Late Neogene rift valley fill sediments preserved in caves of the Dead Sea Fault Escarpment (Israel): palaeogeographic and morphotectonic implications

Evaporitic‐lagoonal marl and dolomite laminar fill sediments are preserved in relict dry caves of the Dead Sea Fault Escarpment (Israel) which has been tectonically active since the Late Neogene. The hosting caves are located within Turonian massive carbonate bedrock and at higher altitudes than previously documented fill sediments of the Dead Sea depression. Based on the relative altitudes of the cave sediments, the ‘reversed stratigraphy’ of the Dead Sea depression fill sediments, possible partial correlation of the cave sediments with other fill sedimentary units of the depression, and sedimentary, geochemical and mineralogical characteristics, it is concluded that: (i) the cave sediments are among the oldest of the depression fill; and (ii) the deposition of the cave sediments took place in hypersaline dolomite‐precipitating water bodies of Late Neogene age, during the initial morphotectonic stages of the depression formation. Variable and relatively low Sr/Ca and δ³⁴S ratios of the cave sediments (assuming precipitation from sea water) suggest variable fresh water input into the depositional brine. The present altitudes of the cave sediments reflect Late Neogene levels of water bodies in the depression, modified by vertical post‐Late Neogene tectonic movements within the still active fault escarpment. According to these altitudes, a 50 to 250 m uplift of the western margins of the depression since the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene is inferred.     

Tectonic framework of Tiburon Basin,Gulf of California,from seismic reflection evidence

Tiburon Basin is characterized by a thick sedimentary fill that records the evolution of one of the rift segments of the East Pacific Rise. Its structure corresponds to an echelon pull-apart basin bounded by two dextral-oblique faults. Unlike basins in the southern Gulf of California that are underlain by oceanic crust, rift basins in the northern Gulf of California contain sedimentary thickness (up to 6 km) that masks the structure of the crust. To study the architecture of the Tiburon Basin, two-dimensional, multichannel seismic reflection data collected by Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) in the early 1980s were used. The data base is a grid of lines, 5–20 km apart, with 6 s of record in 48 channels. Additional seismic data of the Ulloa 99 project were also interpreted. Our results indicate that the general structural pattern of the Tiburon Basin is controlled by two dextral-oblique faults: De Mar and Tiburon. De Mar lies to the east and ends in elevated basement transferring the stress to the Desemboque fault. The latter borders the incoming basement from the Sonora and Tiburon faults to the west, ending to the north in an antiform. Four structural domains are recognized: (1) the northern Tiburon domain is a high basement that divides the Delfin Basin to the northeast and exhibits extensional folds with their axes parallel to the basement and its flanks; (2) the Libertad domain is a sheared basement high along the margin of Sonora and forms the right step of the Tepoca Basin to the north; (3) the Tiburon central domain defines a broad sag cut by a dense NE-striking pattern of normal faults with opposed dips in the depocentre and abruptly ends to the west against the Tiburon fault; and (4) the southern Tiburon domain forms a basement ramp offshore Isla Tiburon and is controlled by a pattern of NNE-striking normal faults on the south that likely connect at an oblique angle (?60°) to the De Mar fault. We propose a rhombochasm basin model with more than 6 s of sedimentary record in the depocentre, in which the basement is not recorded. The NW-trending faults in the Libertad domain possibly continue towards the Sonora coastal plain. The principal NW-trending dextral faults and the secondary NNE-striking pattern of normal faults cut the shallow strata of this domain.     

Tectonic evolution of the Qumran Basin from high-resolution 3.5-kHz seismic profiles and its implication for the evolution of the northern Dead Sea Basin

The Dead Sea Basin is a morphotectonic depression along the Dead Sea Transform. Its structure can be described as a deep rhomb-graben (pull-apart) flanked by two block-faulted marginal zones. We have studied the recent tectonic structure of the northwestern margin of the Dead Sea Basin in the area where the northern strike-slip master fault enters the basin and approaches the western marginal zone (Western Boundary Fault). For this purpose, we have analyzed 3.5-kHz seismic reflection profiles obtained from the northwestern corner of the Dead Sea. The seismic profiles give insight into the recent tectonic deformation of the northwestern margin of the Dead Sea Basin. A series of 11 seismic profiles are presented and described. Although several deformation features can be explained in terms of gravity tectonics, it is suggested that the occurrence of strike-slip in this part of the Dead Sea Basin is most likely. Seismic sections reveal a narrow zone of intensely deformed strata. This zone gradually merges into a zone marked by a newly discovered tectonic depression, the Qumran Basin. It is speculated that both structural zones originate from strike-slip along right-bending faults that splay-off from the Jordan Fault, the strike-slip master fault that delimits the active Dead Sea rhomb-graben on the west. Fault interaction between the strike-slip master fault and the normal faults bounding the transform valley seems the most plausible explanation for the origin of the right-bending splays. We suggest that the observed southward widening of the Dead Sea Basin possibly results from the successive formation of secondary right-bending splays to the north, as the active depocenter of the Dead Sea Basin migrates northward with time.     

East Avalonia,the third partner in the Caledonian collisions: evidence from deep seismic reflection data

Further evidence for the existence of the terrane East Avalonia (Cadomia) in north-west Europe, its boundaries and its role in the Caledonian collisional processes comes from studies of deep seismic reflection data at sea and on land. Various sutures are found in the north-east and the north-west, and a generally poor reflectivity dominates in the major part. Further details of reflectivity patterns support the idea that a huge terrane which split from the northern rim of Gondwana moved northward and collided with the merging plates Laurentia-Baltica. Its docking features are analysed.     

Strike-slip tectonics within the SW Baltic Sea and its relationship to the inversion of the Mid-Polish Trough—evidence from high-resolution seismic data

The SW Baltic Sea occupies an area where crustal-scale regional tectonic zones of different age merge and overlap, creating a complex tectonic pattern. This pattern influenced the evolution of the Mesozoic sedimentary basin in this area. We present an interpretation of new high-resolution seismic data from the SW Baltic Sea which provided new information both on modes of the Late Cretaceous inversion of this part of the Danish–Polish Mesozoic basin system as well as on relationship between tectonic processes and syn-tectonic depositional systems. Within the Bornholm–Dar owo Fault Zone, located between the Koszalin Fault and Christiansø Block, both strike-slip and reverse faulting took place during the inversion-related activity. The faulting was related to reactivation of extensional pre-Permian fault system. Syn-tectonic sedimentary features include a prominent, generally S- and SE-directed, progradational depositional system with the major source area provided by uplifted basement blocks, in particular by the Bornholm Block. Sediment progradation was enhanced by downfaulting along a strike-slip fault zone and related expansion of accommodation space. Closer to the Christiansø Block, some syn-tectonic deposition also took place and resulted in subtle thickness changes within the hinge zones of inversion-related growth folds. Lack of significant sediment supply from the inverted and uplifted offshore part of the Mid-Polish Trough suggests that in this area NW–SE-located marginal trough parallel to the inversion axis of the Mid-Polish Trough did not form, and that uplifted Bornholm Block played by far more prominent role for development of syn-inversion depositional successions.     

Surface ruptures induced by the devastating 1068 AD earthquake in the southern Arava valley, Dead Sea Rift, Israel

The Elat fault (a segment of the Dead Sea Transform) runs along the southern Arava valley (part of the Dead Sea Rift, Israel) forming a complex fault zone that displays a time-dependent seismic behaviour. Paleoseismic evidence shows that this fault zone has generated at least 15 earthquakes of magnitude larger than M 6 during the late Pleistocene and the Holocene. However, at present the Elat fault is one of the quietest segments of the Dead Sea Transform, lacking even microsesimicity. The last event detected in the southern Arava valley occurred in the Avrona playa and was strong enough to have deformed the playa and to change it from a closed basin with internal drainage into an open basin draining to the south.Paleoseismological, geophysical and archaeological evidences indicate that this event was the historical devastating earthquake, which occurred in 1068 AD in the eastern Mediterranean region. According to the present study this event was strong enough to rupture the surface, reactivate at least two fault branches of the Elat fault and vertically displace the surface and an early Islamic irrigation system by at least 1 m. In addition, the playa area was uplifted between 2.5 and 3 m along the eastern part of the Elat fault shear zone. Such values are compatible with an earthquake magnitude ranging between M 6.6 and 7. Since the average recurrence interval of strong earthquakes during the Holocene along the Elat fault is about 1.2 ± 0.3 ky and the last earthquake occurred more about 1000 years ago, the possibility of a very strong earthquake in this area in the future should be seriously considered in assessing seismic hazards.     

Late Quaternary environmental and human events at En Gedi, reflected by the geology and archaeology of the Moringa Cave (Dead Sea area, Israel)

The Moringa Cave within Pleistocene sediments in the En Gedi area of the Dead Sea Fault Escarpment contains a sequence of various Pleistocene lacustrine deposits associated with higher-than-today lake levels at the Dead Sea basin. In addition it contains Chalcolithic remains and 5th century BC burials attributed to the Persian period, cemented and covered by Late Holocene travertine flowstone. These deposits represent a chain of Late Pleistocene and Holocene interconnected environmental and human events, echoing broader scale regional and global climate events. A major shift between depositional environments is associated with the rapid fall of Lake Lisan level during the latest Pleistocene. This exposed the sediments, providing for cave formation processes sometime between the latest Pleistocene (ca. 15 ka) and the Middle Holocene (ca. 4500 BC), eventually leading to human use of the cave. The Chalcolithic use of the cave can be related to a relatively moist desert environment, probably related to a shift in the location of the northern boundary of the Saharo-Arabian desert belt. The travertine layer was U-Th dated 2.46 ± 0.10 to 2.10 ± 0.04 ka, in agreement with the archaeological finds from the Persian period. Together with the inner consistency of the dating results, this strongly supports the reliability of the radiometric ages. The 2.46-2.10 ka travertine deposition within the presently dry cave suggests a higher recharge of the Judean Desert aquifer, correlative to a rising Dead Sea towards the end of the 1st millennium BC. This suggests a relatively moist local and regional climate facilitating human habitation of the desert.     

Crustal structure and tectonics of the Hidaka Collision Zone, Hokkaido (Japan), revealed by vibroseis seismic reflection and gravity surveys

This study is the first integrated geological and geophysical investigation of the Hidaka Collision Zone in southern Central Hokkaido, Japan, which shows complex collision tectonics with a westward vergence. The Hidaka Collision Zone consists of the Idon'nappu Belt (IB), the Poroshiri Ophiolite Belt (POB) and the Hidaka Metamorphic Belt (HMB) with the Hidaka Belt from west to east. The POB (metamorphosed ophiolites) is overthrust by the HMB (steeply eastward-dipping palaeo-arc crust) along the Hidaka Main Thrust (HMT), and in turn, thrusts over the Idon'nappu Belt (melanges) along the Hidaka Western Thrust (HWT). Seismic reflection and gravity surveys along a 20-km-long traverse across the southern Hidaka Mountains revealed hitherto unknown crustal structures of the collision zone such as listric thrusts, back thrusts, frontal thrust-and-fold structures, and duplex structures. The main findings are as follows. (1) The HMT, which dips steeply at the surface, is a listric fault dipping gently at a depth of 7 km beneath the eastern end of the HMB, and cutting across the lithological boundaries and schistosity of the Hidaka metamorphic rocks. (2) A second reflector is detected 1 km below the HMT reflector. The intervening part between these two reflectors is inferred to be the POB, which is only little exposed at the surface. This inference is supported by the high positive Bouguer anomalies along the Hidaka Mountains. (3) The shallow portion of the IB at the front of the collision zone has a number of NNE-dipping reflectors, indicative of imbricated fold-and-thrust structures. (4) Subhorizontal reflectors at a depth of 14 km are recognized intermittently at both sides of the seismic profile. These reflectors may correspond to the velocity boundary (5.9–6.6 km/s) previously obtained from seismic refraction profiling in the northern Hidaka Mountains. (5) These crustal structures as well as the back thrust found in the eastern end of the traverse represent characteristics of collisional tectonics resulting from the two collisional events since the Early Tertiary.     

An estimate of probabilistic seismic hazard for five cities in Greece by using the parametric-historic procedure

A probabilistic procedure was applied to assess seismic hazard for the sites of five Greek cities (Athens, Heraklion, Patras, Thessaloniki and Volos) using peak ground acceleration as the hazard parameter. The methodology allows the use of either historical or instrumental data, or a combination of both. It has been developed specifically for the estimation of seismic hazard at a given site and does not require any specification of seismic sources or/and seismic zones. A new relation for the attenuation of peak ground acceleration was employed for the shallow seismicity in Greece. The computations involved the area- and site-specific parts. When assessing magnitude recurrence for the areas surrounding the five cities, the maximum magnitude, m_max, was estimated using a recently derived equation. The site-specific results were expressed as probabilities that a given peak ground acceleration value will be exceeded at least once during a time interval of 1, 50 and 100 years at the sites of the cities. They were based on the maximum peak ground acceleration values computed by assuming the occurrence of the strongest possible earthquake (of magnitude m_max) at a very short distance from the site and using the mean value obtained with the help of the attenuation law. This gave 0.24 g for Athens, 0.53 g for Heraklion (shallow) and 0.39 g Heraklion (intermediate-depth seismicity), 0.30 g for Patras, 0.35 g for Thessaloniki and 0.30 g for Volos. In addition, the probabilities of exceedance of the estimated maximum peak ground acceleration values were calculated for the sites. The standard deviation of the new Greek attenuation law demonstrates the uncertainty and large variation of predicted peak ground acceleration values.     

Consag Basin: northern Gulf of California,evidence of generation of new crust,based on seismic reflection data

The Gulf of California is an excellent example of how new ocean basins form. Tectonically, the northern Gulf of California is an incipient ocean basin and studies on it have defined acoustic basement and reveal the presence of new oceanic crust and intrusive bodies. Some recent studies report fundamental differences between the basins of the northern and southern Gulf of California: that the latter have well-developed oceanic crust beneath a thin cover of sediments, whereas the northern basins show proto-ocean basins, which may reflect thermal insulation of the thick sedimentary cover, the presence of low-angle faults, and more diffuse and distributed deformation. During the 1970s, Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) undertook a 2D seismic reflection survey in the northern Gulf of California, over many active rift basins, including the Consag Basin. Through the processing and interpretation of these data, we describe the structural characteristics of the Consag Basin beyond 2 km depths. Using seismic reflection data, we identified an intrusion in the central part of this basin that may represent new oceanic crust buried by more than 4 km of sediments.     

Structure of the Cobar Basin,New South Wales,based on seismic reflection profiling

The Cobar Basin in central western New South Wales is a mineral‐rich Early Devonian basin typical of those that characterize the Siluro‐Devonian history of the Lachlan Orogen of southeastern Australia. One hundred and seventy kilometres of seismic profiling in three lines across the basin have shown it to be asymmetrical in shape with an east‐dipping western margin that is steeper than the moderately west‐dipping eastern margin. Maximum basin thickness is around 6 km, but there are significant thickness changes, especially from south to north, which reflect the effect of synsedimentary faulting. Seismic profiling suggests that the basin deformed by thin‐skinned tectonics; postulated strike‐slip effects were not visible on the sections. The seismic profiling has, for the first time, imaged the western synrift basin margin which is generally not exposed. Strain variations during deformation along this edge were taken up by the formation of a major jog ('dog‐leg') which has propagated into the basin as a tear fault. Intrabasinal tears, as well as thrusts, which link into one or more detachments, provide potential pathways for mineralizing fluids during basin inversion.     

The Northern end of the Dead Sea Basin: Geometry from reflection seismic evidence

Recently released reflection seismic lines from the Eastern side of the Jordan River north of the Dead Sea were interpreted by using borehole data and incorporated with the previously published seismic lines of the eastern side of the Jordan River. For the first time, the lines from the eastern side of the Jordan River were combined with the published reflection seismic lines from the western side of the Jordan River. In the complete cross sections, the inner deep basin is strongly asymmetric toward the Jericho Fault supporting the interpretation of this segment of the fault as the long-lived and presently active part of the Dead Sea Transform. There is no indication for a shift of the depocenter toward a hypothetical eastern major fault with time, as recently suggested. Rather, the north-eastern margin of the deep basin takes the form of a large flexure, modestly faulted. In the N–S-section along its depocenter, the floor of the basin at its northern end appears to deepen continuously by roughly 0.5 km over 10 km distance, without evidence of a transverse fault. The asymmetric and gently-dipping shape of the basin can be explained by models in which the basin is located outside the area of overlap between en-echelon strike-slip faults.     

Structural setting of the Bay of Naples (Italy) seismic reflection data: implications for Campanian volcanism

This paper focuses on the recent tectonic evolution of the Bay of Naples with the aim of exploring the connection between local tectonics and volcanism. We reprocessed the seismic reflection dataset acquired in the area in the late 1973. The new processing was highly successful in obtaining a decisive strong reduction of random noise, removal of coherent noise and reduction of spatial aliasing. Classical interpretative schemes and complex attributes of seismic traces were used to reconstruct fault kinematics and reflector patterns. The results show that the faults affecting the Bay of Naples exhibit prevailing NE structural strikes, with the exception of the Pozzuoli Caldera where NW patterns are also common. Many faults are subvertical and show seismic evidence of volcanic activity along them. A main alignment of conjugate NE–SW faults, named here as “Magnaghi–Sebeto line”, intersects several submarine volcanic banks and separates the bay into two sectors, characterized by important geological, geophysical and petrochemical differences. The structural configuration of the bay may reflect the occurrence of either oblique extension or a transfer zone of the NW–SE fault system, along which, in the Campanian–Lucanian Apennine chain, great vertical displacements occur.     

大别山黄石-六安反射地震剖面新的地质解释

在大别山黄石至六安反射地震剖面上有很多近水平的反射体,表明大别山中心部位的中、下地壳内也有近水平的分层性。反映有流变性和动力学方面的差异,与大型薄皮构造理论对岩石圈性质的认识一致,因而在其运动过程中应服从薄皮构造的运动规律。结合以往对大别山区划分的岩石一构造组合,在前人对此反射地震剖面所作的地质解释的基础上,对反射地震剖面作了较为详细的地质解释,并建立了大别山造山带在此剖面上的两维几何结构。剖面南部为造山过程中形成的背斜构造。地表15km深度内为由碰撞混杂岩组成的扬子与中一朝大陆之间的主滑脱带。剖面中部为造山期后的侵入体。剖面北部为主滑脱带的根带（通常认为的缝合带）,根带被中生代形成的晓天磨子潭断裂带切割。剖面最北端为变质复理石中略晚于主滑脱带的反向冲断带。推溺l下地壳的断开距离在扬子大陆俯冲时（三叠纪前）规模较大,然后逐渐缩小,直至保留到今天的规模。     

2008年10月6日西藏当雄Ms6.6级强震的地震烈度、控震构造和发震机理

实地调查发现,2008年10月6日的西藏当雄Ms6.6级地震的宏观震中位于近南北向的亚东-谷露裂谷中羊易盆地的北部。调查结果显示,此次地震的震中烈度可达Ⅸ度,极震区烈度为Ⅷ度,其宏观震中位置、极震区范围、主要余震分布等都明显受到羊易地堑西侧主边界断裂的控制。地表观察和震源机制解结果一致表明,该强震活动的直接原因是藏南近东西向伸展变形作用诱发羊易地堑主边界断裂发生正断层活动的结果,而近期青藏高原及其周边强震活动相对频繁的特点很可能与四川汶川Ms8.0级大地震所引发的区域应力场调整过程密切相关。     

2008年10月6日西藏当雄Ms6.6级强震的地震烈度、控震构造和发震机理

实地调查发现,2008年10月6日的西藏当雄Ms6.6级地震的宏观震中位于近南北向的亚东-谷露裂谷中羊易盆地的北部。调查结果显示,此次地震的震中烈度可达Ⅸ度,极震区烈度为Ⅷ度,其宏观震中位置、极震区范围、主要余震分布等都明显受到羊易地堑西侧主边界断裂的控制。地表观察和震源机制解结果一致表明,该强震活动的直接原因是藏南近东西向伸展变形作用诱发羊易地堑主边界断裂发生正断层活动的结果,而近期青藏高原及其周边强震活动相对频繁的特点很可能与四川汶川Ms8.0级大地震所引发的区域应力场调整过程密切相关。     

Active faults, seismicity and recent fracturing in the lithosphere of the Baikal rift system

A map of major active faults has been constructed for the Baikal rift system (BRS). Recent active faults are identified using seismological data. The BRS seismicity of the past 40 years is statistically analyzed. Areas of a “stable” concentration of epicenters are revealed. On this basis, a zone of recent fracturing of the lithosphere is identified and its relation to active and developing faults of the BRS is analyzed. The zone of the lithosphere fracturing is a major tectonic structure, which controls both the recent seismic process and the reactivation of ancient faults. It is demonstrated that the available seismological data can provide a basis for a detailed classification of faults by degree of their tectonic activity. Regularities in the distribution of strong earthquakes along the zone of the recent fracturing of the lithosphere are established, as well as regularities in the distribution of strong and weak seismic events relative to transform and other faults. The degree of the fault reactivation is determined by their spatial closeness to the axial zone of the recent rupturing of the lithosphere.     

基于A- CGAN的深反射地震数据随机噪声压制方法研究

基于深度学习的地震数据噪声压制方法是当前地震数据去噪处理的重要方向。深度学习方法突破了传统滤波处理的局限,在对常规地震数据的噪声压制中表现出效率高、信噪分离效果好的特点。但针对深部弱有效反射数据,当前的深度学习方法特征提取能力有限,难以取得较好的去噪效果。笔者等结合深反射地震数据特点,针对当前深度学习噪声压制方法在特征提取及对数据集依赖上的局限,提出了基于注意力循环生成对抗网络(Attention Cycle- Consistent Generative Adversarial Networks,A- CGAN)的深反射地震数据随机噪声压制方法。借助循环一致生成对抗网络(Cycle- Consistent Generative Adversarial Networks,Cycle- GAN)的域映射思想,降低对数据集的要求。为了构建适用于深反射地震数据的去噪网络,从3个方面对Cycle- GAN进行改进：在Cycle- GAN的生成器（去噪器）中加入残差结构和注意力机制,用于加深网络深度和提高其特征提取能力;在Cycle- GAN的鉴别器中使用块判决,提高鉴别精度和准确度;在损失函数部分加入感知一致性损失函数,提升网络模型恢复纹理细节信息的能力。通过合成地震数据和实际深反射地震数据测试,验证了优化算法的有效性,体现了良好的应用价值。     

基于A- CGAN的深反射地震数据随机噪声压制方法研究

基于深度学习的地震数据噪声压制方法是当前地震数据去噪处理的重要方向。深度学习方法突破了传统滤波处理的局限,在对常规地震数据的噪声压制中表现出效率高、信噪分离效果好的特点。但针对深部弱有效反射数据,当前的深度学习方法特征提取能力有限,难以取得较好的去噪效果。笔者等结合深反射地震数据特点,针对当前深度学习噪声压制方法在特征提取及对数据集依赖上的局限,提出了基于注意力循环生成对抗网络(Attention Cycle- Consistent Generative Adversarial Networks,A- CGAN)的深反射地震数据随机噪声压制方法。借助循环一致生成对抗网络(Cycle- Consistent Generative Adversarial Networks,Cycle- GAN)的域映射思想,降低对数据集的要求。为了构建适用于深反射地震数据的去噪网络,从3个方面对Cycle- GAN进行改进：在Cycle- GAN的生成器（去噪器）中加入残差结构和注意力机制,用于加深网络深度和提高其特征提取能力;在Cycle- GAN的鉴别器中使用块判决,提高鉴别精度和准确度;在损失函数部分加入感知一致性损失函数,提升网络模型恢复纹理细节信息的能力。通过合成地震数据和实际深反射地震数据测试,验证了优化算法的有效性,体现了良好的应用价值。     

浅层地震反射波法在追索地下人防工程中的应用

对于许多规模小，深度浅的地下人防工程，用地震反射波法查明它们的地下的分布和大小，在江西临川市某区，我们采用浅层地震反射波法，根据当地的场地条件，物性差异和干扰情况等，合理布置测线，选择恰当的激发和接收方式，进行适当的资料处理，得到了清晰的地震时间剖面，根据时间剖面上反映出来的反向工白区，较好地推断出了该区地下人防工程的分布位置和防空洞的深度，宽度等，为该区一高层建筑的基础设计提供了依据。