scholarly journals Archaeoseismic Evidence of Surface Faulting in 1703 Norcia Earthquake (Central Italian Apennines, Mw 6.9)

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Paolo Galli ◽  
Edoardo Peronace ◽  
Paolo Messina
Keyword(s):  
Human Activities ◽  
Fault Scarp ◽  
Fault System ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Central Apennines ◽  
Catastrophic Event ◽  
Surface Rupture ◽  
Main Fault ◽  
Surface Ruptures ◽  
Italian Apennines

We present the first evidence of surface rupture along the causative fault of the 14 January 1703 earthquake (Mw 6.9, Italian central Apennines). This event was sourced by the ~30 km-long, Norcia fault system, responsible for another catastrophic event in Roman times, besides several destructive earthquakes in the last millennium. A dozen paleoseismological excavations have already investigated the surface ruptures occurred during the Holocene along the Cascia-Mt Alvagnano segments, as well as along secondary splays close to the Medieval Norcia Walls. Remarkably, the master fault bounding the Norcia-Campi basins have never be proved to rupture at the surface. An antique limekiln that was improvidently set across the main fault scarp provides the amazing evidence of an abrupt offset in the 1703 earthquake, which likely occurred during a liming process of carbonate stones. Obviously, the limekiln became useless, and was progressively buried by slope debris. The amount of the offset and the kinematics indicators surveyed in the site allow the strengthening of our knowledge on the seismogenic potential of the Norcia fault system, on its geomorphic rule, and on its impact on the human activities.

scholarly journals Surface Faulting Caused by the 2016 Central Italy Seismic Sequence: Field Mapping and LiDAR/UAV Imaging

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 1585-1610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Gori ◽  
Emanuela Falcucci ◽  
Fabrizio Galadini ◽  
Paolo Zimmaro ◽  
Alberto Pizzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Normal Fault ◽  
Fault System ◽  
Surface Rupture ◽  
Field Mapping ◽  
Central Italy Earthquake ◽  
Levels Of Detail ◽  
Main Fault ◽  
Surface Ruptures

The three mainshock events (M6.1 24 August, M5.9 26 October, and M6.5 30 October 2016) in the Central Italy earthquake sequence produced surface ruptures on known segments of the Mt. Vettore–Mt. Bove normal fault system. As a result, teams from Italian national research institutions and universities, working collaboratively with the U.S. Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance Association (GEER), were mobilized to collect perishable data. Our reconnaissance approach included field mapping and advanced imaging techniques, both directed towards documenting the location and extent of surface rupture on the main fault exposure and secondary features. Mapping activity occurred after each mainshock (with different levels of detail at different times), which provides data on the progression of locations and amounts of slip between events. Along the full length of the Mt. Vettore–Mt. Bove fault system, vertical offsets ranged from 0–35 cm and 70–200 cm for the 24 August and 30 October events, respectively. Comparisons between observed surface rupture displacements and available empirical models show that the three events fit within expected ranges.

scholarly journals Neogene-Quaternary tectonic regime and macroseismic observations in the Tyrnavos-Elassona broader epicentral area of the March 2021, intense earthquake sequence

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 200
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Galanakis ◽  
Sotiris Sboras ◽  
Garyfalia Konstantopoulou ◽  
Markos Xenakis
Keyword(s):  
Normal Fault ◽  
Fault Scarp ◽  
Focal Mechanisms ◽  
Fault System ◽  
Spatiotemporal Evolution ◽  
Surface Rupture ◽  
Alluvial Deposits ◽  
Epicentral Area ◽  
Ground Shaking ◽  
Macroseismic Observations

On March 3, 2021, a strong (Mw6.3) earthquake occurred near the towns of Tyrnavos and Elassona. One day later (March 4), a second strong (Mw6.0) earthquake occurred just a few kilometres toward the WNW. The aftershock spatial distribution and the focal mechanisms revealed NW-SE-striking normal faulting. The focal mechanisms also revealed a NE-SW oriented extensional stress field, different from the orientation we knew so far (ca. N-S). The magnitude and location of the two strongest shocks, and the spatiotemporal evolution of the sequence, strongly suggest that two adjacent fault segments were ruptured respectively. The sequence was followed by several coseismic ground deformational phenomena, such as landslides/rockfalls, liquefaction and ruptures. The landslides and rockfalls were mostly associated with the ground shaking. The ruptures were observed west of the Titarissios River, near to the Quaternary faults found by bore-hole lignite investigation. In the same direction, a fault scarp separating the alpidic basement from the alluvial deposits of the Titarissios valley implies the occurrence of a well-developed fault system. Some of the ground ruptures were accompanied by extensive liquefaction phenomena. Others cross-cut reinforced concrete irrigation channels without changing their direction. We suggest that this fault system was partially reactivated, as a secondary surface rupture, during the sequence as a steeper splay of a deeper low-to-moderate angle normal fault.

Evidence of Previous Faulting along the 2019 Ridgecrest, California, Earthquake Ruptures

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (4) ◽  
pp. 1427-1456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe ◽  
Belle Philibosian ◽  
Colin Chupik ◽  
Timothy Dawson ◽  
Scott E. K. Bennett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Fault ◽  
Active Faults ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Vertical Motion ◽  
Fault System ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Surface Rupture ◽  
Earthquake Ruptures ◽  
Slip Displacement ◽  
Surface Ruptures

ABSTRACT The July 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes in southeastern California were characterized as surprising by some, because only ∼35% of the rupture occurred on previously mapped faults. Employing more detailed inspection of pre-event high-resolution topography and imagery in combination with field observations, we document evidence of active faulting in the landscape along the entire fault system. Scarps, deflected drainages, and lineaments and contrasts in topography, vegetation, and ground color demonstrate previous slip on a dense network of orthogonal faults, consistent with patterns of ground surface rupture observed in 2019. Not all of these newly mapped fault strands ruptured in 2019. Outcrop-scale field observations additionally reveal tufa lineaments and sheared Quaternary deposits. Neotectonic features are commonly short (<2  km), discontinuous, and display en echelon patterns along both the M 6.4 and M 7.1 ruptures. These features are generally more prominent and better preserved outside the late Pleistocene lake basins. Fault expression may also be related to deformation style: scarps and topographic lineaments are more prevalent in areas where substantial vertical motion occurred in 2019. Where strike-slip displacement dominated in 2019, the faults are mainly expressed by less prominent tonal and vegetation features. Both the northeast- and northwest-trending active-fault systems are subparallel to regional bedrock fabrics that were established as early as ∼150  Ma, and may be reactivating these older structures. Overall, we estimate that 50%–70% (i.e., an additional 15%–35%) of the 2019 surface ruptures could have been recognized as active faults with detailed inspection of pre-earthquake data. Similar detailed mapping of potential neotectonic features could help improve seismic hazard analyses in other regions of eastern California and elsewhere that likely have distributed faulting or incompletely mapped faults. In areas where faults cannot be resolved as single throughgoing structures, we recommend a zone of potential faulting should be used as a hazard model input.

scholarly journals Revealing the deeper structure of the end-glacial Pärvie fault system in northern Sweden by seismic reflection profiling

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 537-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Ahmadi ◽  
C. Juhlin ◽  
M. Ask ◽  
B. Lund
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Seismic Profile ◽  
Fault Scarp ◽  
Fault System ◽  
Earthquake Activity ◽  
Last Deglaciation ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
Maximum Charge ◽  
Main Fault ◽  
Fault Scarps

Abstract. Fault scarps that extend up to 155 km and have offsets of tens of meters at the surface are present in the northern parts of Finland, Norway and Sweden. These fault scarps are inferred to have formed during earthquakes with magnitudes up to 8 at the time of the last deglaciation. The Pärvie fault system represents the largest earthquake so far documented in northern Scandinavia, both in terms of its length and its calculated magnitude. It is also the longest known glacially induced fault in the world. Present-day microearthquakes occur along the length of the fault scarp on the eastern side of the scarp, in general agreement with an east dipping main fault. In the central section of the fault, where there is a number of subsidiary faults east of the main fault, it has been unclear how the earthquakes relate to the faults mapped at the surface. A seismic profile across the Pärvie Fault system acquired in 2007, with a mechanical hammer as a source, showed a good correlation between the surface mapped faults and moderate to steeply dipping reflectors. The most pronounced reflector could be mapped to about 3 km depth. In an attempt to map the fault system to deeper levels, a new 22 km long 2-D seismic profile which followed the 2007 line was acquired in June 2014. For deeper penetration an explosive source with a maximum charge size of 8.34 kg in 20 m deep shot holes was used. Reflectors can now be traced to deeper levels with the main 65° east dipping fault interpreted as a weakly reflective structure. As in the previous profile, there is a pronounced strongly reflective 60° west dipping structure present to the east of the main fault that can now be mapped to about 8 km depth. Extrapolations of the main and subsidiary faults converge at a depth of about 11.5 km where current earthquake activity is concentrated, suggesting their intersection has created favorable conditions for seismic stress release. Based on the present and previous seismic reflection data, potential locations for future boreholes for drilling into the fault system are proposed.

scholarly journals Revealing the deeper structure of the end-glacial Pärvie fault system in northern Sweden by seismic reflection profiling

Solid Earth ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 621-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Ahmadi ◽  
C. Juhlin ◽  
M. Ask ◽  
B. Lund
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Seismic Profile ◽  
Fault Scarp ◽  
Seismic Survey ◽  
Fault System ◽  
Earthquake Activity ◽  
Northern Sweden ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
Scientific Drilling ◽  
Main Fault

Abstract. A new seismic reflection survey for imaging deeper levels of the end-glacial Pärvie fault system in northern Sweden was acquired in June 2014. The Pärvie fault system hosts the largest fault scarp so far documented in northern Scandinavia, both in terms of its length and calculated magnitude of the earthquake that generated it. Present-day microearthquakes occur along the length of the fault scarp on the eastern side of the scarp, in general agreement with an east-dipping main fault. In the central section of the fault system, where there is a number of subsidiary faults east of the main Pärvie scarp, it has been unclear how the earthquakes relate to the structures mapped at the surface. A seismic profile across the Pärvie fault system acquired in 2007, with a mechanical hammer as a source, showed a good correlation between the surface mapped faults and moderate to steeply dipping reflections. The most pronounced reflectors could be mapped to about 3 km depth. In the new seismic survey, for deeper penetration an explosive source with a maximum charge size of 8.34 kg in 20 m deep shot holes was used. Reflectors can now be traced to deeper levels with the main 65° east-dipping fault interpreted as a weakly reflective structure. As in the previous profile, there is a strongly reflective 60° west-dipping structure present to the east of the main fault that can now be mapped to about 8 km depth. Extrapolations of the main and subsidiary faults converge at a depth of about 11.5 km, where current earthquake activity is concentrated, suggesting their intersection has created favorable conditions for seismic stress release. Based on the present and previous seismic reflection data, we propose potential locations for future boreholes for scientific drilling into the fault system. These boreholes will provide a better understanding of the reflective nature of the fault structures and stress fields along the faults at depth.

scholarly journals Surface-Rupturing Historical Earthquakes in Australia and Their Environmental Effects: New Insights from Re-Analyses of Observational Data

Geosciences ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 408 ◽  
Author(s):  
King ◽  
Quigley ◽  
Clark
Keyword(s):  
Observational Data ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Active Faults ◽  
Magnetic Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Surface Rupture ◽  
Secondary Fracture ◽  
Geological Evidence ◽  
Surface Ruptures ◽  
Strong Control

We digitize surface rupture maps and compile observational data from 67 publications on ten of eleven historical, surface-rupturing earthquakes in Australia in order to analyze the prevailing characteristics of surface ruptures and other environmental effects in this crystalline basement-dominated intraplate environment. The studied earthquakes occurred between 1968 and 2018, and range in moment magnitude (Mw) from 4.7 to 6.6. All earthquakes involved co-seismic reverse faulting (with varying amounts of strike-slip) on single or multiple (1–6) discrete faults of ≥ 1 km length that are distinguished by orientation and kinematic criteria. Nine of ten earthquakes have surface-rupturing fault orientations that align with prevailing linear anomalies in geophysical (gravity and magnetic) data and bedrock structure (foliations and/or quartz veins and/or intrusive boundaries and/or pre-existing faults), indicating strong control of inherited crustal structure on contemporary faulting. Rupture kinematics are consistent with horizontal shortening driven by regional trajectories of horizontal compressive stress. The lack of precision in seismological data prohibits the assessment of whether surface ruptures project to hypocentral locations via contiguous, planar principal slip zones or whether rupture segmentation occurs between seismogenic depths and the surface. Rupture centroids of 1–4 km in depth indicate predominantly shallow seismic moment release. No studied earthquakes have unambiguous geological evidence for preceding surface-rupturing earthquakes on the same faults and five earthquakes contain evidence of absence of preceding ruptures since the late Pleistocene, collectively highlighting the challenge of using mapped active faults to predict future seismic hazards. Estimated maximum fault slip rates are 0.2–9.1 m Myr-1 with at least one order of uncertainty. New estimates for rupture length, fault dip, and coseismic net slip can be used to improve future iterations of earthquake magnitude—source size—displacement scaling equations. Observed environmental effects include primary surface rupture, secondary fracture/cracks, fissures, rock falls, ground-water anomalies, vegetation damage, sand-blows / liquefaction, displaced rock fragments, and holes from collapsible soil failure, at maximum estimated epicentral distances ranging from 0 to ~250 km. ESI-07 intensity-scale estimates range by ± 3 classes in each earthquake, depending on the effect considered. Comparing Mw-ESI relationships across geologically diverse environments is a fruitful avenue for future research.

scholarly journals Assembly of a large earthquake from a complex fault system: Surface rupture kinematics of the 4 April 2010 El Mayor–Cucapah (Mexico) Mw 7.2 earthquake

Geosphere ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 797-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Fletcher ◽  
Orlando J. Teran ◽  
Thomas K. Rockwell ◽  
Michael E. Oskin ◽  
Kenneth W. Hudnut ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Earthquake ◽  
Fault System ◽  
Surface Rupture ◽  
Complex Fault ◽  
Rupture Kinematics ◽  
Complex Fault System

scholarly journals Exploring the shallow structure of the San Ramón thrust fault in Santiago, Chile (~33.5° S), using active seismic and electric methods

Solid Earth ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 837-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Díaz ◽  
A. Maksymowicz ◽  
G. Vargas ◽  
E. Vera ◽  
E. Contreras-Reyes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Anisotropy ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Sedimentary Cover ◽  
Hanging Wall ◽  
Thrust Fault ◽  
Fault System ◽  
Surface Rupture ◽  
Thrust Tectonics ◽  
Rock Substratum ◽  
Fault Scarps

Abstract. The crustal-scale west-vergent San Ramón thrust fault system, which lies at the foot of the main Andean Cordillera in central Chile, is a geologically active structure with manifestations of late Quaternary complex surface rupture on fault segments along the eastern border of the city of Santiago. From the comparison of geophysical and geological observations, we assessed the subsurface structural pattern that affects the sedimentary cover and rock-substratum topography across fault scarps, which is critical for evaluating structural models and associated seismic hazard along the related faults. We performed seismic profiles with an average length of 250 m, using an array of 24 geophones (Geode), with 25 shots per profile, to produce high-resolution seismic tomography to aid in interpreting impedance changes associated with the deformed sedimentary cover. The recorded travel-time refractions and reflections were jointly inverted by using a 2-D tomographic approach, which resulted in variations across the scarp axis in both the velocities and the reflections that are interpreted as the sedimentary cover-rock substratum topography. Seismic anisotropy observed from tomographic profiles is consistent with sediment deformation triggered by west-vergent thrust tectonics along the fault. Electrical soundings crossing two fault scarps were used to construct subsurface resistivity tomographic profiles, which reveal systematic differences between lower resistivity values in the hanging wall with respect to the footwall of the geological structure, and clearly show well-defined east-dipping resistivity boundaries. These boundaries can be interpreted in terms of structurally driven fluid content change between the hanging wall and the footwall of the San Ramón fault. The overall results are consistent with a west-vergent thrust structure dipping ~55° E in the subsurface beneath the piedmont sediments, with local complexities likely associated with variations in fault surface rupture propagation, fault splays and fault segment transfer zones.

Frequency and size of quaternary surface ruptures of the pitaycachi fault, northeastern Sonora, Mexico

1988 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 956-978
Author(s):  
William B. Bull ◽  
Philip A. Pearthree
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Surface Rupture ◽  
Maximum Slope ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
Mountain Front ◽  
Surface Ruptures ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Fault Scarps ◽  
Prior Event

Abstract Movements along the Pitaycachi fault since the Miocene juxtaposed different alluvial units and created 2- to 45-m-high fault scarps downslope from a pedimented mountain front prior to 1887. In 1887, a major earthquake formed a 75-km-long, 12- to 4-m-high scarp along the trace of prehistoric surface ruptures. Diverse evidence from many study sites indicates that about 200,000 yr elapsed between the prior (youngest Pleistocene) event and the 1887 surface rupture. Cumulative displacements of Pliocene(?) to mid-Pleistocene alluvial fans and stream terraces decrease with decreasing age. The trace of the prior rupture was largely buried by sheets of late Pleistocene and Holocene piedmont alluvium. Late Pleistocene soils are offset about the same amount as the height of the 1887 scarp. Valleys that are as much as 40 m deep and 0.5 to 0.9 km wide have been eroded since the prior event; they contain multiple late Pleistocene and Holocene stream terraces that were not faulted until 1887. Pre-1887 alluvial fault scarps were degraded to 2° to 9° slopes before the 1887 event, even in resistant materials such as clay-rich soil horizons with unweathered rhyolite cobbles and calcrete. Scarp height-maximum slope regressions and diffusion-equation analyses for reconstructed pre-1887 scarp profiles indicate that the prior event occurred more than 100,000 yr ago. Acceleration of scarp degradation rates during the Holocene, and/or relatively resistant materials exposed in the scarps, would increase the age estimates to 200,000 yr or more. Very long recurrence intervals are the characteristic style of movement on the Pitaycachi fault. At one site, six ages of diverse valley fills were inset into pedimented granodiorite upslope from the fault between the prior and 1887 events. Only 3 m of relief remained before the 1887 rupture increased the scarp height from 3 to 6 m. Some hillslopes have triangular talus facets of carbonatecemented colluvium that resulted from infrequent fault movements and intervening periods of erosion. Smooth hillsides of resistant volcanic rocks between the facets show that virtually all of the prior surface-rupture event scarps had been removed by prolonged slope degradation.

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