The application of shallow seismic techniques in the study of active faults: The Atalanti normal fault, central Greece (original) (raw)
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Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece
The Corini normal fault is an active structure of Quaternary age in Southwestern Viotia. This is a region of low finite strain, located between the Quaternary rifts of the Gulf of Corinth and the Gulf of Evia. The fault is segmented into several segments with an average strike of N58°E and dip direction to the SE. The architecture of the fault zone is characterized by a 15 cm thick gouge rock, observed along the fault plane on the footwall side. At several localities along strike we observed a well-defined basal strip of un-eroded fault plane that represents the width (uplift) of the last co-seismic slip. The width of the strip ranges 20-30 cm. Slip inversion data show a mean orientation ofsigmaS (leastprincipal stress) as Ν328Έ which implies similar kinematics with the active faults of the south coast of the Gulf of Corinth.
Segment boundaries, the 1894 ruptures and strain patterns along the Atalanti Fault, Central Greece
1998
Atalanti Fault is a large active normal fault segment inside the Gulf of Evia Rift system (Central Greece), that last ruptured during the April 1894 earthquake sequence. Using structural and geomorphological interpretations of digitally processed Landsat TM satellite imagery, two regions of i) low topography, ii) minimum hinterland development and iii) transverse bedrock ridge development, 34 kilometres apart were identified; these regions are suggested to be segment boundaries constraining the length of the fault. From throw profiles and displaced syn-rift strata, we estimate a minimum slip of 810m at the central region of the fault (Tragana), increasing to a value of 1200 meters within the Asprorema embayment area. These figures averaged over a time span of 3 million years (age of oldest offset syn-rift), yield mean slip rates of at least 0.27 to 0.4 mm/year. Field studies were also conducted along the length of the Atalanti Fault Segment to reexamine and map the 1894 ruptures. The surface break is only preserved locally where the footwall comprises a resistant bedrock lithology (limestone), whilst the rest of the rupture noted in historical records propagated along the contact with the volcanic pre-rift, as well as within the syn-rift, and has since been eradicated due to man-made changes in surface morphology. The surface breaks appear not to have crossed over the segment boundaries that we propose, but seem to have ruptured the full length of the Atalanti Fault Segment, that is, 34 km. These observations suggest that the 1894 rupture is the longest mapped within Central Greece. However, it remains unclear whether the ruptures were produced solely by the 271411894 earthquake, or by two events, one week apart. We discuss the implications for fault-behavioural models and seismic hazards for the Atalanti area.
Active fault geometry and kinematics in Parnitha Mountain, Attica, Greece
Journal of Structural Geology, 2004
The Parnitha mountain range lies between two Quaternary rift systems in central Greece: the Gulf of Corinth Rift and the Gulf of Evia rift. We suggest that the range was formed by footwall uplift on active normal faults striking WNW -ESE and NE-SW. We investigated the scarp appearance, geometry and slip rates of three normal faults bounding this mountain range by field mapping at 1:5000 scale. Active faults studied include the 8.5 km long Fili Fault, the 4.7 km long Maliza Fault and the 4 km long Thrakomakedones Fault. We calculated comparable mean slip rates for all mapped faults (Fili: 0.18 mm/yr, Avlon: 0.2 mm/yr, Thrakomakedones: 0.24 mm/yr); however, we suggest that the WNW -ESE structures are more active during the Late Quaternary because of abundant field evidence of recent movements along slip surfaces (fresh basal stripes and slickenlines). In addition, stress axes analysis shows a N78E -N258E (NNE -SSW) oriented, extensional stress field, which is compatible with the focal mechanism of the Athens 1999 earthquake. The fault-slip data from the Parnitha faults show orientations similar to other low-strain areas in central Greece, such as the Gulf of Evia Rift to the north. Our slip rate estimates may explain the low recurrence of large earthquakes in Attica as opposed to high slip rate areas in central Greece such as the neighbouring Gulf of Corinth. q
Tectonophysics, 2010
The 2008 mainshock (M w = 6.4) was the first modern, strong strike-slip earthquake in the Greek mainland. The fault strikes NE-SW, dips ∼85°NW while the motion was right-lateral with small reverse component. Historical seismicity showed no evidence that the fault ruptured in the last 300 years. For rectangular planar fault we estimated fault dimensions from aftershock locations. Dimensions are consistent with that a buried fault was activated, lateral expansion occurred only along length and the rupture stopped at depth ∼20 km implying that more rupture along length was favoured. We concluded that no major asperities remained unbroken and that the aftershock activity was dominated rather by creeping mechanism than by the presence of locked patches. For M o =4.56×10 25 dyn cm we calculated average slip of 76 cm and stress drop Δσ∼ 13 bars. This Δσ is high for Greek strike-slip earthquakes, due rather to increased rigidity because of the relatively long recurrence (Τ N 300 years) of strong earthquakes in the fault, than to high slip. Values of Δσ and Τ indicated that the fault is neither a typical strong nor a typical weak fault. Dislocation modeling of a buried fault showed uplift of ∼8.0 cm in Kato Achaia (Δ ∼ 20 km) at the hanging wall of the reverse fault component. DInSAR analysis detected co-seismic motion only in Kato Achaia where interferogram fringes pattern showed vertical displacement from 3.0 to 6.0 cm. From field-surveys we estimated maximum intensity of VIII in Kato Achaia. The most important liquefaction spots were also observed there. These observations are attributable neither to surface fault-breaks nor to site effects but possibly to high ground acceleration due to the co-seismic uplift. The causal association between displacement and earthquake damage in the hanging wall described for dip-slip faults in Taiwan, Greece and elsewhere, becomes possible also for strike-slip faults with dip-slip component, as the 2008 earthquake.
Recent vertical movements across the Atalandi fault-zone (Central Greece)
Pure and Applied Geophysics PAGEOPH, 1985
Repeated leveling data collected over a 14-kin long traverse, crossing the Atalandi fault that last broke in 1894, revealed small amplitude motions for the interval 1969-1984. These motions are significant against random errors and are probably free of systematic errors. In addition, no local or superficial ground effect may account for the observed elevation changes which correlate with the tectonic pattern in the area, as they show a relative downward motion of the hanging wall of a normal fault. This motion is similar to the co-seismic slip. Geomorphological observations and observations of submerged archaeological sites on the other hand corroborate long-term motions which are unlikely to be explained as cumulative co-seismic slip and are possibly similar to the short-term motions leveling data reveal.
International Geology Review, 2010
The Movri Mountain earthquake (Mw 6.4), western Greece, was likely caused by dextral‐slip along a blind high‐angle fault, and generated a complex pattern of co‐seismic surface ruptures southwest of the Gulf of Corinth. The mapped Nisi, Michoi, and Vithoulkas rupture segments have similar lengths (5–6 km) and vertical offset on the order of 25, 10, and 5 cm, respectively. They are commonly expressed as straight or jagged linear traces with secondary cracks radiating from the main segments. Horizontal slip vector analysis indicates extensional faulting processes for all rupture segments. Although these faults exert some control on the fluvial drainage pattern and at least one of them was ruptured during past events, their escarpments are poorly preserved. The indistinct topographic expression of the studied faults and their complex rupture patterns can be attributed to the distribution of the deformation over a blind fault.
The Northern Giona Fault Zone, a Major Active Structure Through Central Greece
GeoHazards, 2024
The steep northern slopes of Giona Mt in central continental Greece are the result of an E-W normal fault dipping 35–45° to the north, extending from the Mornos River in the west to the village of Gravia in the east. This fault creates a significant elevation difference of approximately 1500 m between the northern Giona footwall and the southern Iti hanging wall. The footwall comprises imbricated Mesozoic carbonates of the Parnassos unit, which exhibit large-scale drag folding near and parallel to the fault. The hanging wall comprises deformed sedimentary rocks of the Beotian unit and tectonic klippen of the Eastern Greece unit, forming a southward-tilted neotectonic block with subsidence near the Northern Giona Fault and uplift near the Ypati fault to the north. These two E-W faults represent younger structures disrupting the older NNW-trending tectonic framework. Fault scarps are observed all along the 14 km length of the Northern Giona fault accompanied by cataclastic zones, separating the carbonate formations of the Parnassos Unit from thick scree, slide blocks, boulders and olistholites. Inversion of fault-slip data has shown a mean slip vector of 45°, N004°E, which aligns with the current regional extensional deformation of the area, as confirmed by focal mechanism solutions. Based on the general asymmetry of the alpine units in the hanging wall, we interpret a listric fault geometry at depth using slip-line analysis and we forward modelled a disrupted fault-propagation fold using kinematic trishear algorithms, estimating a total displacement of 6500 m and a throw of approximately 2000 m. Seismic activity in the area of the Northern Giona Fault includes a magnitude 6.1 earthquake in 1852, which caused casualties, rockfalls and extensive damage, as well as a magnitude 5.1 event in 1983. The expected seismic magnitude is deterministically estimated between 6.2 and 6.7, depending on the potential westward continuation of the Northern Giona Fault beyond the Mornos River to the Northern Vardoussia saddle. The seismic hazard zone includes several villages located near the fault, particularly on the hanging wall, where intense landslide activity during seismic events could result in severe damage to regional infrastructure. The neotectonic development of the Northern Giona Fault highlights the importance of extending seismotectonic research into the mountainous regions of central Greece within the alpine formations, beyond the post-orogenic sedimentary basins.
Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece
2021
Near fault ground motions can be significantly different than those further away from the seismic source. Within the near fault zone ground motions are drastically influenced by the rupture mechanism, the direction of rupture propagation relative to the site and possible permanent displacement related to the fault slip. During the past two decades several sophisticated theoretical or/and empirical methods have been proposed to simulate near fault motion requiring input parameters that hardly can be provided with accuracy, leading thus to extended parametric studies and uncertainties. In this paper, a simple but effective analytical model that mathematically represents near fault ground motions (Mavroeidis and Papageorgiou, 2003) is applied and tested in the case of Cephalonia, Feb. 3, 2014 earthquake (Μ6.0). Its validity and reliability are examined and an effort to distinguish source and possible site effects is attempted for the town of Lixouri (LXR1 accelerograph) where the highe...
Tectonophysics
The 2008 mainshock (M w = 6.4) was the first modern, strong strike-slip earthquake in the Greek mainland. The fault strikes NE-SW, dips ∼85°NW while the motion was right-lateral with small reverse component. Historical seismicity showed no evidence that the fault ruptured in the last 300 years. For rectangular planar fault we estimated fault dimensions from aftershock locations. Dimensions are consistent with that a buried fault was activated, lateral expansion occurred only along length and the rupture stopped at depth ∼20 km implying that more rupture along length was favoured. We concluded that no major asperities remained unbroken and that the aftershock activity was dominated rather by creeping mechanism than by the presence of locked patches. For M o =4.56×10 25 dyn cm we calculated average slip of 76 cm and stress drop Δσ∼ 13 bars. This Δσ is high for Greek strike-slip earthquakes, due rather to increased rigidity because of the relatively long recurrence (Τ N 300 years) of strong earthquakes in the fault, than to high slip. Values of Δσ and Τ indicated that the fault is neither a typical strong nor a typical weak fault. Dislocation modeling of a buried fault showed uplift of ∼8.0 cm in Kato Achaia (Δ ∼ 20 km) at the hanging wall of the reverse fault component. DInSAR analysis detected co-seismic motion only in Kato Achaia where interferogram fringes pattern showed vertical displacement from 3.0 to 6.0 cm. From field-surveys we estimated maximum intensity of VIII in Kato Achaia. The most important liquefaction spots were also observed there. These observations are attributable neither to surface fault-breaks nor to site effects but possibly to high ground acceleration due to the co-seismic uplift. The causal association between displacement and earthquake damage in the hanging wall described for dip-slip faults in Taiwan, Greece and elsewhere, becomes possible also for strike-slip faults with dip-slip component, as the 2008 earthquake.