Present state of geodynamic properties of Kalabsha area, nortwest of Aswan Lake, Egypt

Aswan Lake is the second largest man-made lake in the world. Its filling started 1964 and reached the maximum water level in 1978. An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 took place in 1981 along the most active fault near the lake (Kalabsha fault). This earthquake was follwed by a tremendous number of smaller events that continue till now.Seismicity and the underground water table around the lake are monitored continuously through a radio-telemetered network. A local geodetic network was established around parts of the active faults in the northwestern part of the High Dam Lake, for monitoring vertical and lateral movements. The Kalabsha local geodetic network (the first one) was established around an active part of the Kalabsha fault in 1983. Precise geodetic measurements have benn carried out twice a year since 1984.On the basis of the repeated geodetic measurements, seismicity of the area and geophysical as well as geological data, the present state of the geodynamical properties of the Kalabsha area is studied.Remarkable horizontal movements were detected; they are correlated with the seismicity of the area and are attributed to the differential loading by the lake. The Kalabsha fault is a right-lateral strike-slip motion on an E-W plane. The magnitude of the movements detected along the fault is variable for the different epochs of measurements and is correlated with both seismicity and water loading in the lake.     

Recent crustal movement studies at seiyal area, northwest of aswan Lake, Egypt

A local geodetic network of 20 points was established in 1988 around the Seiyal fault for monitoring lateral movements. Two levellinglines, crossing the fault, were prepared for monitoring vertical movements. The initial horizontal geodetic measurements were carried out in March 1989. The measurements were repeated twice a year. The initial vertical geodetic measurements (levelling) were carried out in November 1989 and repeated in November 1990.Four horizontal geodetic measurements and two levelling measurements were analysed. The results revealed remarkable horizontal and vertical changes during the period of measurement.     

Recent crustal movement studies in Aswan region, Egypt: introduction

After the November 1981 earthquake in the Aswan area along the Kalabsha fault, Nubian Desert, studies on its origin were initiated in the Helwan Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics [now National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) in Helwan]. As a first step an array of seismic stations were established in cooperation with the Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory and the correlation between the number of seismic events and the water level in Lake Nasser was investigated. In order to understand the eartqquake mechanism, additional information on the crustal deformation due to water load was required, and the International Center on Recent Crustal Movements (ICRCM) was invited to consult in the necessary procedures aimed at recent crustal movement studies around part of the western bank of Lake Nasser. The first local network of horizontal and vertical geodetic measurements was established and measured in 1984. Simultaneously, with respect to the extreme meteorological conditions in the desert, additional investigations as refraction studies, stability of bench marks etc. were initiated. The extension of the network and an increase of repeated measurements first brought results during the last few years. The results of these studies will be reported in the following papers in detail as a homogenous block of scientific communication.     

Gravity map of Kalabsha area, northwest of Aswan Lake, and its structural significance

A detailed gravity survey was carried out in one of the seismo-active areas at the northwestern region of the High Dam Lake (Kalabsha area) to study its subsurface structure. In order to understand the seismicity of the area, the establishment of a geodynamic model from geological and geodetic data is of great importance. After a series of adjustments and corrections of the measured gravity data, free-air and Bouguer anomaly maps were constructed for the Kalabsha area, and several interpretation techniques were applied to analyse these anomalies. The results of the analysis indicate that the Kalabsha area is affected by several faults trending mainly E-W and N-S. The active area located west of Gebel Marawa is bounded by a set of faults striking NE-SW, N-S and E-W. The throws of these faults range from 160 to 370 m.The minimum depth to the basement complex is about 200 m and its maximum depth is around 600 m. The thickness of the sedimentary column (Nubia sandstone) in the Kalabsha area decreases due west and increases toward the southern and eastern parts of the area. The results explain the tectonic framework of the area well.     

Geodesy in Japan

T. Inoh was the first who completed a nation-wide map of Japan, in the beginning of the 19th century. He determined geodetic positions by distance and angle measurements and by astronomical observations. When Japan entered into its modern era, about 100 years ago, the Military Land Survey was established and has conducted geodetic work in Japan ever since until the end of World War II. A German surveying system belonging to Helmert's school was adopted. The Ministry of Education organized later the Geodetic Commission which promoted the geodetic activities in cooperation with the Military Land Survey. Comparison between the first and second nation-wide triangulation results obtained by the Geographical Survey Institute (GSI), the successor of the Military Land Survey, brought out marked horizontal land-deformations associated with a large earthquake. Repetitions of levelling survey also make it clear that vertical land-movements, well consistent with tide-gauge observation data, take place in association with earthquakes. The extensive subsidence in the Northeast Japan may be explained by assuming a sinking lithosphere, as is argued by the theory of plate tectonics. On the other hand, most local movements are closely correlated to pre-, co- and post-seismic land-deformations. The nation-wide gravity survey carried out by the GSI disclosed a complicated gravity distribution in Japan. Ship-borne gravimeters have now been extensively working at sea. One of the recent highlights of gravimetric work is the detection of secular gravity changes which are in accordance with the secular changes of levelling data. A portable absolute-gravity measuring instrument was constructed by the Earthquake Research Institute although it is still in a testing stage. Much advance has been made in the astrogeodetic observation devices since 1950's.     

Non-seismological indications of recent tectonic activity in the West Bohemia earthquake swarm region

The West Bohemia seismoactive region is characterised by repeated occurrence of earthquake swarms with the strongest event of magnitude M=4.5 recorded during the 1985/1986 swarm. In the 1990s, complex observations of some geodynamic parameters have been introduced. Special attention was paid to geodetic measurements, using the techniques of precise levelling and GPS. In the most active focal zone of the region, vertical movements were distributed with an organised pattern during swarm periods but randomly during quiet periods. The GPS data have not shown any systematic trend of horizontal displacements yet. Consistent compression-like indications were obtained between 1998 and 1999 campaigns, followed by a reverse displacement in the subsequent 2000 swarm period. Temporal gravity changes were analysed from a set of data recorded twice a year since 1993. During the last three swarm periods in December 1994, January 1997 and Autumn 2000, significant temporal variations were observed in the most active focal zone of the region. On the contrary, during seismically quiet periods only weak signals of gravity changes were recorded. The variations probably reflected strain evolution in the upper crust with possible effect of fluid migration and mass displacement on gravity. The groundwater level has been recorded in 2 wells. The water level changes differ significantly in their characteristics. Water level record of the first well provides a smooth curve with a noticeable minimum coinciding exactly with the December 1994 swarm and with some changes before the January 1997 and after the Autumn 2000 swarms. The water level record of the other well reflects significant earth tide and air pressure effects. After a complex analysis, sharp residual signals indicated the first strong, macroseismically recorded, events of the Autumn 2000 swarm.     

A preliminary report on the frequency characteristics of near-surface layers in the vicinity of the high dam lake

The frequency characteristics of near-surface sediments obtained from small scale S-wave refraction measurements conducted at two sites in the Garf Hussein area, contiguous to the High Dam Lake, South of Aswan, have shown drastic changes in the frequency-selective amplification of horizontal ground motion within a relatively short surface distance. This effect is attributed mainly to such factors as the variation in layer thickness and the presence or absence of soft alluvial deposits.These results indicate that movements initiated deep in the earth's crust may not be faithfully reflected on the ground surface. As geodetic work principally involves monitoring relative horizontal and vertical displacements on the earth's surface with time, geodesists are advised to take the spectral response of the ground into consideration.     

Geodynamic pattern of the West Bohemia region based on permanent GPS measurements

In West Bohemia in the period of 2003–2005 five permanent GPS stations were established to detect local movement trends. Their mutual position changes were determined from time series of GPS observations and were associated with seismic, gravity, and geo-scientific data related to the geodynamics of the West Bohemian region. Knowledge of local physical processes based on spatial and time earthquake occurrences, focal mechanisms of main events, stress and strain fields set up a tool for recent seismotectonic analyses. The permanent GPS measurements bring independent effective phenomenon, direct monitoring of site movements. The movements detected by our GPS stations evidenced WSW-ENE extension with subsiding trends in the western part of the Cheb Basin and the Smrčiny Mts. Besides, there were monitored dextral movements along the Mariánské Lázně tectonic fault zone (MLF). A comparison of results with previous data formed a presumption that an antithetic stress pattern has to exist inside the inner part of the MLF tectonic zone. This antithetic stress can explain the coexistence of dextral and sinistral movements on individual tectonic elements in the West Bohemian area.     

Repeated Geodetic Measurements in the West Bohemia Seismoactive Region: Period 1993 - 1996

The western part of the Bohemian Massif is characterized by repeated occurrences of intraplate earthquake swarms. To study surface deformations of this anomalous region, a network covering about 2000 square kilometres for repeated geodetic measurements was established in 1993 - 1994. The positions of the individual points of the network were carefully picked with respect to local tectonic structure and earthquake foci distribution. GPS and precise levelling measurements were performed 1-2 times a year. The GPS data were processed by Bernese GPS software. No tendency to any displacement - either horizontal or vertical - of geological blocks was derived from the geodetic data for the period 1993 - 96. Only displacements of less than 5 mm/year in average could occur in the whole region in that period; larger displacements would have been revealed by our measurements.     

Basement relief map of kalabsha and seiyal areas, northwest of Aswan lake, Egypt

The Bouguer anomaly map of the Kalabsha and Seiyal areas was analysed on the basis of the available data about the depth to the basement from three boreholes. The density contrast between the basement complex and the Nubia formation was estimated from the gravity values and basement depths. Applying the estimated value of the density contrast, a residual map representing the basement effect and a basement relief map were constructed. The basement depth in Kalabsha and Seiyal areas range from 150 to 500 m below mean sea level. Comparing the general characteristics of the Bouguer anomaly of the Kalabsha and Seiyal areas with the clusters of earthquakes in the area since 1982 till present reveals a gravity low coinciding with a deep focal area. The gravity values increase toward a shallow focal area.     

Gravity changes and present-day dynamics of the island of Pantelleria (Sicily Channel—Italy)

The island of Pantelleria is an active volcano located in the Sicily Channel (southern Italy), occurring in the middle of a continental rift system.Since the 1980's the island has been periodically surveyed by means of geodetic and geophysical methods to monitor the regional and local volcanic dynamics. Also, high-precision gravity measurements were started in 1990.The present paper is an analysis of the time-space gravity changes. Gravity measurements were carried out on a network presently formed by twenty stations. The gravity network was fully surveyed in June 1990 and June 1995 and partially surveyed in September 1993. Two absolute gravity stations were established in 1993 to provide a reference system and to check for long-term variations.The areal distribution of the gravity changes during the 1990–1995 time interval, obtained in the thirteen stations of the 1990 network, is strongly similar to the Bouguer anomaly field and to the large-scale features of the basement of the island. Otherwise, gravity changes are directly correlated with the Bouguer anomaly and inversely correlated with the altimetric variations. Comparison with the geological setting suggests that the present activity may be ascribed to the influence of the geodynamics of the Sicily Channel.     

Estimates of vertical crustal movements along the coast of Greece,based on mean sea level data

Mean annual sea level (MASL) data for 25 Greek stations were analyzed for the time period 1969–1982. The data from 4 of these were unacceptably poor, and the record of 3 stations showed unexplained step functions that were interpreted as errors. Relative MASL between stations showed crustal stability at 10 of the 18 useful stations. The standard deviation from the long-term average of these stations was ±1.8 cm. We conclude that if station records are carefully kept in this area crustal movements in excess of 5 cm can be detected by relative MASL. A comparison of MASL data with gravity changes measured in the Peloponnese and Central Greece suggests that vertical movements occurred along a gradient equal to or larger than the free air gradient. We conclude that the gravity network should be reoccupied frequently such that the non-tectonic effects to be determined from the probable observed gravity changes, and the tectonic vertical movements may be better understood. A co-seismic subsidence of about 5 cm is inferred to have taken place near Korinth during the 1981,M _s =6.8, earthquake, which occurred 20 km N of this tide gauge (Posidonia). During 2.5 years before the 1968 Thessaloniki,M _s =6.6, earthquake, sea level was lower than average suggesting possible crustal elevation of 3.6 cm at about 28 km epicentral distance. Because of the small amplitude of this change we are not certain that it represents crustal uplift. At station Myrina (on Limnos) a strong and consistent trend of subsidence accumulated a 15 cm change between 1975 and 1980. Chios showed a trend of emergence (total accumulation about +5 cm), while Volos showed a trend of subsidence (approximately ?5 cm total). Kefalinia appears to have subsided about 10 cm during the data period. The six stations along the Hellenic arc plate boundary showed nearly constant MASL, suggesting that crustal stability existed there during the last 14 years. We conclude that MASL data in Greece can be useful for understanding tectonic processes, especially if these data are gathered carefully and at numerous locations, and are cross-correlated to high precision repeat gravity measurements, and geodetic releveling. Also, MASL data on active volcanic islands have excellent potential for detecting uplift before future eruptions.     

Active fault and water loading are important factors in triggering earthquake activity around Aswan Lake

Aswan Lake started impounding in 1964 and reached the highest water level so far in 1978 with a capacity of 133.8 km³, thus forming the second largest man-made lake in the world. An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 (Ms) took place on 14 November 1981 along the most active part of the E-W Kalabsha fault beneath the Kalabsha bay (the largest bay of the lake). This earthquake was followed by a tremendous number of smaller events that continue till now. A radio-telemetry network of 13 seismic short period stations and a piezometer network of six wells were established around the northern part of the lake.Epicenters were found to cluster around active faults near the lake. The space-time distribution and the relation of the seismicity with the lake water level fluctuations were studied. Six years after flooding the eastern segment of the Kalabsha fault, strong seismicity began following the main shock of 14 November 1981. It occurred four days after the reservoir had reached its seasonal max level. The effect of the North African drought (1982 to present) is clearly seen in the reservoir water level. As it decreased and left the most active fault segments uncovered, the activity (Gebel Marawa area) decreased sharply. Also, the shallow activity was found to be more sensitive to rapid discharging than to the filling. This study indicates that geology, topography, lineations in seismicity, offsets in the faults, changes in fault trends and focal mechanisms are closely related. No relation was found between earthquake activity and both-ground water table fluctuations and water temperatures measured in wells located around the Kalabsha area.     

Temporal Variations of Gravity in Western Bohemia: Period 1993 - 1996

The gravimetric investigation of the seismoactive area in Western Bohemia started in 1991 with local experimental measurements in a small area around the principal Mariánské Lázn fault close to Nový Kostel. With respect to the aims of the study, the method was designed for complex investigations in combination with GPS measurements, hydrological and geological research starting in 1993. Precise levelling was included into the project to specify vertical displacements with high accuracy in order to eliminate their influence on gravity. Temporal changes of gravity were observed during the initial stage in 1993 - 1995.     

The relationship of recent vertical movements to the morphostructural pattern of the Kazakh shield

The geodetic data on recent vertical crustal movements within the Kazakh shields is in good correlation with its development in the Holocene (according to a study of juvenile river terraces); they point to gradual transition of the shield to the platform morphostructures of Western Siberia and a contrasting joining with the Central Asia orogenic belt. Small gradients of recent vertical movements dominate the shield. Moderate gradients are typical of local structures, whereas increased and extremely high gradients belong to active deep fault zones.     

Comparison of global geopotential models from the champ and grace missions for regional geoid modelling in Turkey

The continuous efforts on establishment and modernization of the geodetic control in Turkey include a number of regional geoid models that have been determined since 1976. The recently released gravimetric Geoid of Turkey, TG03, is used in geodetic applications where GPS-heights need to be converted to the local vertical datum. To reach a regional geoid model with improved accuracy, the selection of the appropriate global geopotential model is of primary importance. This study assesses the performance of a number of recent satellite-only and combined global geopotential models (GGMs) derived from CHAMP and GRACE missions’ data in comparison to the older EGM96 model, which is the underlying reference model for TG03. In this respect, gravity anomalies and geoid heights from the global geopotential models were compared with terrestrial gravity data and low-pass filtered GPS/levelling data, respectively. Also, five new gravimetric geoid models, computed by the Fast Fourier Transform technique using terrestrial gravity data and the geopotential models, were validated at the GPS/levelling benchmarks. The findings were also compared with the validation results of the TG03 model. The tests showed that as it was expected any of the high-degree combined models (EIGEN-CG03C, EIGEN-GL04C, EGM96) can be employed for determining the gravity anomalies over Turkey. In the west of Turkey, EGM96 and EIGEN-CHAMP03S fit the GPS/levelling surface better. However, all the tested GGMs revealed equal performance when they were employed in gravimetric geoid modelling after de-trending the gravimetric geoid model with corrector surface fitting. The new geoid models have improved accuracy (after fit) compared to TG03.     

Long-term and seasonal gravity changes at the Strasbourg station and their relation to crustal deformation and hydrology

The time-varying gravity is observed at the Strasbourg station with super-conducting gravimeters (SG) since 1987, with a first record from 1987 to 1996 (GWR T005) and a second one in continuity from 1996 till now (GWR C026). The long-term behaviour of the SG is constrained by regular absolute gravity (AG) measurements, which are performed in parallel since 1989, first with the JILAg-5 instrument and later on with the FG5#206. Moreover, a permanent GPS station, which belongs to the French geodetic network, has been installed at the end of 1999. We will show that the AG measurements suggest that the gravity is slowly increasing in time at a rate of about 1.6 μGal/year, and besides, exhibits a quasi-annual component of several μGal variable amplitude. We present an analysis of the GPS data obtained at the SG station in the Rhine graben as well as at another regional station in the Vosges mountains distant by about 40 km in order to constrain the gravity contribution due to the vertical displacement of the station in the earth's gravity field (geometrical part). The tectonic context of the region is described and our first results from our two data sets of limited duration suggest a small subsidence of our station in the graben; however, this fact needs further confirmation when more geodetic data will be available. We also analyze the water table changes beneath the station (local scale) and in the Alsatian Plain (regional scale) to estimate the hydrological contributions from ground water to the gravity residual signal, and we show that some similarities exist between the gravity residuals and the hydrological contributions, especially for the seasonal terms. Other missing contributions of annual period (air mass motion in the atmosphere, ocean circulation, continental hydrology) have to be considered.     

On crustal movement in Mt. Qomolangma area

Mt. Qomolangma lies in the collision zone between the fringe of Eurasia plate and Indian plate. The crustal movement there is still very active so far. In the past three decades China carried out five geodetic campaigns in Mt. Qomolangma and its north vicinal area, independently or cooperatively with other countries, including triangulation, leveling, GPS positioning, atmospheric, astronomical and gravity measurements. On the basis of the observation results achieved in the campaigns the crustal movements in the area were studied and explored. A non-stationary phenomenon both in time and space of the crustal vertical movement in the area is found. There seems to be some relevance between the phenomenon of non-stationary in time and seismic episode in China. The phenomenon of non-stationary in space is possibly relevant to the no-homo- geneity of crustal medium and non-uniform absorption of terrestrial stress. The horizontal crustal movement in the area is in the direction of NEE at a speed of 6–7 cm per year, and the trend of strike slip movement is manifested evidently in the collision fringe of Indian plate and Qinghai-Xizang block.     

Land Water Storage Changes from Ground and Space Geodesy: First Results from the GHYRAF (Gravity and Hydrology in Africa) Experiment

This paper is devoted to the first results from the GHYRAF (Gravity and Hydrology in Africa) experiment conducted since 2008 in West Africa and is aimed at investigating the changes in water storage in different regions sampling a strong rainfall gradient from the Sahara to the monsoon zone. The analysis of GPS vertical displacement in Niamey (Niger) and Djougou (Benin) shows that there is a clear annual signature of the hydrological load in agreement with global hydrology models like GLDAS. The comparison of GRACE solutions in West Africa, and more specifically in the Niger and Lake Chad basins, reveals a good agreement for the large scale annual water storage changes between global hydrology models and space gravity observations. Ground gravity observations done with an FG5 absolute gravimeter also show signals which can be well related to measured changes in soil and ground water. We present the first results for two sites in the Sahelian band (Wankama and Diffa in Niger) and one (Djougou in Benin) in the Sudanian monsoon region related to the recharge–discharge processes due to the monsoonal event in summer 2008 and the following dry season. It is confirmed that ground gravimetry is a useful tool to constrain local water storage changes when associated to hydrological and subsurface geophysical in situ measurements.     

Electrical structure of the tectonically active Kalabsha Fault, Aswan, Egypt

In this work, we use the magnetotelluric (MT) method to detect geoelectrical conductivity anomalies in the Earth's crust and link them to local seismic activity. This application affords the unusual opportunity to study the percolation of water from a lake into a fault system and its effect on the induced seismicity. MT measurements were carried out in the period range 0.0046–420 s at nine sites along a 15 km-long North–South profile crossing the Kalabsha Fault, on the western bank of Lake Aswan. Data were analysed by 2D simultaneous inversion of both polarisations. The resulting model is compared with the local seismicity map and reveals the conductive signature of the fault, as well as geological and tectonic stresses prevailing in the Aswan area. Our MT investigations show the following features:

The measured MT strike aligns with the seismic epicentre axis corresponding to the Kalabsha Fault.

While crossing the Fault, enhanced conductivity is found down to depths of 5 km on a 1–2 km profile segment.

At mid-crustal depths (20 km), a very high conductive body is found to coincide with the main seismic cluster in the Aswan area.

These observations indicate that seismic activity and high electrical conductivity are related. The link between them is the presence of crustal fluids which are presumably the cause of the high conductivity observed. Their presence is also required to trigger the observed seismicity. In addition, we explain the lower conductivity of the local upper crust in terms of stress-modulated rock porosity. We believe that these results are of general significance, as they could explain the mid-crustal seismicity of tectonically active zones.