), CHIRP data and 48-channels seismic reflection profiles were acquired over the BAW in the Guadeloupe-Martinique sector during the CASEIS cruise (10.17600/16001800) conducted in 2016 with the IFREMER vessel N/O Pourquoi Pas? We present results from the analysis of these new data, complemented by existing bathymetry and seismic reflection data acquired by several previous cruises, with an emphasis on the inner wedge domain. The data reveal a 180 km-long linear structure between 15°15’N and 16°45’N latitude, imaged as a positive flower structure on several CASEIS seismic reflection profiles. We interpret this structure as a strike-slip fault and name it the Seraphine fault. The identification of a horse-tail structure linked to an eastward bend of the fault trace at its northern end, as well as left-stepping en échelon folds west of the Seraphine fault, allow to determine the kinematics of the fault as left-lateral strike-slip. The Seraphine fault could root at the toe of the backstop (at least in its central portion). CHIRP data show evidence of folding of recent sedimentary units that are linked to the Seraphine fault, supporting the idea of recent activity. While at odds with the low obliquity of the convergence in this area, the Seraphine fault could be the expression of slip partitioning, similarly to the Bunce fault observed father north along the LASZ where obliquity is much stronger.

How to cite: Bénâtre, G., Feuillet, N., Carton, H., Jacques, E., and Pichot, T.: Main active structures in the Barbados accretionary wedge of the Lesser Antilles Subduction: implications for slip partitioning , EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-10732, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-10732, 2020.

The SW Iberian Margin has a complex tectonic setting and crustal structure derived from a succession of rift events related to the opening of North Atlantic and Neotethys, from the Mesozoic to the Lower Cretaceous, and subsequent compression between Africa and Eurasia from the Lower Oligocene to present. This setting led to the reactivation of pre-existing strike-slip and extensional faults enhancing the seismogenic and tsunamigenic potential of the area. Thus, understanding of lithospheric structure along the SW Iberian Margin is not only important to study the rifting evolution but also to characterize the distribution of major lithospheric-scale boundaries, currently active and potentially capable of generating great seismic events of similar magnitude to the catastrophic 1755 Lisbon tsunamigenic earthquake, with estimated M_W>8.5.

To this end, we use spatially coincident wide-angle seismic (WAS) and multichannel seismic (MCS) data collected along a ~320 km-long, NW-SE trending transect across the SW Iberian margin, during the FRAME survey in 2018. WAS data were recorded with by 24 ocean bottom seismometers and hydrophones (OBS/H), deployed each ~10km, while MCS data was recorded with a 6 km-long streamer. From NW to SE, the transect runs from the Tagus Abyssal plain to the westernmost extension of the Gulf of Cadiz area, across three major thrust faults: the Marquês de Pombal fault, São Vicente fault, and Horseshoe fault.

We applied joint refraction and reflection travel-time tomography using a combination of WAS refractions and reflections and MCS reflections to invert for the 2D P-wave velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle, and the geometry of the main seismic interfaces, namely the top of the acoustic basement and the Moho. The combination of WAS and MCS reflection travel-times brings a significant increase in the resolution of the tomographic model, and especially in the definition of the geometry of the inverted reflectors (i.e. top of the basement), because MCS data has a higher spatial sampling than WAS data in these shallow regions.

In the preliminary model, the Moho shallows beneath the north-eastward continuation of the Horseshoe Basin and the Gorringe Bank, coinciding with the location of the three major thrust faults mentioned before, and defining three major crustal blocks along the model. Further analysis of deep seismic phases from WAS records should provide additional information on the geometry and extent of these three major thrust faults.

How to cite: Correia, R., Prada, M., Sallares, V., Merino, I., Calahorrano, A., M. Pinheiro, L., and R. Ranero, C.: Structure of the SW Iberian Margin from Combined Wide-angle and Multichannel Seismic Reflection Data (FRAME Project), EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-11029, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-11029, 2020.

Tear faults are common structures in subduction zones, especially at slab edges, where they origin from differential forces applied to a subducting slab in areas close to the trench. Presence and geometry of tears have been sometimes inferred from bathymetric features, suggesting the abrupt lateral termination of the subduction zone.

Differential forces acting at the subduction boundaries can be related to different mechanisms, such as slab retreat, differential velocities along plate margins, complex mantle flow, differential lateral rheology. As a result, plates down-warp and tear in a scissor-like motion, with both strike-slip and dip-slip kinematics.

The goal of this work is to gain insights into the evolution of tear faults by adopting an analogue modelling approach and comparing the results with natural cases. In particular, we focus on the bathymetric observation made in subduction zones where the upper plate accretionary wedge is not well developed. Two scenarios were considered: 1) tear faults nucleating and evolving in a homogeneous setting, i.e. without large mechanical discontinuities (e.g., Tonga subduction zone); and 2) tear faults reactivating pre-existing strike-slip faults as an analogue of transform faults (e.g., South Sandwich subduction zone).

The experimental apparatus was designed to reproduce the lateral propagation of a tear fault using two blocks: one entirely flat and the other with an inclined plane. Wet kaolin acts as the analogue of the intact rocks above a propagating tear fault.

Our results revealed different evolutionary processes: in the homogeneous setting, the tear fault generates a symmetric subsidence zone with an axis perpendicular to the fault zone and a depocenter located in the centre; in the second case, the depocenter is located in front of the fault plane and the subsidence zone is asymmetric. Both cases depict a symmetrical Gaussian shape of the displacement profile, with the maximum displacement located at the centre of the fault. However, the maximum slip (D_max) and the fault length (L)  are both larger in the experiment involving a strong re-activation of the strike-slip fault than those in the case of the homogeneous setting.

How to cite: Bertone, N., Bonini, L., Basili, R., Del Ben, A., Maesano, F. E., Tiberti, M. M., and Pini, G. A.: Evolution of tear faults in subduction zones: an analogue modelling perspective, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-7608, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-7608, 2020.

An ultra-resolution, multichannel seismic reflection data set was collected during an oceanographic cruise organised in the frame of the “Earthquake Potential of Active Faults using offshore Geological and Morphological Indicators” (EPAF) project, which was founded by the Scientific and Technological Cooperation (Scientific Track 2017) between the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space of the State of Israel. The data acquisition approach was based on innovative technologies for the offshore imaging of stratigraphy and structures along continental margins with a horizontal and vertical resolution at decimetric scale. In this work, we present the methodology used for the 2D HR-seismic reflection data acquisition and the preliminary interpretation of the data set. The 2D seismic data were acquired onboard the R/V Atlante by using an innovative data acquisition equipment composed by a dual-sources Sparker system and one HR 48-channel, slant streamers, with group spacing variable from 1 to 2 meters, at 10 kHz sampling rate. An innovative navigation system was used to perform all necessary computations to determining real-time positions of sources and receivers. The resolution of the seismic profiles obtained from this experiment is remarkable high respect to previously acquired seismic data for both scientific and industrial purposes. In addition to the seismic imaging, gravity core data were also collected for sedimentological analysis and to give a chronological constraint using radiocarbon datings to the shallower reflectors. The investigated area is located in the western offshore sector of the Calabrian Arc (southern Tyrrhenian Sea) where previous research works, based on multichannel seismic profiles coupled with Chirp profiles, have documented the presence of an active fault system. One of the identified faults was tentatively considered as the source of the Mw 7, 8 September 1905 seismic event that hit with highest macroseismic intensities the western part of central Calabria, and was followed by a tsunami that inundated the coastline between Capo Vaticano and the Angitola plain. On this basis, the earthquake was considered to have a source at sea, but so far, the location, geometry and kinematics of the causative fault are still poorly understood. In this study we provide preliminary results of the most technologically advanced ultra-high-resolution geophysical method used to reveal the 3D faulting pattern, the late Quaternary slip rate and the earthquake potential of the marine fault system located close to the densely populated west coast of Calabria.

How to cite: Pepe, F., Kanari, M., Burrato, P., Corradino, M., Duarte, H., Ferranti, L., Monaco, C., Sacchi, M., and Tibor, G.: Active deformation evidence in the offshore of western Calabria (southern Tyrrhenian Sea) from ultra-resolution multichannel seismic reflection data: results from the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-20061, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-20061, 2020.