The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Recent history of the Eastern Eliki Fault, Gulf of Corinth: geomorphology, palaeoseismology and impact on palaeoenvironments

Recent history of the Eastern Eliki Fault, Gulf of Corinth: geomorphology, palaeoseismology and impact on palaeoenvironments
Recent history of the Eastern Eliki Fault, Gulf of Corinth: geomorphology, palaeoseismology and impact on palaeoenvironments
The Eliki fault system dominates the landscape of the southwestern shore of the Gulf of Corinth, where rapid extension rates result in frequent earthquakes. These include an event in 373 BC that destroyed the city of Helike and a recent event in 1861. Uplifted Late Pleistocene marine terraces within the Eastern Eliki Fault footwall suggest revised slip rates of ~3–5 mm yr1, contributing ~2–3 mm yr1 geological extension to a net geodetic extension of ~10–15 mm yr1 across this part of the rift. Palaeoseismological trenches indicate two and possibly three earthquakes on the Eastern Eliki Fault in the last 1500 yr, including the 1861 earthquake. One trench (EET1A) reveals displaced stratigraphy, but the main fault trace is thought to lie further south beneath the Old National Road. Trench EET1A reveals liquefied sediments associated with an event between AD 1460 and the present, which may be the 1861 event, and displacement during a second event in the interval AD 440–1410 or AD 1270–1640. A third earlier event identified by liquefaction occurred on the Eliki or a nearby fault in AD 440–1410. Using the 1861 and second event (most likely AD 1270–1640), the interval between recent earthquakes is ~200–600 yr. Suitable trench sites are rare in this region, compounded by human activity over several thousand years. Borehole and trench data indicate that the Kerynites river frequently flowed eastwards along the Eastern Eliki Fault during the last 20–40 kyr, possibly influenced by tectonic tilting from the Eliki and Aigion fault systems and natural channel avulsion.
0956-540X
154-166
McNeill, L.C.
1fe6a1e0-ca1a-4b6f-8469-309d0f9de0cf
Collier, R.E.L.
4568b663-a810-44d7-8712-41a6fe1dd40a
De Martini, P.M.
57c595e9-91b0-4f7f-ad62-1697d0fe1b23
Pantosti, D.
1bc3054b-dbaf-4c47-b77b-e2fdb02ba469
D'Addezio, G.
aca702e5-d2ff-4212-acee-ae1fbfc75b51
McNeill, L.C.
1fe6a1e0-ca1a-4b6f-8469-309d0f9de0cf
Collier, R.E.L.
4568b663-a810-44d7-8712-41a6fe1dd40a
De Martini, P.M.
57c595e9-91b0-4f7f-ad62-1697d0fe1b23
Pantosti, D.
1bc3054b-dbaf-4c47-b77b-e2fdb02ba469
D'Addezio, G.
aca702e5-d2ff-4212-acee-ae1fbfc75b51

McNeill, L.C., Collier, R.E.L., De Martini, P.M., Pantosti, D. and D'Addezio, G. (2005) Recent history of the Eastern Eliki Fault, Gulf of Corinth: geomorphology, palaeoseismology and impact on palaeoenvironments. Geophysical Journal International, 161 (1), 154-166. (doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2005.02559.x).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The Eliki fault system dominates the landscape of the southwestern shore of the Gulf of Corinth, where rapid extension rates result in frequent earthquakes. These include an event in 373 BC that destroyed the city of Helike and a recent event in 1861. Uplifted Late Pleistocene marine terraces within the Eastern Eliki Fault footwall suggest revised slip rates of ~3–5 mm yr1, contributing ~2–3 mm yr1 geological extension to a net geodetic extension of ~10–15 mm yr1 across this part of the rift. Palaeoseismological trenches indicate two and possibly three earthquakes on the Eastern Eliki Fault in the last 1500 yr, including the 1861 earthquake. One trench (EET1A) reveals displaced stratigraphy, but the main fault trace is thought to lie further south beneath the Old National Road. Trench EET1A reveals liquefied sediments associated with an event between AD 1460 and the present, which may be the 1861 event, and displacement during a second event in the interval AD 440–1410 or AD 1270–1640. A third earlier event identified by liquefaction occurred on the Eliki or a nearby fault in AD 440–1410. Using the 1861 and second event (most likely AD 1270–1640), the interval between recent earthquakes is ~200–600 yr. Suitable trench sites are rare in this region, compounded by human activity over several thousand years. Borehole and trench data indicate that the Kerynites river frequently flowed eastwards along the Eastern Eliki Fault during the last 20–40 kyr, possibly influenced by tectonic tilting from the Eliki and Aigion fault systems and natural channel avulsion.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 2005

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 15587
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/15587
ISSN: 0956-540X
PURE UUID: 1e9db632-ae72-4fc9-bd81-16f1ab9b9c51
ORCID for L.C. McNeill: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8689-5882

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 29 Apr 2005
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:20

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: L.C. McNeill ORCID iD
Author: R.E.L. Collier
Author: P.M. De Martini
Author: D. Pantosti
Author: G. D'Addezio

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×