TY - JOUR
T1 - Normal faulting in the forearc of the Hellenic subduction margin
T2 - Paleoearthquake history and kinematics of the Spili Fault, Crete, Greece
AU - Mouslopoulou, Vasiliki
AU - Moraetis, Daniel
AU - Benedetti, Lucilla
AU - Guillou, Valery
AU - Bellier, Olivier
AU - Hristopulos, Dionisis
N1 - Funding Information:
We acknowledge the Latsis Foundation in Greece for partially supporting this work, Charalambos Fassoulas for introducing us to the Spili Fault and John Begg for numerous inspiring discussions. Stavros Sartzetakis and Vasilis Koutoupis are thanked for help during fieldwork. We also acknowledge Didier Bourlès, Maurice Arnorld, Georges Aumaître and Karim Keddadouche at ASTER-CEREGE for the AMS measurements. Jim Tesson is acknowledged for the data modelling. Appendix A
PY - 2014/9
Y1 - 2014/9
N2 - The late-Cenozoic kinematic and late-Pleistocene paleoearthquake history of the Spili Fault is examined using slip-vector measurements and in situ cosmogenic (36Cl) dating, respectively. The Spili Fault appears to have undergone at least three successive but distinct phases of extension since Messinian (~7Ma), with the most recent faulting resulting in the exhumation of its carbonate plane for a fault-length of ~20km. Earthquake-slip and age data show that the lower 9m of the Spili Fault plane were exhumed during the last ~16,500 years through a minimum of five large-magnitude (Mw>6) earthquakes. The timing between successive paleoearthquakes varied by more than one order of magnitude (from 800 to 9000 years), suggesting a highly variable earthquake recurrence interval during late Pleistocene (CV=1). This variability resulted to significant fluctuations in the displacement rate of the Spili Fault, with the millennium rate (3.5mm/yr) being about six times faster than its late-Pleistocene rate (0.6mm/yr). The observed variability in the slip-size of the paleoearthquakes is, however, significantly smaller (CV=0.3). These data collectively suggest that the Spili Fault is one of the fastest moving faults in the forearc of the Hellenic subduction margin.
AB - The late-Cenozoic kinematic and late-Pleistocene paleoearthquake history of the Spili Fault is examined using slip-vector measurements and in situ cosmogenic (36Cl) dating, respectively. The Spili Fault appears to have undergone at least three successive but distinct phases of extension since Messinian (~7Ma), with the most recent faulting resulting in the exhumation of its carbonate plane for a fault-length of ~20km. Earthquake-slip and age data show that the lower 9m of the Spili Fault plane were exhumed during the last ~16,500 years through a minimum of five large-magnitude (Mw>6) earthquakes. The timing between successive paleoearthquakes varied by more than one order of magnitude (from 800 to 9000 years), suggesting a highly variable earthquake recurrence interval during late Pleistocene (CV=1). This variability resulted to significant fluctuations in the displacement rate of the Spili Fault, with the millennium rate (3.5mm/yr) being about six times faster than its late-Pleistocene rate (0.6mm/yr). The observed variability in the slip-size of the paleoearthquakes is, however, significantly smaller (CV=0.3). These data collectively suggest that the Spili Fault is one of the fastest moving faults in the forearc of the Hellenic subduction margin.
KW - Cosmogenic dating
KW - Crete
KW - Limestone scarp
KW - Normal fault
KW - Paleoearthquakes
KW - Spili fault
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jsg.2014.05.017
DO - 10.1016/j.jsg.2014.05.017
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84903708241
SN - 0191-8141
VL - 66
SP - 298
EP - 308
JO - Journal of Structural Geology
JF - Journal of Structural Geology
ER -