Strain pattern represented by scarps formed during the earthquakes of October 2, 1915, Pleasant Valley, Nevada

The pattern of scarps developed during the earthquakes of October 2, 1915, in Pleasant Valley, Nevada, may have formed as a result of a modern stress system acting on a set of fractures produced by an earlier stress system which was oriented differently. Four major scarps developed in a right-stepping, en-echelon pattern suggestive of left-lateral slip across the zone and an extension axis oriented approximately S85°W. The trend of the zone is N25°E. However, the orientation of simple dip-slip on most segments trending approximately N20—40° E and a right-lateral component of displacement on several N- and NW-trending segments of the scarps indicate that the axis of regional extension was oriented between N50° and 70° W, normal to the zone.The cumulative length of the scarps is 60 km, average vertical displacement 2 m, and the maximum vertical displacement near the Pearce School site 5.8 m. Almost everywhere the 1915 scarps formed along an older scarp line, and in some places older scarps represent multiple previous events. The most recent displacement event prior to 1915 is interpreted to have occurred more than 6600 years ago, but possibly less than 20,000 years ago. Some faults expressed by older scarps that trend northwest were not reactivated in 1915, possibly because they are oriented at a low angle with respect to the axis of modern regional extension.The 1915 event occurred in an area of overlap of three regional fault trends oriented northwest, north, and northeast and referred to, respectively, as the Oregon—Nevada, Northwest Nevada, and Midas—Battle Moutain trends. Each of these trends may have developed at a different time; the Oregon—Nevada trend was possibly the earliest and developed in Late Miocene time (Stewart et al. 1975). Segments of the 1915 scarps are parallel to each of these trends, suggesting influence by older sets of fractures.     

The earthquake of June 1, 1905, Shkodra, Albania; Intensity distribution and macroseismic epicentre

The earthquake at Shkodra, on June 1, 1905, represents one of the strongest seismic phenomena which has occurred in Albania. This quake has attracted the attention of seismologists of various countries, some of whom have made special studies of it.It is shown that the mean epicentral intensity of this earthquake was 9 degrees (MSK-64 scale) and that the macroseismic epicentre is situated near the Trush village (42° 02′N 19°30′E).These results are based on the macroseismic data gathered from different sources: 40 photographs which show the damage caused by this earthquake in the Shkodra city of that time and which were first brought to light in 1972 (some of them are published in this paper) and on the data of seismological expeditions to the Shkodra and Lezha districts.This present paper is intended to demonstrate that soil conditions strongly influence the observed intensity even at very short distances from the epicentre. The difference of the observed intensity may be up to 2 degrees between firm (limestone, flysch) and loose soil conditions.     

Seismicity of the Tanzania region

The seismicity of the East African Rift system within the region bounded by latitudes 2°N and 12°S and longitudes 28°E and 40°E has been studied as far as all available instrumentally based material permits. An earthquake catalogue is presented and the data contained therein are used for tectonophysical investigations, including frequency—magnitude relations and time and space distribution of the seismicity within the region. In addition, earthquake engineering aspects are discussed.     

Structural fabric of the Central Metasedimentary Belt of southern Ontario, Canada, from deep seismic profiling

The Central Metasedimentary Belt boundary tectonic zone (CMBbtz) is a 10–20-km-wide zone of intense structural deformation within the 1.3–1.0 Ga Grenville orogen of southeastern Canada. The crustal structure of the exposed CMBbtz has been well studied, but its sub-Phanerozoic location and geometry beneath the urban development and nuclear stations of the Toronto region are not well known. A new 75-km Lithoprobe reflection profile acquired close to Toronto provides a clear image of the CMBbtz as a panel of southeast-dipping reflections that extends with moderate dip (<25°) to mid-crustal depth (25 km). These dipping reflections truncate and (or) overprint a subhorizontal band of reflectivity at 21 km depth. The seismic line is oblique to the major structural trends; cross-dip analysis shows that the southeast-dipping reflections have a strike and dip of N13°E and 25°, whereas the “subhorizontal” reflections strike and dip at N65°E and 20°, respectively. Both of these bands of reflectivity can be correlated to magnetic anomalies in the CMBbtz or its immediate footwall. Magnetic anomalies with similar strike directions are well expressed within a distinct rhomboid-shaped region (106×109 km) in the subsurface of western Lake Ontario, herein named Mississauga domain. Taken together, the seismic and magnetic data are inconsistent with existing models, in which the CMBbtz is extrapolated beneath Lake Ontario along a linear magnetic anomaly. We propose a revised subsurface trace of the CMBbtz along the western edge of the Mississauga domain. Small earthquakes in western Lake Ontario appear to cluster along trends co-linear with ENE magnetic anomalies, suggesting a possible degree of basement tectonic control on local intraplate seismicity.     

Complex geometry and segmentation of the surface rupture associated with the 14 November 2001 great Kunlun earthquake, northern Tibet, China

The 14 November 2001 Kunlun, China, earthquake with a moment magnitude (M_w) 7.8 occurred along the Kusai Lake–Kunlun Pass fault of the Kunlun fault system. We document the spatial distribution and geometry of surface rupture zone produced by this earthquake, based on high-resolution satellite (Landsat ETM, ASTER, SPOT and IKONOS) images combined with field measurements. Our results show that the surface rupture zone can be divided into five segments according to the geometry of surface rupture, including the Sun Lake, Buka Daban–Hongshui River, Kusai Lake, Hubei Peak and Kunlun Pass segments from west to east. These segments, each 55 to 130 km long, are separated by step-overs. The Sun Lake segment extends about 65 km with a strike of N45° 75°W (between 90°05′E 90°50′E) along the previously unrecognized West Sun Lake fault. A gap of about 30 km long exists between the Sun Lake and Buka Daban Peak where no obvious surface ruptures can be observed either from the satellite images or field observations. The Buka Daban–Hongshui River, Kusai Lake, Hubei Peak and Kunlun Pass segments run about 365 km striking N75° 85°W along the southern slope of the Kunlun Mountains (between 91°07′E 94°58′E). This segmentation of the surface rupture is well correlated with the pattern of slip distribution measured in the field. Detailed mapping suggest that these five first-order segments can be further separated into over 20 second-order segments with a length of 10–30 km, linked by smaller scale step-overs or bends.Our result also shows that the total coseismic surface rupture length produced by the 2001 Kunlun earthquake is about 430 km (excluding the 30-km-long gap), which is the longest coseismic surface rupture for an intracontinental earthquake ever recorded.Finally, we suggest a multiple bilateral rupture propagation model that shows the rupture process of the 2001 M_w 7.8 earthquake is complex. It consists of westward and eastward rupture propagations and interaction of these bilateral rupture processes.     

Absolute velocity of North America during the Mesozoic from paleomagnetic data

We use paleomagnetic data to map Mesozoic absolute motion of North America, using paleomagnetic Euler poles (PEP). First, we address two important questions: (1) How much clockwise rotation has been experienced by crustal blocks within and adjacent to the Colorado Plateau? (2) Why is there disagreement between the apparent polar wander (APW) path constructed using poles from southwestern North America and the alternative path based on poles from eastern North America? Regarding (1), a 10.5° clockwise rotation of the Colorado Plateau about a pole located near 35°N, 102°W seems to fit the evidence best. Regarding (2), it appears that some rock units from the Appalachian region retain a hard overprint acquired during the mid-Cretaceous, when the geomagnetic field had constant normal polarity and APW was negligible.We found three well-defined small-circle APW tracks: 245–200 Ma (PEP at 39.2°N, 245.2°E, R=81.1°, root mean square error (RMS)=1.82°), 200–160 Ma (38.5°N, 270.1°E, R=80.4°, RMS=1.06°), 160 to 125 Ma (45.1°N, 48.5°E, R=60.7°, RMS=1.84°). Intersections of these tracks (the “cusps” of Gordon et al. [Tectonics 3 (1984) 499]) are located at 59.6°N, 69.5°E (the 200 Ma or “J1” cusp) and 48.9°N, 144.0°E (the 160 Ma or “J2” cusp). At these times, the absolute velocity of North America appears to have changed abruptly.North America absolute motion also changed abruptly at the beginning and end of the Cretaceous APW stillstand, currently dated at about 125 and 88 Ma (J. Geophys. Res. 97 (1992b) 19651). During this interval, the APW path degenerates into a single point, implying rotation about an Euler pole coincident with the spin axis.Using our PEP and cusp locations, we calculate the absolute motion of seven points on the North American continent. Our intention is to provide a chronological framework for the analysis of Mesozoic tectonics. Clearly, if APW is caused by plate motion, abrupt changes in absolute motion should correlate with major tectonic events. This follows because large accelerations reflect important changes in the balance of forces acting on the plate, the most important of which are edge effects (subduction, terrane accretion, etc.). Some tectonic interpretations: (1) The J1 cusp may be associated with the inception of rifting of North America away from land masses to the east; the J2 cusp seems to mark the beginning of rapid spreading in the North Atlantic. (2) The J2 cusp signals the beginning of a period of rapid northwestward absolute motion of western North America; motion of tectonostratigraphic terranes in the westernmost Cordillera seems likely to have been directed toward the south during this interval. (3) The interval 88 to 80 Ma saw a rapid decrease in the paleolatitude of North America; unless this represents a period of true polar wander, terrane motion during this time should have been relatively northward.     

Structure and tectonic evolution of the Southern Eurasia Basin, Arctic Ocean

Multichannel seismic reflection data acquired by Marine Arctic Geological Expedition (MAGE) of Murmansk, Russia in 1990 provide the first view of the geological structure of the Arctic region between 77–80°N and 115–133°E, where the Eurasia Basin of the Arctic Ocean adjoins the passive-transform continental margin of the Laptev Sea. South of 80°N, the oceanic basement of the Eurasia Basin and continental basement of the Laptev Sea outer margin are covered by 1.5 to 8 km of sediments. Two structural sequences are distinguished in the sedimentary cover within the Laptev Sea outer margin and at the continent/ocean crust transition: the lower rift sequence, including mostly Upper Cretaceous to Lower Paleocene deposits, and the upper post-rift sequence, consisting of Cenozoic sediments. In the adjoining Eurasia Basin of the Arctic Ocean, the Cenozoic post-rift sequence consists of a few sedimentary successions deposited by several submarine fans. Based on the multichannel seismic reflection data, the structural pattern was determined and an isopach map of the sedimentary cover and tectonic zoning map were constructed. A location of the continent/ocean crust transition is tentatively defined. A buried continuation of the mid-ocean Gakkel Ridge is also detected. This study suggests that south of 78.5°N there was the cessation in the tectonic activity of the Gakkel Ridge Rift from 33–30 until 3–1 Ma and there was no sea-floor spreading in the southernmost part of the Eurasia Basin during the last 30–33 m.y. South of 78.5°N all oceanic crust of the Eurasia Basin near the continental margin of the Laptev Sea was formed from 56 to 33–30 Ma.     

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.     

An earthquake catalogue for Turkey for the interval 1913–1970

An earthquake catalogue has been prepared for the whole area of Turkey (within latitudes 35.5° N to 42.5°N and longitudes 25.5°E to 45.0°E) for the years 1913 to 1970. By computer recalculation of all source parameters and by using a consistent system for magnitude determinations, we have aimed at the highest possible homogeneity and completeness within the limits given.     

The pyrenean earthquake of february 29, 1980: An example of complex faulting

An M_b = 5.1 earthquake occurred on February, 29, 1980, in the Western Pyrenees near Arudy (France). The telemetred network of the I.P.G.P., operating in this area since 1978, allowed a good localization of this earthquake (43°4.21′N, 0°24.59′W, depth 4km). During the two years preceding this earthquake the seismic activity exhibited a gradual decrease. A foreshock of magnitude 1.6 was recorded three hours before the main shock.A temporary network set up in the epicentral area a few days after the main shock permitted a precise study of the aftershock sequence. Fifty fault-plane solutions for earthquakes ranging from magnitude 1.5-4 were obtained. A complex pattern of faulting was revealed, with both strike-slip and normal faulting. However, a regional tectonic stress tensor can be proposed from a detailed investigation of the aftershock sequence. This stress tensor is in agreement with previous results in this area.     

Source parameters of the ML 4.1 earthquake of November 08, 2006, southeast Beni-Suef, northern Egypt

In the early morning hours on Wednesday November 08, 2006 at 04:32:10(GMT) a small earthquake of M_L 4.1 has occurred at southeast Beni-Suef, approximately 160 km SEE of Cairo, northern Egypt. The quake has been felt as far as Cairo and its surroundings while no casualties were reported. The instrumental epicentre is located at 28.57°N and 31.55°E. Seismic moment is 1.76 E14 Nm, corresponding to a moment magnitude M_w 3.5. Following a Brune model, the source radius is 0.3 km with an average dislocation of 1.8 cm and a 2.4 MPa stress drop. The source mechanism from a first motion fault plane solution shows a left-lateral strike-slip mechanism with a minor dip-slip component along fault NNW striking at 161°, dipping 52° to the west and rake −5°. Trend and plunging of the maximum and minimum principle axes P/T are 125°, 28°, 21°, and 23°, respectively. A comparison with the mechanism of the October, 1999 event shows similarities in faulting type and orientation of nodal planes.Eight small earthquakes (3.0  M_L < 5.0) were also recorded by the Egyptian National Seismological Network (ENSN) from the same region. We estimate the source parameters and fault mechanism solutions (FMS) for these earthquakes using displacement spectra and P-wave polarities, respectively. The obtained source parameters including seismic moments of 4.9 × 10¹²–5.04 × 10¹⁵ Nm, stress drops of 0.2–4.9 MPa and relative displacement of 0.1–9.1 cm. The azimuths of T-axes determined from FMS are oriented in NNE–SSW direction. This direction is consistent with the present-day stress field in Egypt and the last phase of stress field changes in the Late Pleistocene, as well as with recent GPS measurements.     

Internal deformation of Sikhote Alin volcanic belt, far eastern Russia: Paleocene paleomagnetic results

We present paleomagnetic results of Paleocene welded tuffs of the 53–50 Ma Bogopol Group from the northern region (46°N, 137°E) of the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt. Characteristic paleomagnetic directions with high unblocking temperature components above 560 °C were isolated from all the sites. A tilt-corrected mean paleomagnetic direction from the northern region is D=345.8°, I=49.9°, α₉₅=14.6° (N=9). The reliability of the magnetization is ascertained through the presence of normal and reversed polarities. The mean paleomagnetic direction from the northern region of the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt reflects a counterclockwise rotation of 29° from the Paleocene mean paleomagnetic direction expected from its southern region. The counterclockwise rotation of 25° is suggested from the paleomagnetic data of the Kisin Group that underlies the Bogopol Group. These results establish that internal tectonic deformation occurred within the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt over the past 50 Ma. The northern region from 44.6° to 46.0°N in the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt was subjected to counterclockwise rotational motion through 29±17° with respect to the southern region. The tectonic rotation of the northern region is ascribable to relative motion between the Zhuravlevka terrane and the Olginsk–Taukhinsk terranes that compose the basements of the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt.     

Recent activity and seismotectonics of the Eastern Pyrenees

Results from a recent earthquake in the Eastern Pyrenees are presented and the seismotectonics of the region is analyzed from the presently available data. On 26 September 1984 an earthquake (M_L = 4.4) took place in the area of the historical destructive earthquake of 1428. Several portable stations installed in the epicentral area to record aftershocks permitted of defining a precise location at 42°19.2′N, 2°10.2′E and 5 km depth. A maximum felt intensity of V (MSK) is obtained from macroseismic data. The epicentral location lies within a block bounded by E-W-trending structures and the focal solution shows right-lateral shearing with a NW-SE pressure axis.The seismicity in the Eastern Pyrenees shows a complex pattern which can be associated with both E-W fractures and NE-SW fault systems. Focal solutions of another two recent earthquakes of M_L ~ 4, with differences in horizontal pressure axis, are also discussed.     

Focal mechanism solution of the Himalayan earthquake of February 14, 1977

Through a closely spaced local network of seismic stations in Himachal Pradesh, India, supplemented by worldwide P-wave first-motion data, the source mechanism of the February 14, 1977 earthquake which occurred very close to the Rawalpindi area in Pakistan has been determined. The fault-plane solution as reported earlier for this event by Seeber and Armbruster (1979) showed thrust faulting. The reliability of their solution has been tested using more P-wave first-motion data from near Indian stations within the epicentral distance of 4°–7°, as well as from distant stations. The inclusion of data from these stations completely changed the type of faulting from thrust to normal type. The new solution parameters have been briefly discussed in relation to the local geological faults/thrusts.     

The April 2007 earthquake swarm near Lake Trichonis and implications for active tectonics in western Greece

We investigate the properties of the April 2007 earthquake swarm (Mw 5.2) which occurred at the vicinity of Lake Trichonis (western Greece). First we relocated the earthquakes, using P- and S-wave arrivals to the stations of the Hellenic Unified Seismic Network (HUSN), and then we applied moment tensor inversion to regional broad-band waveforms to obtain the focal mechanisms of the strongest events of the 2007 swarm. The relocated epicentres, cluster along the eastern banks of the lake, and follow a distinct NNW–ESE trend. The previous strong sequence close to Lake Trichonis occurred in June–December 1975. We applied teleseismic body waveform inversion, to obtain the focal mechanism solution of the strongest earthquake of this sequence, i.e. the 31 December 1975 (Mw 6.0) event. Our results indicate that: a) the 31 December 1975 Mw 6.0 event was produced by a NW–SE normal fault, dipping to the NE, with considerable sinistral strike-slip component; we relocated its epicentre: i) using phase data reported to ISC and its coordinates are 38.486°N, 21.661°E; ii) using the available macroseismic data, and the coordinates of the macroseismic epicentre are 38.49°N, 21.63°E, close to the strongly affected village of Kato Makrinou; b) the earthquakes of the 2007 swarm indicate a NNW–SSE strike for the activated main structure, parallel to the eastern banks of Lake Trichonis, dipping to the NE and characterized by mainly normal faulting, occasionally combined with sinistral strike-slip component. The 2007 earthquake swarm did not rupture the well documented E–W striking Trichonis normal fault that bounds the southern flank of the lake, but on the contrary it is due to rupture of a NW–SE normal fault that strikes at a  45° angle to the Trichonis fault. The left-lateral component of faulting is mapped for the first time to the north of the Gulf of Patras which was previously regarded as the boundary for strike-slip motions in western Greece. This result signifies the importance of further investigations to unravel in detail the tectonics of this region.     

An analysis of the gravity field over north Singhbhum, Bihar, India

About seven hundred gravity stations were established 2–3 miles apart over the Precambrian terrain of Singhbhum that lies between latitude 22° 15′ to 23°°15′N and longitude 85° to 87°E. Bouguer anomalies ranging from +4 to −62 mGal are found in the area. The observed Bouguer anomaly map was analyzed into regional and residual components. The residual anomaly map shows an excellent correlation with geology. The Singhbhum granite batholith is associated with several gravity lows. The residual anomaly map outlines nine plutonic granitic masses within the Singhbhum batholith. Negative residuals are also observed over some intrusive granites outside the batholith. Residual gravity highs are noted over the Dalma hill as well as over the Dhanjori lava complex on the eastern part of the Singhbhum batholith.Two-dimensional models suggestive of subsurface configuration of several major geologic units in the area are presented. These indicate that some of the plutonic granites within the Singhbhum batholith are of relatively large dimensions. The basin containing the Iron Ore Group of rocks to the west of the batholith, as well as the basin containing Singhbhum Group of rocks outside the Copper Belt thrust, may have sedimentary thicknesses of the order of 6–7 km. The Dalma lavas attain their maximum thickness of about 2.5 km in the form of a syncline, underneath which the Singhbhum Group of rocks is also found to be the thickest. The Copper Belt thrust, a major Precambrian fracture around the Singhbhum batholith, is moderately north-dipping near the surface but possibly attains a steeper slope at depth. The thrust appears to be quite deep seated. A threedimensional computer-based model for the Dhanjori lava—gabbro complex on the eastern part of the Singhbhum batholith has been deduced. Maximum thickness of these basic rocks is found to exist underneath a thin cap of granophyre. The geological implication of these results is discussed.Variation in the regional anomalies seems to be attributable to a mass deficiency under the Singhbhum batholith. The batholith may extend subsurfacially towards the north across the Copper Belt thrust. The northern tip of the batholith probably became dissected along the line of intersection of the two orogenic trends in the area and subsided. Over this subsided part, the Singhbhum Group of rocks was deposited at a later stage. Gravity data suggest a fairly large amount of subsidence in the area.     

The stress field near the sites of the Meckering (1968) and Calingiri (1970) earthquakes, Western Australia

A comparison of three methods of stress determination using overcoring tests, earthquake focal-mechanism solutions, and fault-displacement analysis, was carried out near the epicentres of the 1968 Meckering and the 1970 Calingiri earthquakes, Western Australia. Shallow overcoring measurements (3–10 m) were made at seven sites in competent granite, along a 200-km north—south traverse through the location of the Meckering earthquake. The in situ measurements indicate a high regional compressive stress, acting about N77°E. This compares with the direction of the P-axes from the Meckering and Calingiri earthquakes of N91°E and N102°E, respectively, and east-west orientation of major principal stress deduced from observations of surface faulting. The highest maximum principal stress, 23 MPa, was measured at the site farthest north from the Meckering epicentre (~ 90 km), and the lowest, 4 MPa, was measured near the epicentre. The magnitude of the stress increases with distance away from the epicentral area at about 0.2 kPa/m. The results were corrected for drilling water temperature, thermal rock stresses, and suction pore pressure. The total correction was less than 2 MPa at most sites.Estimates of shear stress release from the fault-scarp displacements for Meckering and Calingiri were of similar magnitude (~10 MPa) to the difference between observed shear stress at sites close to and sites remote from the Meckering earthquake.As a cause of the earthquake it is proposed that the fault plane is progressively weakened by alteration or weathering, and that a small long-term fluctuation of head of ground water was the trigger.The high stress at shallow depths, the growing evidence of east—west major principal stress in most of the Australian continent, and the existence of horizontal stress higher than gravity lithostatic stress may have a common explanation, in terms of the driving forces of plate tectonics. The Australian results do not agree with the north—south orientation suggested by crude plate-drift theories in which the major stress is in the direction of the drift, and do not appear to fit with orientations from other continents, in the Richardson et al. (1976) interacting plate model which assumes a velocity-dependent plate driving force. An analysis of driving forces at diverging plate boundaries was carried out and suggests no dominant force-velocity relationship, thus forces independent of plate velocity may control the stress orientation in the plate.     

Current accelerating seismic excitation along the northern boundary of the Aegean microplate

According to previous observations [Geophys. Res. Lett. 27 (2000) 3957], the generation of large (M≥7.0) earthquakes in the western part of the north Anatolian fault system (Marmara Sea) is followed by strong earthquakes along the Northern Boundary of the Aegean microplate (NAB: northwestermost Anatolia–northern Aegean–central Greece–Ionian islands). Therefore, it can be hypothesized that a seismic excitation along this boundary should be expected after the occurrence of the Izmit 1999 earthquake (M=7.6). We have applied the method of accelerating seismic crustal deformation, which is based on concepts of critical point dynamics in an attempt to locate more precisely those regions along the NAB where seismic excitation is more likely to occur. For this reason, a detailed parametric grid search of the broader NAB area was performed for the identification of accelerating energy release behavior.Three such elliptical critical regions have been identified with centers along this boundary. The first region, (A), is centered in the eastern part of this boundary (40.2°N, 27.2°E: southwest of Marmara), the second region, (B), has a center in the middle part of the boundary (38.8°N, 23.4°E: East Central Greece) and the third region, (C), in the westernmost part of the boundary (38.2°N, 20.9°E: Ionian Islands). The study of the time variation of the cumulative Benioff strain in two of the three identified regions (A and B) revealed that intense accelerating seismicity is observed especially after the occurrence of the 1999 Izmit mainshock. Therefore, it can be suggested that the seismic excitation, at least in these two regions, has been triggered by the Izmit mainshock.Estimations of the magnitudes and origin times of the expected mainshocks in these three critical regions have also been performed, assuming that the accelerating seismicity in these regions will lead to a critical point, that is, to the generation of mainshocks.     

Palaeomagnetic study of Vendian and Early Cambrian rocks of South Siberia and Central Mongolia: was the Siberian platform assembled at this time?

A palaeomagnetic study of Vendian and Early Cambrian sediments from the Angara block of the Siberian platform: Shaman (52.08°N, 108.83°E) and Minya (58.0°N, 110.0°E) Formations, and the Tuva-Mongolian block: Tsagan-Olom and Bayan-Gol Formations (46.76°N, 96.37°E) isolated three different components of magnetization through thermal demagnetization. The stable high-temperature characteristic remanence directions show both normal and reverse polarities. The mean palaeopoles computed after these high-temperature components are: 32.0°S/71.1°E (dp/dm=6.9°/13.8°) for the Vendian Shaman Formation (10 sites, 80 samples), 33.7°S/37.2°E (dp/dm=8.6°/14.7°) for the Vendian Minya Formation (12 samples), 22.8°S/28.4°E (dp/dm=10.8°/21.6°) for the Vendian Tsagan-Olom Formation (4 sites, 25 samples) and 21.4°S/167.1°E (dp/dm=9.6°/19.1°) for the Early Cambrian Bayan-Gol Formation (6 sites, 49 samples). From a compilation of Vendian and Early Cambrian palaeopoles from the Anabar, Angara and Aldan blocks of the Siberian platform and Tuva-Mongolia block, we propose a model where these blocks were situated in an equatorial to low south palaeolatitude position, with their present-day southern boundaries facing the north pole. From the analysis of the scatter of these poles, we conclude that the Siberian platform might not have fully amalgamated by this time, and that significant rotations occurred after the Early Cambrian. Our new palaeopoles for the Tuva-Mongolia block, together with previously published ones, show that this block was already adjacent to Siberia by the Vendian and Early Cambrian. We propose that the large counterclockwise rotation of the Tuva-Mongolia block with respect to Angara block could mark the end of the closure of the part of the Palaeo-Asian ocean separating these two blocks, and could account for the occurrence of Vendian-Early Cambrian ophiolites in the region.     

The polymetallic Au–Ag-bearing veins of Bou Madine (Jbel Ougnat, eastern Anti-Atlas, Morocco): tectonic control and evolution of a Neoproterozoic epithermal deposit

The Bou Madine ore deposit is located SW of Jbel Ougnat, the easternmost inlier of the Anti-Atlas Pan-African belt in Morocco. The host rocks are high-K calc-alkaline volcanic rocks, that are part of the Neoproterozoic Tamerzaga-Timrachine Formation (TTF, lower PIII). The TTF consists of ignimbrites of rhyolitic to dacitic compositions, andesite flows and hypovolcanic bodies (andesite dykes and rhyolite chonoliths) emplaced along N160°E tension gashes associated with a regional N30°E sinistral fault system. The mineralization is related to a high enthalpy geothermal system, eventually evolving into a low temperature epithermal system. A regional propylitisation (T around 260 °C) overprinted the TTF rocks prior to the emplacement of the mineralization. There were two main hydrothermal stages. During the first stage, massive veins with pyrite, arsenopyrite and minor pyrrhotite and cassiterite were formed. The veins were emplaced along N160°E-trending en echelon joints related to N120°E dextral arrays. A quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration overprinted the propylites around the veins (“bleached haloes”), at temperatures up to 300–310 °C. The second stage of mineralization was coeval with dextral re-activation of the N160°E veins, in relation with a NE-ward shift of the shortening direction. First, polymetallic sulphides (sphalerite, chalcopyrite, stannite, galena) were deposited at temperatures 260 °C. Younger quartz veinlets contain arsenopyrite and minor micrometre-size sulphides and sulpho-salts, hosting the precious metals. This was the low temperature epithermal stage (≈150 °C), in relation with invading meteoric water.