scholarly journals The MS 6.9, 1980 Irpinia Earthquake from the Basement to the Surface: A Review of Tectonic Geomorphology and Geophysical Constraints, and New Data on Postseismic Deformation

Geosciences ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 493
Author(s):  
Alessandra Ascione ◽  
Sergio Nardò ◽  
Stefano Mazzoli

The MS 6.9, 1980 Irpinia earthquake occurred in the southern Apennines, a fold and thrust belt that has been undergoing post-orogenic extension since ca. 400 kyr. The strongly anisotropic structure of fold and thrust belts like the Apennines, including late-orogenic low-angle normal faults and inherited Mesozoic extensional features besides gently dipping thrusts, result in a complex, overall layered architecture of the orogenic edifice. Effective decoupling between deep and shallow structural levels of this mountain belt is related to the strong rheological contrast produced by a fluid-saturated, shale-dominated mélange zone interposed between buried autochthonous carbonates—continuous with those exposed in the foreland to the east—and the allochthonous units. The presence of fluid reservoirs below the mélange zone is shown by a high VP/VS ratio—which is a proxy for densely fractured fluid-saturated crustal volumes—recorded by seismic tomography within the buried autochthonous carbonates and the top part of the underlying basement. These crustal volumes, in which background seismicity is remarkably concentrated, are fed by fluids migrating along the major active faults. High pore fluid pressures, decreasing the yield stress, are recorded by low stress-drop values associated with the earthquakes. On the other hand, the mountain belt is characterized by substantial gas flow to the surface, recorded as both distributed soil gas emissions and vigorous gas vents. The accumulation of CO2-brine within a reservoir located at hypocentral depths beneath the Irpinia region is not only interpreted to control a multiyear cyclic behavior of microseismicity, but could also play a role in ground motions detected by space-based geodetic measurements in the postseismic period. The analysis carried out in this study of persistent scatterer interferometry synthetic aperture radar (PS-InSAR) data, covering a timespan ranging from 12 to 30 years after the 1980 mainshock, points out that ground deformation has affected the Irpinia earthquake epicentral area in the last decades. These ground motions could be a result of postseismic afterslip, which is well known to occur over years or even decades after a large mainshock such as the 23 November 1980, MS 6.9 earthquake due to cycles of CO2-brine accumulation at depth and its subsequent release by Mw ≥ 3.5 earthquakes, or most likely by a combination of both. Postseismic afterslip controls geomorphology, topography, and surface deformation in seismically active areas such as that of the present study, characterized by ~M 7 earthquakes. Yet, this process has been largely overlooked in the case of the 1980 Irpinia earthquake, and one of the main aims of this study is to fill such the substantial gap of knowledge for the epicentral area of some of the most destructive earthquakes that have ever occurred in Italy.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eshaan Srivastava ◽  
Nicolò Parrino ◽  
Javed Malik ◽  
Fabrizio Pepe ◽  
Pierfrancesco Burrato

<p>The Kachchh region (NW India), a pericratonic rift basin delimited by E-W trending major thrust faults, is a Low Strain Rate region[PB1] . In this area, the tectonic forcing magnitude is stronger enough to trigger infrequent significant earthquakes but not enough to overprint the climatic forcing signature. As a consequence, the active faults sources of the largest seismic events are largely poorly known and their geomorphic signature is subdued. </p><p>Instrumental and paleoseismological evidence highlights that the eastern part of Kachchh experienced a significant number of seismic events such as the 1819-06-16 Allah Bund earthquake (Mw 7.8, also known as the Rann of Kutch earthquake), the 1956-07-21 Anjar earthquake (Mw 6.1), the 2001-01-26 Bhuj earthquake (Mw 7.6) and the 2006 events (Mw 5.0 and 5.6 earthquake occurred along Island Belt Fault and Gedi fault). </p><p>In this region, the unavailability of useful outcrop information due to a significant climatic overprinting of the fault’s morphological signatures hampers the detection and parametrization of actively deforming faults.</p><p>For this reason, in this ongoing work, we propose a multidisciplinary approach, aimed at detecting active geological structures and their related [PB2] surface deformation, which mainly consists of quantitative tectonic geomorphology and paleoseismological analyses and structural interpretation and modelling. Preliminary results are a morphotectonic evolution model and 3D fault model of the study area. Finally, we stress the concept that only a multidisciplinary approach could provide useful information to understand better the highly debated active tectonic framework of the study area.</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (12) ◽  
pp. 2651-2660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Samsonov

AbstractThe previously presented Multidimensional Small Baseline Subset (MSBAS-2D) technique computes two-dimensional (2D), east and vertical, ground deformation time series from two or more ascending and descending Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) data sets by assuming that the contribution of the north deformation component is negligible. DInSAR data sets can be acquired with different temporal and spatial resolutions, viewing geometries and wavelengths. The MSBAS-2D technique has previously been used for mapping deformation due to mining, urban development, carbon sequestration, permafrost aggradation and pingo growth, and volcanic activities. In the case of glacier ice flow, the north deformation component is often too large to be negligible. Historically, the surface-parallel flow (SPF) constraint was used to compute the static three-dimensional (3D) velocity field at various glaciers. A novel MSBAS-3D technique has been developed for computing 3D deformation time series where the SPF constraint is utilized. This technique is used for mapping 3D deformation at the Barnes Ice Cap, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada, during January–March 2015, and the MSBAS-2D and MSBAS-3D solutions are compared. The MSBAS-3D technique can be used for studying glacier ice flow at other glaciers and other surface deformation processes with large north deformation component, such as landslides. The software implementation of MSBAS-3D technique can be downloaded from http://insar.ca/.


2012 ◽  
Vol 500 ◽  
pp. 428-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Ming Yang ◽  
Jun Ting Ma ◽  
Bo Pang ◽  
Yi Bin Wang ◽  
Ran Wang ◽  
...  

Mining subsidence often produces significant horizontal and vertical movements at the ground surface, the surface deformation induced by underground coal mining can be predicted by probability integral method, and the surface geo-deformation disasters can be visualized based on GIS components. A three dimensional (3D) visualizing system of surface geo-deformation information is designed and developed with ArcGIS Engine and C# in the study. According to the surface deformation-predicted data induced by underground coal mining in Guobei Coalmine of Huaibei mine field, the extents and degrees of ground deformation disasters are visualized in 3D views for surface vertical subsidence, slope, curvature, horizontal displacement and horizontal strain based on the GIS-developed application platform.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (18) ◽  
pp. 6445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodoros Gatsios ◽  
Francesca Cigna ◽  
Deodato Tapete ◽  
Vassilis Sakkas ◽  
Kyriaki Pavlou ◽  
...  

The Methana volcano in Greece belongs to the western part of the Hellenic Volcanic Arc, where the African and Eurasian tectonic plates converge at a rate of approximately 3 cm/year. While volcanic hazard in Methana is considered low, the neotectonic basin constituting the Saronic Gulf area is seismically active and there is evidence of local geothermal activity. Monitoring is therefore crucial to characterize any activity at the volcano that could impact the local population. This study aims to detect surface deformation in the whole Methana peninsula based on a long stack of 99 Sentinel-1 C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images in interferometric wide swath mode acquired in March 2015–August 2019. A Multi-Temporal Interferometric SAR (MT-InSAR) processing approach is exploited using the Interferometric Point Target Analysis (IPTA) method, involving the extraction of a network of targets including both Persistent Scatterers (PS) and Distributed Scatterers (DS) to augment the monitoring capability across the varied land cover of the peninsula. Satellite geodetic data from 2006–2019 Global Positioning System (GPS) benchmark surveying are used to calibrate and validate the MT-InSAR results. Deformation monitoring records from permanent Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations, two of which were installed within the peninsula in 2004 (METH) and 2019 (MTNA), are also exploited for interpretation of the regional deformation scenario. Geological, topographic, and 2006–2019 seismological data enable better understanding of the ground deformation observed. Line-of-sight displacement velocities of the over 4700 PS and 6200 DS within the peninsula are from −18.1 to +7.5 mm/year. The MT-InSAR data suggest a complex displacement pattern across the volcano edifice, including local-scale land surface processes. In Methana town, ground stability is found on volcanoclasts and limestone for the majority of the urban area footprint while some deformation is observed in the suburban zones. At the Mavri Petra andesitic dome, time series of the exceptionally dense PS/DS network across blocks of agglomerate and cinder reveal seasonal fluctuation (5 mm amplitude) overlapping the long-term stable trend. Given the steepness of the slopes along the eastern flank of the volcano, displacement patterns may indicate mass movements. The GNSS, seismological and MT-InSAR analyses lead to a first account of deformation processes and their temporal evolution over the last years for Methana, thus providing initial information to feed into the volcano baseline hazard assessment and monitoring system.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abeer Al-Ashkar ◽  
Antoine Schlupp ◽  
Matthieu Ferry ◽  
Ulziibat Munkhuu

Abstract. We present new constraints from tectonic geomorphology and paleoseismology along the newly discovered Sharkhai fault near the capital city of Mongolia. Detailed observations from high resolution Pleiades satellite images and field investigations allowed us to map the fault in detail, describe its geometry and segmentation, characterize its kinematics, and document its recent activity and seismic behavior (cumulative displacements and paleoseismicity). The Sharkhai fault displays a surface length of ~40 km with a slightly arcuate geometry, and a strike ranging from N42° E to N72° E. It affects numerous drainages that show left-lateral cumulative displacements reaching 57 m. Paleoseismic investigations document the faulting and deposition record for the last ~3000 yr and reveal that the penultimate earthquake (PE) occurred between 1515 ± 90 BC and 945 ± 110 BC and the most recent event (MRE) occurred after 860 ± 85 AD. The resulting time interval of 2080 ± 470 years is the first constraint on the Sharkhai fault for large earthquakes. On the basis of our mapping of the surface rupture and the resulting segmentation analysis, we propose two possible scenarios for large earthquakes with likely magnitudes between 6.4 ± 0.2 and 7.1 ± 0.2. Furthermore, we apply scaling laws to infer coseismic slip values and derive preliminary estimates of long-term slip rates between 0.2 ± 0.2 and 1.0 ± 0.5 mm/y. Finally, we propose that these original observations and results from a newly discovered fault should be taken into account for the seismic hazard assessment for the city of Ulaanbaatar and help build a comprehensive model of active faults in that region.


2012 ◽  
Vol 226-228 ◽  
pp. 1504-1508
Author(s):  
Ai Bing Jin ◽  
Long Fu Li ◽  
Fu Gen Deng ◽  
Min Zhe Zhang

While the tunnel crossing the ancient Great Wall, we must take effective measures to control ground deformation, prevent ground deformation is too large, destroying the heritage. In order to study the effects of tunnel excavation types on strata deformation, a three-dimensional computational model is built to simulate surface settlement and horizontal displacement by three different excavation types which are both-side heading method, CRD method, and hole pile method. Following comparative analysis, in line with the realistic program is recommended. The results show that both-side heading method can better control the surface deformation, and has a high efficiency of construction, which was selected as the construction scheme of tunnel crossing the ancient great wall. The results of this study are expected to provide construction experience to the works of a similar background.


Author(s):  
Arben Pitarka ◽  
Aybige Akinci ◽  
Pasquale De Gori ◽  
Mauro Buttinelli

ABSTRACT The Mw 6.5 Norcia, Italy, earthquake occurred on 30 October 2016 and caused extensive damage to buildings in the epicentral area. The earthquake was recorded by a network of strong-motion stations, including 14 stations located within a 5 km distance from the two causative faults. We used a numerical approach for generating seismic waves from two hybrid deterministic and stochastic kinematic fault rupture models propagating through a 3D Earth model derived from seismic tomography and local geology. The broadband simulations were performed in the 0–5 Hz frequency range using a physics-based deterministic approach modeling the earthquake rupture and elastic wave propagation. We used SW4, a finite-difference code that uses a conforming curvilinear mesh, designed to model surface topography with high numerical accuracy. The simulations reproduce the amplitude and duration of observed near-fault ground motions. Our results also suggest that due to the local fault-slip pattern and upward rupture directivity, the spatial pattern of the horizontal near-fault ground motion generated during the earthquake was complex and characterized by several local minima and maxima. Some of these local ground-motion maxima in the near-fault region were not observed because of the sparse station coverage. The simulated peak ground velocity (PGV) is higher than both the recorded PGV and predicted PGV based on empirical models for several areas located above the fault planes. Ground motions calculated with and without surface topography indicate that, on average, the local topography amplifies the ground-motion velocity by 30%. There is correlation between the PGV and local topography, with the PGV being higher at hilltops. In contrast, spatial variations of simulated PGA do not correlate with the surface topography. Simulated ground motions are important for seismic hazard and engineering assessments for areas that lack seismic station coverage and historical recordings from large damaging earthquakes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuexin Li ◽  
Roland Bürgmann ◽  
Bin Zhao

ABSTRACT The Mw 6.5 Jiuzhaigou earthquake occurred on 8 August 2017 36 km west-southwest of Yongle, Sichuan, China. We use both ascending and descending Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data from Sentinel-1 and coseismic offsets of four Global Positioning System sites to obtain the coseismic surface deformation field and invert for the fault geometry and slip distribution. Most slip of the left-lateral strike-slip earthquake occurred in the 3–10 km depth interval with a maximum slip of about 1 m and a large shallow slip deficit (SSD). An eight-month InSAR time-series analysis documents a lack of resolvable postseismic deformation, and inversions for the distribution of postseismic slip demonstrate the lack of shallow afterslip. We argue that the observations of a pronounced SSD and no early afterslip of the Jiuzhaigou earthquake are indicative of an immature fault and that all incipient young strike-slip faults likely feature a SSD. We would expect a complex rupture geometry with distributed coseismic failure in the uppermost part of the brittle crust during the fault-zone development. As faults mature, they straighten out, develop a localized fault-zone core, and the SSD diminishes. By calculating the static Coulomb stress change and nine-year viscoelastic stress change caused by the Wenchuan earthquake, we also show that the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake did not significantly affect the time of occurrence of the 2017 Jiuzhaigou earthquake.


Geosciences ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideaki Goto ◽  
Kohsaku Arai ◽  
Taichi Sato

Anaglyphs produced using a digital elevation model (DEM) are effective to identify the characteristic tectono–geomorphic features. The objective of this study is to reinvestigate the tectonic geomorphology and to present novel tectonic maps of the late Quaternary in and around the Yoron island based on the interpretation of extensive topographical anaglyphs along the map areas that cover the inland and seafloor. Vintage aerial photographs are used to produce the 3-m mesh inland digital surface model (DSM); further, the 0.6-s to 2-s-mesh seafloor DEM is processed using the cloud point data generated through previous surveys. Thus, we identify anticlinal deformation on both the Pleistocene marine terrace and the seafloor to the north of the island. The deformation axis extends in a line and is parallel to the general trend of the island shelf. The Tsujimiya fault cuts the marine terraces, which extend to the Yoron basin’s seafloor. If we assume that the horizontal compressive stress axis is perpendicular to the island shelf, these properties can easily explain the distribution and style of the active faults and deformation. This study presents an effective methodology to understand the island arc tectonics, especially in case of small isolated islands.


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