1,2,3,4- 1Dpto. Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain (dianane1982@gmail.com, dianan01@ucm.es, carmma39@ucm.es, dcordoba@fis.ucm.es)
- 2Carnegie Institution for Science, Earth and Planets Laboratory, Washington, DC, USA (droman@carnegiescience.edu)
- 3Dpto. de Matemática Aplicada, Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales y Tecnología Electrónica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain (ruben.carrillo@urjc.es)
- 4Institute of Geosciences (IGEO), CSIC-UCM, Madrid, Spain (jft@mat.ucm.es)
The Alhama de Murcia Fault (AMF), located in southeastern Spain, is one of the most active and hazardous fault systems in the region due to its elevated tectonic activity and its capacity to generate damaging earthquakes. The most recent significant event, the 11 May 2011 Lorca earthquake (Mw 5.1), resulted in nine fatalities, numerous injuries, and substantial material losses. While some authors interpret this earthquake as a purely natural occurrence, others suggest that its rupture may have been influenced by crustal unloading processes associated with groundwater extraction, potentially affecting the timing of the event. This debate underscores the importance of distinguishing between natural and induced seismicity in regions with high societal vulnerability.
Previous studies on the AMF have focused on its structural characteristics, seismic activity, and hazard potential through various methodologies, including paleoseismology and satellite data. However, integrated multidisciplinary analyses remain limited.
As a part of the MADRIZ project, this study aims to advance the seismic characterization of the AMF by compiling and reanalyzing seismic data from the nearest stations of the Spanish National Seismic Network, accessible through the EPOS Data Portal, together with open-access data from additional seismic networks that operate in the region. By applying both one-dimensional and three-dimensional location methods in conjunction with digital waveform analysis, we obtain highly precise hypocentral locations. These solutions form the basis for calculating focal mechanisms to better constrain the geometry and kinematics of active faults in the study area.
This integrated approach provides new insights into the seismic behavior of the AMF, contributing to the ongoing discussion on the interplay between natural tectonic processes and potential anthropogenic influences, and ultimately supporting more refined seismic hazard assessments for southeastern Spain.
How to cite: Núñez, D., Roman, D., Martínez, C., Córdoba, D., Carrillo, R., and Fernández, J.: Active Faulting in Southeastern Spain: New Evidence from the Seismic Characterization of the Alhama de Murcia Fault, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-18842, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-18842, 2026.
