Seismostratigraphy and tectonic architecture of the Carboneras Fault offshore based on multiscale seismic imaging: Implications for the Neogene evolution of the NE Alboran Sea
Seismostratigraphy and tectonic architecture of the Carboneras Fault offshore based on multiscale seismic imaging: Implications for the Neogene evolution of the NE Alboran Sea
In the SE Iberian Margin, which hosts the convergent boundary between the European and African Plates, Quaternary faulting activity is dominated by a large left-lateral strike–slip system referred to as the Eastern Betic Shear Zone. This active fault system runs along more than 450 km and it is characterised by low to moderate magnitude shallow earthquakes, although large historical events have also occurred. The Carboneras Fault is the longest structure of the Eastern Betic Shear Zone, and its southern termination extends further into the Alboran Sea. Previously acquired high-resolution data (i.e. swath-bathymetry, TOBI sidescan sonar and sub-bottom profiler) show that the offshore Carboneras Fault is a NE–SW-trending upwarped zone of deformation with a length of 90 km long and a width of 0.5 to 2 km, which shows geomorphic features typically found in subaerial strike–slip faults, such as deflected drainage, pressure ridges and “en echelon” folds. However, the neotectonic, depth architecture, and Neogene evolution of Carboneras Fault offshore are still poorly known. In this work we present a multiscale seismic imaging of the Carboneras Fault (i.e. TOPAS, high-resolution multichannel-seismic reflection, and deep penetration multichannel-seismic reflection) carried out during three successive marine cruises, from 2006 to 2010. The new dataset allowed us to define a total of seven seismostratigraphic units (from Tortonian to Late Quaternary) above the basement, to characterise the tectonic architecture and structural segmentation of the Carboneras Fault, and to estimate its maximum seismic potential. We finally discuss the role of the basement in the present-day tectonic evolution of the Carboneras Fault, and explore the northern and southern terminations of the fault and how the strain is transferred to nearby structures.
Alboran Sea, Seismic reflection, Morphostructure, Seismostratigraphy, Active faulting, Seismic hazard
115-132
Moreno, Ximena
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Gràcia, Eulàlia
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Bartolomé, Rafael
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Martínez-Loriente, Sara
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Perea, Héctor
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de la Peña, Laura Gómez
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Iacono, Claudio Lo
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Piñero, Elena
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Pallàs, Raimon
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Masana, Eulàlia
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Dañobeitia, Juan José
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15 October 2016
Moreno, Ximena
6787e393-439a-4869-84bb-15bb67d4d03b
Gràcia, Eulàlia
4cdbab2b-dd60-496b-aeef-76ae9c30e48d
Bartolomé, Rafael
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Martínez-Loriente, Sara
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Perea, Héctor
7d0d6b1c-ed0e-4775-bacc-e135646869d5
de la Peña, Laura Gómez
f0142077-a898-40f9-b7fd-3f6e5167d77d
Iacono, Claudio Lo
2ec2b5f4-a134-462b-b8ba-f7bd757040f5
Piñero, Elena
863b41f9-eae5-4a2d-a987-dd89dc24bb52
Pallàs, Raimon
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Masana, Eulàlia
f5079d8b-13c7-4b2b-8a91-c5660a0f65aa
Dañobeitia, Juan José
d7e4f186-82a1-4461-8440-752b66b41ed5
Moreno, Ximena, Gràcia, Eulàlia, Bartolomé, Rafael, Martínez-Loriente, Sara, Perea, Héctor, de la Peña, Laura Gómez, Iacono, Claudio Lo, Piñero, Elena, Pallàs, Raimon, Masana, Eulàlia and Dañobeitia, Juan José
(2016)
Seismostratigraphy and tectonic architecture of the Carboneras Fault offshore based on multiscale seismic imaging: Implications for the Neogene evolution of the NE Alboran Sea.
Tectonophysics, 689, .
(doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2016.02.018).
Abstract
In the SE Iberian Margin, which hosts the convergent boundary between the European and African Plates, Quaternary faulting activity is dominated by a large left-lateral strike–slip system referred to as the Eastern Betic Shear Zone. This active fault system runs along more than 450 km and it is characterised by low to moderate magnitude shallow earthquakes, although large historical events have also occurred. The Carboneras Fault is the longest structure of the Eastern Betic Shear Zone, and its southern termination extends further into the Alboran Sea. Previously acquired high-resolution data (i.e. swath-bathymetry, TOBI sidescan sonar and sub-bottom profiler) show that the offshore Carboneras Fault is a NE–SW-trending upwarped zone of deformation with a length of 90 km long and a width of 0.5 to 2 km, which shows geomorphic features typically found in subaerial strike–slip faults, such as deflected drainage, pressure ridges and “en echelon” folds. However, the neotectonic, depth architecture, and Neogene evolution of Carboneras Fault offshore are still poorly known. In this work we present a multiscale seismic imaging of the Carboneras Fault (i.e. TOPAS, high-resolution multichannel-seismic reflection, and deep penetration multichannel-seismic reflection) carried out during three successive marine cruises, from 2006 to 2010. The new dataset allowed us to define a total of seven seismostratigraphic units (from Tortonian to Late Quaternary) above the basement, to characterise the tectonic architecture and structural segmentation of the Carboneras Fault, and to estimate its maximum seismic potential. We finally discuss the role of the basement in the present-day tectonic evolution of the Carboneras Fault, and explore the northern and southern terminations of the fault and how the strain is transferred to nearby structures.
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Accepted/In Press date: 8 February 2016
Published date: 15 October 2016
Keywords:
Alboran Sea, Seismic reflection, Morphostructure, Seismostratigraphy, Active faulting, Seismic hazard
Organisations:
Marine Geoscience
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 403519
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/403519
ISSN: 0040-1951
PURE UUID: dff83e4e-e9d6-41a3-ae11-be645f761696
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Date deposited: 02 Dec 2016 13:22
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:44
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Contributors
Author:
Ximena Moreno
Author:
Eulàlia Gràcia
Author:
Rafael Bartolomé
Author:
Sara Martínez-Loriente
Author:
Héctor Perea
Author:
Laura Gómez de la Peña
Author:
Claudio Lo Iacono
Author:
Elena Piñero
Author:
Raimon Pallàs
Author:
Eulàlia Masana
Author:
Juan José Dañobeitia
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