Coulomb stress triggering of earthquakes along the Atalanti Fault, central Greece: Two April 1894 M6+ events and stress change patterns

Two M6+ events occurred 15–20 km apart in central Greece on April 20 and April 27, 1894. We identify the April 27, 1894 rupture (2nd in the sequence) with the Atalanti segment of the Atalanti Fault Zone because of unequivocal surface rupturing evidence reported by Skouphos [Skouphos, T., 1894. Die swei grossen Erdbeben in Lokris am 8/20 und 15/27 April 1894. Zeitschrift Ges. Erdkunde zu Berlin, vol. 24, pp. 409–474]. Coulomb stress transfer analysis and macroseismic evidence suggest that the April 20, 1894 event (1st in the sequence) may be associated with the Martinon segment of the same fault zone. Our stress modelling suggests that this segment may have ruptured in an M = 6.4 event producing a 15-km long rupture which transferred 1.14 bar in the epicentral area of the April 27th, 1894 event, thus triggering the second M = 6.6 earthquake along the Atalanti segment and producing a 19-km long rupture. We also examined three alternative fault sources for the first event; however, all these produce smaller stress stresses for triggering the second event. The proposed slip model for the second earthquake is capable of producing coastal subsidence of the order of centimetres to decimetres, which fits the geological data. The 1894 earthquake sequence was followed by a difference in the timing of subsequent M > 5 events in each of the “relaxed” areas (stress shadows; a negative change in Coulomb failure stress > − 0.6 bar), which terminated between 22–37 years (north) and 80 years (south).     

Zircon geochronology and Sm–Nd isotopic study: Further constraints for the Archean and Paleoproterozoic geodynamical evolution of the southeastern Guiana Shield, north of Amazonian Craton, Brazil

The eastern part of the Guiana Shield, northern Amazonian Craton, in South America, represents a large orogenic belt developed during the Transamazonian orogenic cycle (2.26–1.95 Ga), which consists of extensive areas of Paleoproterozoic crust and two major Archean terranes: the Imataca Block, in Venezuela, and the here defined Amapá Block, in the north of Brazil.

Pb-evaporation on zircon and Sm–Nd on whole rock dating were provided on magmatic and metamorphic units from southwestern Amapá Block, in the Jari Domain, defining its long-lived evolution, marked by several stages of crustal accretion and crustal reworking. Magmatic activity occurred mainly at the Meso-Neoarchean transition (2.80–2.79 Ga) and during the Neoarchean (2.66–2.60 Ga). The main period of crust formation occurred during a protracted episode at the end of Paleoarchean and along the whole Mesoarchean (3.26–2.83 Ga). Conversely, crustal reworking processes have dominated in Neoarchean times. During the Transamazonian orogenic cycle, the main geodynamic processes were related to reworking of older Archean crust, with minor juvenile accretion at about 2.3 Ga, during an early orogenic phase. Transamazonian magmatism consisted of syn- to late-orogenic granitic pulses, which were dated at 2.22 Ga, 2.18 Ga and 2.05–2.03 Ga. Most of the ε_Nd values and T_DM model ages (2.52–2.45 Ga) indicate an origin of the Paleoproterozoic granites by mixing of juvenile Paleoproterozoic magmas with Archean components.

The Archean Amapá Block is limited in at southwest by the Carecuru Domain, a granitoid-greenstone terrane that had a geodynamic evolution mainly during the Paleoproterozoic, related to the Transamazonian orogenic cycle. In this latter domain, a widespread calc-alkaline magmatism occurred at 2.19–2.18 Ga and at 2.15–2.14 Ga, and granitic magmatism was dated at 2.10 Ga. Crustal accretion was recognized at about 2.28 Ga, in agreement with the predominantly Rhyacian crust-forming pattern of the eastern Guiana Shield. Nevertheless, T_DM model ages (2.50–2.38 Ga), preferentially interpreted as mixed ages, and ε_Nd < 0, point to some participation of Archean components in the source of the Paleoproterozoic rocks. In addition, the Carecuru Domain contains an oval-shaped Archean granulitic nucleus, named Paru Domain. In this domain, Neoarchean magmatism at about 2.60 Ga was produced by reworking of Mesoarchean crust, as registered in the Amapá Block. Crustal accretion events and calc-alkaline magmatism are recognized at 2.32 Ga and at 2.15 Ga, respectively, as well as charnockitic magmatism at 2.07 Ga.

The lithological association and the available isotopic data registered in the Carecuru Domain suggests a geodynamic evolution model based on the development of a magmatic arc system during the Transamazonian orogenic cycle, which was accreted to the southwestern border of the Archean Amapá Block.     

Intraslab seismicity and thermal stress in the subducted Cocos plate beneath central Mexico

We present a model of the subducting Cocos slab beneath Central Mexico, that provides an explanation for stresses causing the occurrence of the majority of the intraslab earthquakes which are concentrated in a long flat segment. Based on the recently developed thermal models for the Central Mexico subduction zone, the thermal stresses due to non-uniform temperature contrast in the subducting slab are calculated using a finite element approach. The slab is considered purely elastic but due to high temperature at its bottom the behavior is considered as ductile creep. The calculation results show a  20 km slab core characterized by a tensional state of stress with stresses up to 70 MPa. On the other hand, the top of the slab experiences high compressive thermal stresses up to 110 MPa, depending on the elastic constants used and location along the flat part of the subducting plate. These compressive stresses at the top of the slab are not consistent with the exclusive normal fault intraslab earthquakes, and two different sources of stress are proposed.

The trenchward migration of the Mexican volcanic arc for the last 7 Ma indicates an increase of the slab dip through time. This observation suggests that the gravity torque might exceed the suction torque. Considering the flat slab as an embedded plate subject to an applied clockwise net torque of 0.5 × 10¹⁶–1.5 × 10¹⁶ N m, the upper half would exhibit tensional stresses of 40–110 MPa that can actually balance the compressive thermally induced stresses.

An alternative stress source might come from the slab pull force caused by the slab positive density anomaly. Based on our density anomaly estimations (75 ± 20 kg/m³), a 350 km slab length, dipping at 20° into the asthenosphere, induces a slab pull force of 1.7 × 10¹²–4.6 × 10¹² N m. This force produces a tensional stress of 41–114 MPa, sufficient to balance the compressive thermal stresses at the top of the flat slab.

The linear superposition of the thermally and torque or slab pull induced stresses shows tensile stresses up to 60–180 MPa inside the flat slab core. Also, our results suggest that the majority of the intraslab earthquakes inside the flat slab are situated where the resultant stresses are larger than 40–80 MPa.

This study provides a reasonable explanation for the existence of exclusively normal fault intraslab earthquakes in the flat slab beneath Central Mexico, and also it shows that thermal stresses due to non-uniform reheating of subducting slabs play a considerable role in the total stress field.     

Seismic crustal structure between the Transylvanian Basin and the Black Sea, Romania

In order to study the lithospheric structure in Romania a 450 km long WNW–ESE trending seismic refraction project was carried out in August/September 2001. It runs from the Transylvanian Basin across the East Carpathian Orogen and the Vrancea seismic region to the foreland areas with the very deep Neogene Focsani Basin and the North Dobrogea Orogen on the Black Sea. A total of ten shots with charge sizes 300–1500 kg were recorded by over 700 geophones. The data quality of the experiment was variable, depending primarily on charge size but also on local geological conditions. The data interpretation indicates a multi-layered structure with variable thicknesses and velocities. The sedimentary stack comprises up to 7 layers with seismic velocities of 2.0–5.9 km/s. It reaches a maximum thickness of about 22 km within the Focsani Basin area. The sedimentary succession is composed of (1) the Carpathian nappe pile, (2) the post-collisional Neogene Transylvanian Basin, which covers the local Late Cretaceous to Paleogene Tarnava Basin, (3) the Neogene Focsani Basin in the foredeep area, which covers autochthonous Mesozoic and Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks as well as a probably Permo-Triassic graben structure of the Moesian Platform, and (4) the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic rocks of the North Dobrogea Orogen. The underlying crystalline crust shows considerable thickness variations in total as well as in its individual subdivisions, which correlate well with the Tisza-Dacia, Moesian and North Dobrogea crustal blocks. The lateral velocity structure of these blocks along the seismic line remains constant with about 6.0 km/s along the basement top and 7.0 km/s above the Moho. The Tisza-Dacia block is about 33 to 37 km thick and shows low velocity zones in its uppermost 15 km, which are presumably due to basement thrusts imbricated with sedimentary successions related to the Carpathian Orogen. The crystalline crust of Moesia does not exceed 25 km and is covered by up to 22 km of sedimentary rocks. The North Dobrogea crust reaches a thickness of about 44 km and is probably composed of thick Eastern European crust overthrusted by a thin 1–2 km thick wedge of the North Dobrogea Orogen.     

Post-spreading transpressive faults in the South China Sea Basin

The South China Sea was formed by seafloor spreading during the late Oligocene to the mid-Miocene. After the cessation of spreading, compression due to the northwestward-moving Taiwan–Luzon Arc and strike–slip motion have been occurring on the South China Sea's eastern and west margins, respectively. However due to limited survey coverage, little is known about the tectonics in the oceanic basin of the South China Sea. Satellite altimetry-derived bathymetric data in a 2′ × 2′ grid shows not only a young seamount chain along the E–W-trending spreading axis of the South China Sea Basin, but also three previously unmapped NW- to NNW-trending segmented linear features. These features are topographic highs, rising 300–600 m above the surrounding sea floor, 10–30 km wide and 300–500 km long. Bathymetric and seismic reflection data reveal that they are strike–slip fault zones, in which folds of various amplitude and patterns have developed. These basin-wide transpressive fault zones, and the young volcanism, may be the result of ongoing NNW convergence of the Taiwan–Luzon Arc following the cessation of seafloor spreading in the South China Sea. The NNW-trending strike–slip fault at longitude 116°E is considered to be the boundary between the Eastern Subbasin and the SW Subbasin.     

Tectonostratigraphic and geochronologic constraints on evolution of the northeast Paleotethys from the Songpan-Ganzi complex, central China

The Middle to Late Triassic deep-water deposits that form the Songpan-Ganzi complex (SGC) of central China comprise an estimated ~ 2.0 × 10⁶ km³ of detrital material that accumulated in the northeasternmost branch of the Paleotethys. A review of existing data demonstrates significant spatial and temporal variations in the stratigraphic and petrologic character of these turbidites. These variations are used to divide the complex into different depocenters: a northeastern depocenter (SGC-NE), a eastern–central depocenter (SGC-EC) and a northwestern depocenter (SGC-NW). Turbidite strata of the SGC-NE and SGC-EC zones of the Songpan-Ganzi complex are linked to the collision of the North China and South China blocks, whereas turbidite strata of the SGC-NW area are likely to be more closely affiliated with evolution of the Kunlun deformation belt. To test the validity of the Songpan-Ganzi stratigraphic framework and interpretations of its tectonostratigraphic evolution, sixty-eight U–Pb zircon ages were determined from five samples of felsic intrusive igneous rock, two samples from felsic plutonic rock of the adjacent Yidun arc complex, and one sample of volcanic rock interbedded with Middle Triassic turbidites of the SGC using the Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe-Reverse Geometry (SHRIMP-RG). Together these data indicate primarily Late Triassic (~ 214–211 Ma) felsic magmatism in the SGC, with some indication of magmatic activity beginning as early as Middle Triassic (220 Ma). Zircon ages from the Yidun arc complex support Middle–Late Triassic magmatism from 225–215 Ma, prior to deformation of the SGC, suggesting deformation of the SGC was not related to subduction of the SGC substrate southwestward beneath the Yidun arc. Inherited Neoproterozoic (880–740 Ma) zircon ages found in two samples from the SGC-EC indicate either inheritance of zircon crystals from the surrounding SGC turbidite strata or possibly involvement of South China basement during crustal thickening and magma genesis.     

Structural imprints at the front of the Chocó-Panamá indenter: Field data from the North Cauca Valley Basin, Central Colombia

The northern Andes are a complex area where tectonics is dominated by the interaction between three major plates and accessory blocks, in particular, the Chocó-Panamá and Northern Andes Blocks. The studied Cauca Valley Basin is located at the front of the Chocó-Panamá Indenter, where the major Romeral Fault System, active since the Cretaceous, changes its kinematics from right-lateral in the south to left-lateral in the north. Structural studies were performed at various scales: DEM observations in the Central Cordillera between 4 and 5.7°N, aerial photograph analyses, and field work in the folded Oligo-Miocene rocks of the Serranía de Santa Barbara and in the flat-lying, Pleistocene Quindío-Risaralda volcaniclastic sediments interfingering with the lacustrine to fluviatile sediments of the Zarzal Formation.The data acquired allowed the detection of structures with a similar orientation at every scale and in all lithologies. These families of structures are arranged similarly to Riedel shears in a right-lateral shear zone and are superimposed on the Cretaceous Romeral suture.They appear in the Central Cordillera north of 4.5°N, and define a broad zone where 060-oriented right-lateral distributed shear strain affects the continental crust. The Romeral Fault System stays active and strain partitioning occurs among both systems. The southern limit of the distributed shear strain affecting the Central Cordillera corresponds to the E–W trending Garrapatas–Ibagué shear zone, constituted by several right-stepping, en-échelon, right-lateral, active faults and some lineaments. North of this shear zone, the Romeral Fault System strike changes from NNE to N.Paleostress calculations gave a WNW–ESE trending, maximum horizontal stress, and 69% of compressive tensors. The orientation of σ1 is consistent with the orientation of the right-lateral distributed shear strain and the compressive state characterizing the Romeral Fault System in the area: it bisects the synthetic and antithetic Riedels and is (sub)-perpendicular to the active Romeral Fault System.It is proposed that the continued movement of the Chocó–Panamá Indenter may be responsible for the 060-oriented right-lateral distributed shear strain, and may have closed the northern part of the Cauca Valley, thereby forming the Cauca Valley Basin.Conjugate extensional faults observed at surface in the flat-lying sediments of the Zarzal Formation and Quindío-Risaralda volcaniclastic Fan are associatedwith soft-sediment deformations. These faults are attributed to lateral spreading of the superficial layers during earthquakes and testify to the continuous tectonic activity from Pleistocene to Present.Finally, results presented here bring newinformation about the understanding of the seismic hazard in this area: whereas the Romeral Fault Systemwas so far thought to be themost likely source of earthquakes, themore recent cross-cutting fault systems described herein are another potential hazard to be considered.     

Structural development of the Tso Morari ultra-high pressure nappe of the Ladakh Himalaya

A continental subduction-related and multistage exhumation process for the Tso Morari ultra-high pressure nappe is proposed. The model is constrained by published thermo-barometry and age data, combined with new geological and tectonic maps. Additionally, observations on the structural and metamorphic evolution of the Tso Morari area and the North Himalayan nappes are presented. The northern margin of the Indian continental crust was subducted to a depth of > 90 km below Asia after continental collision some 55 Ma ago. The underthrusting was accompanied by the detachment and accretion of Late Proterozoic to Early Eocene sediments, creating the North Himalayan accretionary wedge, in front of the active Asian margin and the 103–50 Ma Ladakh arc batholith. The basic dikes in the Ordovician Tso Morari granite were transformed to eclogites with crystallization of coesite, some 53 Ma ago at a depth of > 90 km (> 27 kbar) and temperatures of 500 to 600 °C. The detachment and extrusion of the low density Tso Morari nappe, composed of 70% of the Tso Morari granite and 30% of graywackes with some eclogitic dikes, occurred by ductile pure and simple shear deformation. It was pushed by buoyancy forces and by squeezing between the underthrusted Indian lithosphere and the Asian mantle wedge. The extruding Tso Morari nappe reached a depth of 35 km at the base of the North Himalayan accretionary wedge some 48 Ma ago. There the whole nappe stack recrystallized under amphibolite facies conditions of a Barrovian regional metamorphism with a metamorphic field gradient of 20 °C/km. An intense schistosity with a W–E oriented stretching lineation L₁ and top-to-the E shear criteria and crystallization of oriented sillimanite needles after kyanite, testify to the Tso Morari nappe extrusion and pressure drop. The whole nappe stack, comprising from the base to top the Tso Morari, Tetraogal, Karzok and Mata–Nyimaling-Tsarap nappes, was overprinted by new schistosities with a first N-directed and a second NE-directed stretching lineation L₂ and L₃ reaching the base of the North Himalayan accretionary wedge. They are characterized by top-to-the S and SW shear criteria. This structural overprint was related to an early N- and a younger NE-directed underthrusting of the Indian plate below Asia that was accompanied by anticlockwise rotation of India. The warping of the Tso Morari dome started already some 48 Ma ago with the formation of an extruding nappe at depth. The Tso Morari dome reached a depth of 15 km about 40 Ma ago in the eastern Kiagar La region and 30 Ma ago in the western Nuruchan region. The extrusion rate was of about 3 cm/yr between 53 and 48 Ma, followed by an uplift rate of 1.2 mm/yr between 48 and 30 Ma and of only 0.5 mm/yr after 30 Ma. Geomorphology observations show that the Tso Morari dome is still affected by faults, open regional dome, and basin and pull-apart structures, in a zone of active dextral transpression parallel to the Indus Suture zone.     

Late Quaternary basin evolution of the Gulf of Corinth: Sequence stratigraphy, sedimentation, fault–slip and subsidence rates

The Gulf of Corinth is a graben, which has undergone extension during the Late Quaternary. The subsidence rate is rapid in the currently marine part whereas uplift now affects a large part of the initially subsiding area in the North Peloponnese. In this paper, we document the rates of subsidence/uplift and extension based on new subsurface data, including seismic data and long piston coring in the deepest part of the Gulf. Continuous seismic profiling data (air gun) have shown that four (at least) major oblique prograding sequences can be traced below the northern margin of the central Gulf of Corinth. These sequences have been developed successively during low sea level stands, suggesting continuous and gradual subsidence of the northern margin by 300 m during the Late Quaternary (last 250 ka). Subsidence rates of 0.7–1.0 m kyr^− 1 were calculated from the relative depth of successive topset to foreset transitions. The differential total vertical displacement between the northern and the southern margins of the Corinth graben is estimated at about 2.0–2.3 m kyr^− 1.

Sequence stratigraphic interpretation of seismic profiles from the basin suggests that the upper sediments (0.6 s twtt thick) in the depocenter were accumulated during the last 250 ka at a mean rate of 2.2–2.4 m kyr^− 1. Long piston coring in the central Gulf of Corinth basin enabled the recovery of lacustrine sediments, buried beneath 12–13.5 m of Holocene marine sediments. The lacustrine sequence consists of varve-like muddy layers interbedded with silty and fine sand turbidites. AMS dating determined the age of the marine–lacustrine interface (reflector Z) at about 13 ka BP. Maximum sedimentation rates of 2.4–2.9 m kyr^− 1 were calculated for the Holocene marine and the last glacial, lacustrine sequences, thus verifying the respective rates obtained by the sequence stratigraphic interpretation. Recent accumulation rates obtained by the ²¹⁰Pb-radiometric method on short sediment box cores coincide with the above sedimentation rates. Vertical fault slip rates were measured by using fault offsets of correlated reflector Z. The maximum subsidence rate of the depocenter (3.6 m kyr^− 1) exceeds the maximum sedimentation rate by 1.8 m kyr^− 1, which, consequently, corresponds to the rate of deepening of the basin's floor. The above rates indicate that the 2.2 km maximum sediment thickness as well as the 870 m maximum depth of the basin may have formed during the last 1 Ma, assuming uniform mean sedimentation rate throughout the evolution of the basin.     

Petrogenesis and tectonic setting of the peralkaline Pine Canyon caldera, Trans-Pecos Texas, USA

The Pine Canyon caldera is a small (6–7 km diameter) ash-flow caldera that erupted peralkaline quartz trachyte, rhyolite, and high-silica rhyolite lavas and ash-flow tuffs about 33–32 Ma. The Pine Canyon caldera is located in Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA, in the southern part of the Trans-Pecos Magmatic Province (TPMP). The eruptive products of the Pine Canyon caldera are assigned to the South Rim Formation, which represents the silicic end member of a bimodal suite (with a “Daly Gap” between 57 and 62 wt.% SiO₂); the mafic end member consists primarily of alkali basalt to mugearite lavas of the 34–30 Ma Bee Mountain Basalt. Approximately 60–70% crystallization of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, olivine, magnetite, and apatite from alkali basalt coupled with assimilation of shale wall rock (M_a/M_c = 0.3–0.4) produced the quartz trachyte magma. Variation within the quartz trachyte–rhyolite suite was the result of 70% fractional crystallization of an assemblage dominated by alkali feldspar with subordinate clinopyroxene, fayalite, ilmenite, and apatite. High-silica rhyolite is not cogenetic with the quartz trachyte–rhyolite suite, and can be best explained as the result of  5% partial melting of a mafic granulite in the deep crust under the fluxing influence of fluorine. Variation within the high-silica rhyolite is most likely due to fractional crystallization of alkali feldspar, quartz, magnetite, biotite, and monazite. Lavas and tuffs of the South Rim Formation form A-type rhyolite suites, and are broadly similar to rock series described in anorogenic settings both in terms of petrology and petrogenesis. The Pine Canyon caldera is interpreted to have developed in a post-orogenic tectonic setting, or an early stage of continental rifting, and represents the earliest evidence for continental extension in the TPMP.     

Surface faulting in Norcia (central Italy): a “paleoseismological perspective”

We carried out paleoseismological analyses in Norcia, one of the oldest town of central Italy. Four trenches were dug in late Pleistocene–Holocene deposits, across an unmapped, antithetic splay of the Norcia Fault System. The investigated fault runs through the recent settlement of the town, brushing against the middle-age city walls. We found evidence of repeated surface ruptures in the past 20 ky, the last one dated to a period fitting with the 1703 AD, catastrophic earthquake (M = 6.8). Our data (i) show definitively the late Pleistocene–Holocene activity of the Norcia Fault System, (ii) strengthen the historical accounts describing surface ruptures during the 1703 event in Norcia, (iii) cast light on the seismogenic behavior of the 70-km-long fault system between L'Aquila and Norcia (central Italy) and (iv) predict the occurrence of normal surface faulting inside the municipality of Norcia during future M ≥ 6 earthquakes.     

Coseismic reactivation of the Samambaia fault, Brazil

Northeastern Brazil is, within the present knowledge of historical and instrumental seismicity, one the most seismic active areas in intraplate South America. Seismic activity in the region has occurred mainly around the Potiguar basin. This seismicity includes earthquake swarms characterized by instrumentally-recorded events ≤ 5.2 m_b and paleoseismic events ≥ 7.0. Our study concentrates in the João Câmara (JC) epicentral area, where an earthquake swarm composed of more than 40,000 aftershocks occurred mainly from 1986 to 1990 along the Samambaia fault; 14 of which had m_b > 4.0 and two of which had 5.1 and 5.0 m_b. We describe and compare this aftershock sequence with the present-day stress field and the tectonic fabric in an attempt to understand fault geometry and local control of seismogenic faulting. Earthquake data indicate that seismicity decreased steadily from 1986 to 1998. We selected 2,746 epicenters, which provided a high-quality and precise dataset. It indicates that the fault trends 37° azimuth, dips 76°–80° to NW, and forms an alignment  27 km long that cuts across the NNE–SSW-trending ductile Precambrian fabric. The depth of these events ranged from  1 km to  9 km. The fault forms an echelon array of three main left-bend segments: one in the northern and two in the southern part of the fault. A low-seismicity zone, which marks a contractional bend, occurs between the northern and southern segments. Focal mechanisms indicate that the area is under an E–W-oriented compression, which led to strike–slip shear along the Samambaia fault with a small normal component. The fault is at 53° to the maximum compression and is severely misoriented for reactivation under the present-day stress field. The seismicity, however, spatially coincides with a brittle fabric composed of quartz veins and silicified-fault zones. We conclude that the Samambaia fault is a discontinuous and reactivated structure marked at the surface by a well-defined brittle fabric, which is associated with silica-rich fluids.     

The Bekten Fault: the palaeoseismic behaviour and kinematic characteristics of an intervening segment of the North Anatolian Fault Zone,Southern Marmara Region,Turkey

The Bekten Fault is 20-km long N55°E trending and oblique-slip fault in the dextral strike-slip fault zone. The fault is extending sub-parallel between Yenice-Gönen and Sar?köy faults, which forms the southern branch of North Anatolian Fault Zone in Southern Marmara Region. Tectonomorphological structures indicative of the recent fault displacements such as elongated ridges and offset creeks observed along the fault. In this study, we investigated palaeoseismic activities of the Bekten Fault by trenching surveys, which were carried out over a topographic saddle. The trench exposed the fault and the trench stratigraphy revealed repeated earthquake surface rupture events which resulted in displacements of late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits. According to radiocarbon ages obtained from samples taken from the event horizons in the stratigraphy, it was determined that at least three earthquakes resulting in surface rupture generated from the Bekten Fault within last ~1300 years. Based on the palaeoseismological data, the Bekten Fault displays non-characteristic earthquake behaviour and has not produced any earthquake associated with surface rupture for about the last 400 years. Additionally, the data will provide information for the role of small fault segments play except for the major structures in strike-slip fault systems.     

Time scale of an early to mid-Paleozoic orogenic cycle of the long-lived Central Asian Orogenic Belt, Inner Mongolia of China: Implications for continental growth

We present a detailed, new time scale for an orogenic cycle (oceanic accretion–subduction–collision) that provides significant insights into Paleozoic continental growth processes in the southeastern segment of the long-lived Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). The most prominent tectonic feature in Inner Mongolia is the association of paired orogens. A southern orogen forms a typical arc-trench complex, in which a supra-subduction zone ophiolite records successive phases during its life cycle: birth (ca. 497–477 Ma), when the ocean floor of the ophiolite was formed; (2) youth (ca. 473–470 Ma), characterized by mantle wedge magmatism; (3) shortly after maturity (ca. 461–450 Ma), high-Mg adakite and adakite were produced by slab melting and subsequent interaction of the melt with the mantle wedge; (4) death, caused by subduction of a ridge crest (ca. 451–434 Ma) and by ridge collision with the ophiolite (ca. 428–423 Ma). The evolution of the magmatic arc exhibits three major coherent phases: arc volcanism (ca. 488–444 Ma); adakite plutonism (ca. 448–438 Ma) and collision (ca. 419–415 Ma) of the arc with a passive continental margin. The northern orogen, a product of ridge-trench interaction, evolved progressively from coeval generation of near-trench plutons (ca. 498–461 Ma) and juvenile arc crust (ca. 484–469 Ma), to ridge subduction (ca. 440–434 Ma), microcontinent accretion (ca. 430–420 Ma), and finally to forearc formation. The paired orogens followed a consistent progression from ocean floor subduction/arc formation (ca. 500–438 Ma), ridge subduction (ca. 451–434 Ma) to microcontinent accretion/collision (ca. 430–415 Ma); ridge subduction records the turning point that transformed oceanic lithosphere into continental crust. The recognition of this orogenic cycle followed by Permian–early Triassic terminal collision of the CAOB provides compelling evidence for episodic continental growth.     

Occurrences of major earthquakes by groups in North China

The earthquakes with magnitude M 6 which occurred in North China (30°–42°N, 105°–124°E) from 780 B.C. to 1978 A.D. have been analysed. Most of them appear in groups, each of which is confined to a definite region and period of time, called respectively the active region and active period. From 780 B.C. to 1000 A.D., groupings of earthquakes were not apparent, due to scanty data. Since 1000 A.D., 16 groups of earthquakes can be recognized. Statistics show that about 73% of the earthquakes occurred in groups. This implies that grouping of earthquakes of M 6 is a characteristic feature of seismic activity in North China. On this basis, a concept of a unified seismogenic process of major earthquakes has been proposed with the support of the geodetic data. Finally, the significance of this concept with regards to earthquake prediction has been discussed.     

Seismogenic Tectonics and Dynamics of the 2011 Ms5.9 Yingjiang Earthquake in Yunnan,China

In the southern South–North Seismic Zone, China, seismic activity in the Yingjiang area of western Yunnan increased from December 2010, and eventually a destructive earthquake of Ms5.9 occurred near Yingjiang town on 10 March 2011. The focal mechanism and hypocenter location of the mainshock suggest that the Dayingjiang Fault was the site of the mainshock rupture. However, most of foreshocks and all aftershocks recorded by a portable seismic array located close to the mainshock occurred along the N–S-striking Sudian Fault, indicating that this fault had an important influence on these shocks. Coulomb stress calculations show that three strong(magnitude ≥5.0) earthquakes that occurred in the study region in 2008 increased the coulomb stress along the plane parallel to the Dayingjiang Fault. This supports the Dayingjiang Fault, and not the Sudian Fault, as the seismogenic fault of the 2011 Ms5.9 Yingjiang earthquake. The strong earthquakes in 2008 also increased the Coulomb stress at depths of ≤5 km along the entire Sudian Fault, and by doing so increased the shallow seismic activity along the fault. This explains why the foreshocks and aftershocks of the 2011 Yingjiang earthquake were located mostly on the Sudian Fault where it cuts the shallow crust. The earthquakes at the intersection of the Sudian and Dayingjiang faults are distributed mainly along a belt that dips to the southeast at ~40°, suggesting that the Dayingjiang Fault in the mainshock area also dips to the southeast at ~40°.     

Comparison of surface slip and focal mechanism slip data along normal faults: an example from the eastern Gulf of Corinth,Greece

Focal mechanism and surface slip data are used to investigate whether kinematics are similar at depth and at the surface along an active normal fault in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece. We present a new database of slip data from the lateral termination of the South Alkyonides fault segment (SAFS) and the en échelon stepover between it and an adjacent fault, and use published data on surface slip and focal mechanism data pertaining to slip at depth during the 1981 Alkyonides earthquake sequence. The focal mechanisms exhibit similar fault plane orientations and kinematics to those measured at the surface. Within the stepover, both data sets show that contemporaneous c. N–S and c. E–W extension is being accommodated by c. E–W- and c. N–S-oriented normal faults, and the overall deformation is distributed oblate vertical flattening. The deviation of the surface slip direction from 350° increases with distance from the centre of the SAFS. The deviation of the focal mechanism T-axes from 350° fit well with the surface data, implying that the coseismic slip on the SAFS at depths of 7–10 km exhibits a similar kinematic pattern as that observed at the surface. Our results imply that it is critical to know the along-strike position of data on a fault if either focal mechanisms or surface slip are to be used to infer regional strain and stress trajectories.     

南海北缘钻探选址：滨海断裂带大型海洋地质灾害研究

滨海断裂带是南海北缘的一条大型活动断裂带，其位置靠近我国华南沿海地区。滨海断裂带全长超过1200 km，包括西段（北部湾- 阳江），中段（珠江口）和东段（粤东- 福建）。其西段和东段历史上至少曾发生过4次大地震（M7+），中段目前是一个大地震空区。在经济高速发展和人口高度密集的今天，如果滨海断裂带再次发生大地震并触发海啸，必将对我国华南沿海地区造成灾难性破坏。由于缺乏完整的历史地震记录和针对古地震的钻孔沉积研究，目前尚不清楚滨海断裂带大地震的准确次数、空间分布和复发周期，以及中段大地震空区的主要原因（断层蠕滑或大地震周期较长），因此无法有效评估该断裂带的大地震破裂分段和灾害风险。本研究总结了滨海断裂带的构造特征、重点描述了3次历史大地震及引发的灾害影响，和国际上针对海底大地震的钻探研究经验。根据这些信息，本文建议在断裂带的西段、中断和东段进行大洋钻探，获取穿过断层带的关键沉积和岩石样品，利用沉积古地震方法重建滨海断裂带东段和西段的大地震历史和复发周期，研究断层带的岩石物理性质，揭示滨海断裂中段大地震空区的成因，解析断层分段式破裂的原因，为我国海洋防灾减灾提供重要的科学依据。     

A comparison of mud- and sand-dominated meanders in a downstream coarsening reach of the mixed bedrock-alluvial Klip River, eastern Free State, South Africa

Along a 28 km reach of the Klip River, eastern Free State, South Africa, mud- and sand-dominated meanders have developed in close proximity within a floodplain wetland up to 1.5 km wide, providing an unusual opportunity to compare their characteristics under similar hydrological conditions. Throughout the reach, the channel bed is grounded on sandstone/shale bedrock although the banks are alluvial, and most river activity occurs during summer high flows. The reach can be divided into three geomorphological zones: Zone 1 (0–11 km), a muddy proximal part with a single meandering channel (w/d < 10) and near-permanent standing water in oxbows and backswamps; Zone 2 (11–17.5 km), a transitional mud-to-sand part with one main channel (w/d  20–30), a number of sinuous palaeochannels and oxbows, and only limited standing water; and Zone 3 (17.5–28 km), a sandy distal part with a single meandering channel (w/d  15–30), scroll bars and oxbows, and little standing water. Each zone also has a distinctive sedimentology: Zone 1 is characterised by an  3–4 m thick succession of basal sand and minor granules overlain by dominantly muddy sediment deposited primarily by oblique accretion in meander bends; Zone 2 is characterised by < 4 m of interbedded sand and mud deposited primarily by lateral point-bar accretion, although a history of avulsions also attests to the importance of abandoned-channel accretion; and Zone 3 is characterised by < 3 m of dominantly sand deposited primarily by lateral point-bar accretion. This unusual downstream sediment coarsening trend, and the associated changes in channel and floodplain character, are independent of sediment inputs from tributaries, and result from a downstream increase in bankfull unit stream power from < 3.5 W m^− 2 (Zone 1) to  4–10 W m^− 2 (Zone 3). Mud is deposited primarily in low-energy Zone 1 but is conveyed in suspension more effectively through higher energy Zones 2 and 3, only forming drapes over sandy lateral accretion deposits during waning flood stages. The downstream increase in unit stream power is controlled in part by a slight downstream increase in floodplain gradient that may be related to a subtle variation in the erosional resistance of the bedrock underlying the channel bed. These findings add to previous work on meandering rivers by demonstrating that mud-dominated meanders can occur in long-term erosional settings where the channel bed is grounded on bedrock, and that downstream fining trends may be reversed locally.     

山西沁水盆地东缘太行大断裂构造变形特征及其成因探讨

太行大断裂是山西沁水盆地与太行山隆起的分界,也是华北克拉通内部重要的构造变形带。通过对断层破碎带、断层相关褶皱及共轭节理的野外详细测量,研究了太行大断裂的构造变形特征,探讨其形成的古构造应力场。研究认为,太行大断裂可能经历了3期构造应力作用:(1)印支期在华南、华北板块碰撞的远程效应作用下表现出近N—S向挤压构造应力场。(2)燕山期表现为E—W向至NWW—SEE向挤压构造应力场。(3)喜马拉雅期由NWW—SEE向挤压转换为NE—SW向挤压(或NW—SE向伸展)。太行大断裂由北至南可分为:(1)北段,由3条呈右阶斜列的大型逆断层组成,基岩出露,以逆冲推覆为主。(2)中段,地表出露斜歪褶皱和逆冲断层组合。(3)南段,发育强烈的挤压破碎带,该带中广泛发育构造角砾岩和构造透镜体,构造挤压带内的构造透镜体陡立,显示近水平方向的挤压。