Denis Hatzfeld

Active deformation of the Corinth rift, Greece : Results from repeated Global Positioning System surveys between 1990 and 1995

Between 1990 and 1995, we carried out seven Global Positioning System (GPS) campaigns in the Corinth rift area in order to constrain the spatial and temporal crustal deformation of this active zone. The network, 193 points over ∼10,000 km2, samples most of the active faults. In order to estimate the deformation over a longer period, 159 of those points are also Greek triangulation pillars previously measured between 1966 and 1972. Two earthquakes of magnitude 6.2 and 5.9 have occurred in the network since it was installed. The extension rate deduced from the analysis of the different GPS data sets is 14±2 mm/yr oriented N9° in the west, 13±3 mm/yr oriented S-N in the center, and 10±4 mm/yr oriented N19°W in the east of the gulf. The comparison between GPS and triangulation gives higher rates and less angular divergence (25±7 mm/yr, N4°E; 22±7 mm/yr, S-N; 20±7 mm/yr, N15°W, respectively). Both sets of data indicate that the deforming zone is very narrow (10–15 km) in the west, might be wider in the center (15–20 km), and is more diffuse in the east. The analysis of the displacements observed after the Ms = 6.2, June 15, 1995, and the Ms = S.9, November 18, 1992, earthquakes, both located in the west of the gulf, together with seismological and tectonic observations shows that these two earthquakes occurred on low-angle (≤35°) north dipping normal faults located between 4.5 and 10 km depth in the inner part of the rift. Assuming that the deformation is concentrated in relatively narrow deforming zones, we use a simple model of a dislocation in an elastic half-space to study the implication of the localization. Using the geometry of the known seismogenic faults, our observations imply continuous aseismic deformation in the uppermost crust of the inner rift. This model predicts geodetic strain rates close to seismic strain rates in opposition to previous estimates. This is because our model takes into account the activity on low-angle normal faults in the inner rift and an effective seismogenic layer of 6–7 km, about half that usually assumed.

The Ms = 6.2, June 15, 1995 Aigion earthquake (Greece): evidence for low angle normal faulting in the Corinth rift

We present the results of a multidisciplinary study of the Ms = 6.2, 1995, June 15, Aigion earthquake (Gulf of Corinth, Greece). In order to constrain the rupture geometry, we used all available data from seismology (local, regional and teleseismic records of the mainshock and of aftershocks), geodesy (GPS and SAR interferometry), and tectonics. Part of these data were obtained during a postseismic field study consisting of the surveying of 24 GPS points, the temporary installation of 20 digital seismometers, and a detailed field investigation for surface fault break. The Aigion fault was the only fault onland which showed detectable breaks (< 4 cm). We relocated the mainshock hypocenter at 10 km in depth, 38 ° 21.7 ′ N, 22 ° 12.0 ′ E, about 15 km NNE to the damaged city of Aigion. The modeling of teleseismic P and SH waves provides a seismic moment Mo = 3.4 1018 N.m, a well constrained focal mechanism (strike 277 °, dip 33 °, rake − 77°), at a centroidal depth of 7.2 km, consistent with the NEIC and the revised Harvard determinations. It thus involved almost pure normal faulting in agreement with the tectonics of the Gulf. The horizontal GPS displacements corrected for the opening of the gulf (1.5 cm/year) show a well-resolved 7 cm northward motion above the hypocenter, which eliminates the possibility of a steep, south-dipping fault plane. Fitting the S-wave polarization at SERG, 10 km from the epicenter, with a 33° northward dipping plane implies a hypocentral depth greater than 10 km. The north dipping fault plane provides a poor fit to the GPS data at the southern points when a homogeneous elastic half-space is considered: the best fit geodetic model is obtained for a fault shallower by 2 km, assuming the same dip. We show with a two-dimensional model that this depth difference is probably due to the distorting effect of the shallow, low-rigidity sediments of the gulf and of its edges. The best-fit fault model, with dimensions 9 km E–W and 15 km along dip, and a 0.87 m uniform slip, fits InSAR data covering the time of the earthquake. The fault is located about 10 km east-northeast to the Aigion fault, whose surface breaks thus appears as secondary features. The rupture lasted 4 to 5 s, propagating southward and upward on a fault probably outcropping offshore, near the southern edge of the gulf. In the shallowest 4 km, the slip – if any – has not exceeded about 30 cm. This geometry implies a large directivity effect in Aigion, in agreement with the accelerogram aig which shows a short duration (2 s) and a large amplitude (0.5 g) of the direct S acceleration. This unusual low-angle normal faulting may have been favoured by a low-friction, high pore pressure fault zone, or by a rotation of the stress directions due to the possible dip towards the south of the brittle-ductile transition zone. This fault cannot be responsible for the long term topography of the rift, which is controlled by larger normal faults with larger dip angles, implying either a seldom, or a more recently started activity of such low angle faults in the central part of the rift.

3D crustal structure from local earthquake tomography around the Gulf of Arta (Ionian region, NW Greece)

During summer of 1995 local seismicity was recorded in the area around the Gulf of Arta in northwestern Greece by a dense temporary seismic network. Of the 441 local events observed at 37 stations, 232 well locatable events with a total of 2776 P-phase readings were selected applying the criteria of a minimum of 6 P-observations and an azimuthal gap less than 180°. This data set is used to compute a minimum 1D velocity model for the region. Several tests are conducted to estimate model stability and hypocenter uncertainties, leading to the conclusion that relative hypocenter location accuracy is about 500 m in latitude and longitude and 1 km in depth. The minimum 1D velocity model serves as initial model in the non-linear inversion for three-dimensional P-velocity crustal structure by iteratively solving the coupled hypocenter–velocity problem in a least-squares sense. Careful analysis of the resolution capability of our data set outlines the well resolved features for interpretation. The resulting 3D velocity model shows generally higher average crustal velocities in the east, and the well resolved area of the eastern Gulf of Arta exhibits a homogeneous velocity around 6 km/s for the whole upper crust. A pronounced north–south trending zone of low velocities in the upper 5–10 km is observed in the area of the Katouna fault zone (KFZ). At greater depths (below 10 km) the KFZ is underlain by high-velocity material. E–W profiles suggest a horst–graben structure associated with the KFZ.

Lithospheric structure of the Aegean obtained from P and S receiver functions

Combined P and S receiver functions from seismograms of teleseismic events recorded at 65 temporary and permanent stations in the Aegean region are used to map the geometry of the subducted African and the overriding Aegean plates. We image the Moho of the subducting African plate at depths ranging from 40 km beneath southern Crete and the western Peloponnesus to 160 km beneath the volcanic arc and 220 km beneath northern Greece. However, the dip of the Moho of the subducting African plate is shallower beneath the Peloponnesus than beneath Crete and Rhodes and flattens out beneath the northern Aegean. Observed P-to-S conversions at stations located in the forearc indicate a reversed velocity contrast at the Moho boundary of the Aegean plate, whereas this boundary is observed as a normal velocity contrast by the S-to-P conversions. Our modeling suggests that the presence of a large amount of serpentinite (more than 30%) in the forearc mantle wedge, which generally occurs in the subduction zones, may be the reason for the reverse sign of the P-to-S conversion coefficient. Moho depths for the Aegean plate show that the southern part of the Aegean (crustal thickness of 20–22 km) has been strongly influenced by extension, while the northern Aegean Sea, which at present undergoes the highest crustal deformation, shows a relatively thicker crust (25–28 km). This may imply a recent initiation of the present kinematics in the Aegean. Western Greece (crustal thickness of 32–40 km) is unaffected by the recent extension but underwent crustal thickening during the Hellenides Mountains building event. The depths of the Aegean Moho beneath the margin of the Peloponnesus and Crete (25–28 and 25–33 km, respectively) show that these areas are also likely to be affected by the Aegean extension, even though the Cyclades (crustal thickness of 26–30 km) were not significantly involved in this episode. The Aegean lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) mapped with S receiver functions is about 150 km deep beneath mainland Greece, whereas the LAB of the subducted African plate dips from 100 km beneath Crete and the southern Aegean Sea to about 225 km under the volcanic arc. This implies a thickness of 60–65 km for the subducted African lithosphere, suggesting that the Aegean lithosphere was not significantly affected by the extensional process associated with the exhumation of metamorphic core complexes in the Cyclades.

A seismological study of the 1835 seismic gap in south-central Chile

We study the possible seismic gap in the Concepcion–Constitucion region of south-central Chile and the nature of the M = 7.8 earthquake of January 1939. From 1 March to 31 May 1996 a seismic network of 26 short period digital instruments was deployed in this area. We located 379 hypocenters with rms travel time residuals of less than 0.50 s using an approximate velocity distribution. Using the VELEST program, we improved the velocity model and located 240 high precision hypocenters with residuals less than 0.2 s. The large majority of earthquakes occurred along the Wadati–Benioff zone along the upper part of the downgoing slab under central Chile. A few shallow events were recorded near the chain of active volcanos on the Andes; these events are similar to those of Las Melozas near Santiago. A few events took place at the boundary between the coastal ranges and the central valley. Well constrained fault plane solutions could be computed for 32 of the 240 well located events. Most of the earthquakes located on the Wadati–Benioff zone had “slab-pull” fault mechanism due to tensional stresses sub-parallel to the downgoing slab. This “slab-pull” mechanism is the same as that of eight earthquakes of magnitude around 6 that are listed in the CMT catalog of Harvard University for the period 1980–1998. This is also the mechanism inferred for the large 1939 Chilean earthquake. A very small number of events in the Benioff zone had “slab-push” mechanisms, that is events whose pressureaxis is aligned with the slab. These events are found in double layered Wadati–Benioff zones, such as in northern Chile or Japan. Our spatial resolution is not good enough to detect the presence of a double layer, but we suspect there may be one.

Seismic imaging of the lithospheric structure of the Zagros mountain belt (Iran)

Abstract We present a synthesis and a comparison of the results of two temporary passive seismic experiments installed for a few months across the Central and Northern Zagros. The receiver function analysis of teleseismic earthquake records gives a high-resolution image of the Moho beneath the seismic transects. On both cross-sections, the crust has an average thickness of 42±2 km beneath the Zagros fold-and-thrust belt and the Central domain. The crust is thicker beneath the hanging wall of the Main Zagros Reverse Fault (MZRF), with a greater maximum Moho depth in the Central (69±2 km) than in the Northern Zagros (56±2 km). The thickening affects a narrower region (170 km) beneath the Sanandaj–Sirjan zone of the Central Zagros and a wider region (320 km) in the Northern Zagros. We propose that this thickening is related to overthrusting of the crust of the Arabian margin by the crust of Central Iran along the MZRF, which is considered as a major thrust fault cross-cutting the whole crust. The fault is imaged as a low-velocity layer in the receiver function data of the Northern Zagros profile. Moreover, the crustal-scale thrust model reconciles the imaged seismic Moho with the Bouguer anomaly data measured on the Central Zagros transect. At upper mantle depth, P-wave tomography confirms the previously observed strong contrast between the faster velocities of the Arabian margin and the lower velocities of the Iranian micro-blocks. Our higher-resolution tomography combined with surface-wave analysis locates the suture in the shallow mantle of the Sanandaj–Sirjan zone beneath the Central Zagros. The Arabian upper mantle has shield-like shear-wave velocities, whereas the lower velocities of the Iranian upper mantle are probably due to higher temperature. However, these velocities are not low enough and the low-velocity layer not thick enough to conclude that delamination of the lithospheric mantle lid has occurred beneath Iran. The lack of a high-velocity anomaly in the mantle beneath Central Iran suggests that the Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere is probably detached from the Arabian margin.

An analog experiment for the Aegean to describe the contribution of gravitational potential energy

The southern Aegean seafloor exhibits clear evidence of internal deformation (stretching) as shown by tectonics, seismology and space geodesy. We use an analog three-layer laboratory experiment of sand, silicone putty and honey to investigate the deformation of the southern Aegean lithosphere. The model is installed in a box and confined by a vertical wall. We open a gate in the wall and observe the deformation of the two upper layers due to buoyancy forces. The general pattern of the deformation of the southern Aegean is found in the analog model. We observe the formation of an arc spreading outward with time, the extension is radial in the inner part, but parallel to the arc in the external part and of comparable importance. At both ends of the gate we observe strike-slip motion (dextral in the western part, sinistral in the eastern part). Rotation (clockwise in the western part, counterclockwise in the eastern part) of up to 40° is seen on both sides of the gate but is also present, with a smaller amplitude, far in the internal region, partially due to distributed shear. The spreading is associated with the thinning of the two upper layers and affects a region of dimensions comparable to the length of the free boundary. This spreading does not propagate inward with time. Some pieces of material located near the active boundary remain undeformed during the experiment.

Microseimicity and strain pattern in northwestern Greece

During a 7-week microearthquake experiment conducted in Epirus, Akarnania, and the Ionian islands of western Greece, we located approximately 600 earthquakes with magnitudes between 2 and 4.2. No event was deeper than 40 km. The seismicity cannot be clearly associated with any single fault except the Lixourion right-lateral fault located west of the Ionian islands. Focal mechanisms of about 100 earthquakes show, for a narrow band of earthquakes located along the coast, ENE–WSW shortening consistent with the surface tectonics. Farther east, focal mechanisms show NNW–SSE extension beneath the foothills of the Pindus mountains, which is unrelated to surface faulting but is consistent with the presently subsiding basins. This strain pattern is seen far north and south of the Lixourion fault and is similar to the one observed in the Peloponnese. It suggests that a large-scale mechanism is responsible for the recent geodynamics of both the northwestern and southwestern Aegean

Shear wave anisotropy in the upper mantle beneath the Aegean related to internal deformation

Seismic anisotropy, deduced from SKS splitting measured at 25 stations installed in the Aegean, does not show a homogeneous pattern. It is not restricted to the North Anatolian Fault but is distributed over a region several hundreds kilometers wide. Little anisotropy is observed in continental Greece or along the Hellenic arc; however, significant anisotropy is observed in the north Aegean Sea. Large values of delay times suggest that anisotropy is due to a long path within the upper mantle and to strong intrinsic anisotropy. Our results, both in fast polarization directions and in values of delay time, do not support the idea that anisotropy is associated with inherited tectonic fabric nor are they consistent with the present-day Aegean motion relative to an absolute frame. In contrast, the direction of fast polarization and the magnitude of delay times correlate well with the present-day strain rate observed at the surface deduced from both geodetic measurements and seismicity. This anisotropy is not horizontally restricted to major surface faults but is spread over a wide region.

The Hellenic subduction beneath the peloponnesus: first results of a microearthquake study

Abstract A preliminary examination of the 1070 earthquake locations, determined from 6 weeks of recording in 1986 by 46 stations, show that the seismicity is spread over a wide area of the Peloponnesus and the western Hellenic arc and throughout the whole crust. No clear individual faults can be identified from the seismicity, but clusters of activity are observed in some places. Seismicity is concentrated above 40 km and deeper earthquakes were not numerous. Only 28 of the 466 events with uncertainties in depth less than 5 km occurred deeper than 40 km. Seismicity deeper than 30 km defines a flat zone at a depth between 40 km and 70 km, starting from the trench to about 200 km towards the northeast. Further northeast, the dip of the seismic zone abruptly changes to 45°. Fault plane solutions for the deeper events, generally indicate T-axes plunging northeast, within the subducted slab. Therefore, we interpret the seismicity deeper than 30 km as due to the superposition of two different causes: (1) the steep zone is due to the subduction of the African litospheric plate beneath the Aegean, and (2) the shallow flat zone located between the trench and the Argolide is partly due to the loading of the overriding Aegean plate which is deforming above the African plate.