Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
This work focuses on the analysis of a unique set of seismological data recorded by two temporary networks of seismometers deployed onshore and offshore in the Central Lesser Antilles Island Arc from Martinique to Guadeloupe islands. During the whole recording period, extending from January to the end of August 2007, more than 1300 local seismic events were detected in this area. A subset of 769 earthquakes was located precisely by using HypoEllipse. We also computed focal mechanisms using P-wave polarities of the best azimuthally constrained earthquakes. We detected earthquakes beneath the Caribbean forearc and in the Atlantic oceanic plate as well. At depth seismicity delineates the Wadati-Benioff Zone down to 170 km depth. The main seismic activity is concentrated in the lower crust and in the mantle wedge, close to the island arc beneath an inner forearc domain in comparison to an outer forearc domain where little seismicity is observed. We propose that the difference of the seismicity beneath the inner and the outer forearc is related to a difference of crustal structure between the inner forearc interpreted as a dense, thick and rigid crustal block and the lighter and more flexible outer forearc. Seismicity is enhanced beneath the inner forearc because it likely increases the vertical stress applied to the subducting plate.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-01052679
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01052679
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2011.08.006

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
New outcrops in the Sinis peninsula (Sardinia, Italy) allow a detailed description of the Messinian erosion surface. The correlation between outcrops, industrial seismic data and data collected offshore Oristano from a recent cruise permits reconstruction of the geometry of this surface from presently emerged interfluves to the deep canyons offshore, with: - onshore: an eroded karstic plateau presently cropping out over a 20 km × 5 km area. Well-preserved karst structures occur locally and can form several metres high reliefs. The southernmost edge of the plateau is limited by a cliff. The karstic plateau and the cliff are sealed by transgressive deposits of Pliocene age; - offshore, an interfluve zone with a mostly flat and low-angle dipping plateau, westward dissected by paleovalleys which were identified down to a depth of 2000 m. In the Oristano Gulf, Messinian paleovalleys were also identified. The Capo San Marco paleocliff was probably located on the edge of a canyon. Onshore, only one major erosion surface was identified, located at the top the Messinian sequence. Offshore, this surface extends down to the abyssal plain. The surface was emplaced above deposits related to the Terminal Carbonate Complex. This indicates that the marginal evaporites are older than the major drawdown of the Mediterranean sea-level. The major drawdown is related to the deposition of the deep evaporites.
ISSN: 0037-0738

hal-00407864
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407864
DOI : 10.1016/j.sedgeo.2008.06.005

Éditeur(s) : Copernicus Gesellschaft Mbh
Résumé : During the GWADASEIS cruise (Lesser Antilles volcanic arc, February-March 2009) a very high resolution (VHR) seismic-reflection survey was performed in order to constrain Late Quaternary to Present faulting. The profiles we obtained evidence frequent "ponding" of reworked sediments in the deepest areas, similar to the deposition of Mediterranean "homogenites". These bodies are acoustically transparent (few ms t.w.t. thick) and are often deposited on the hanging walls of dominantly normal faults, at the base of scarps. Their thickness appears sufficient to compensate (i.e. bury) co-seismic scarps between successive earthquakes, resulting in a flat and horizontal sea floor through time. In a selected area (offshore Montserrat and Nevis islands), piston coring (4 to 7m long) was dedicated to a sedimentological analysis of the most recent of these particular layers. It corresponds to non-stratified homogenous calcareous silty sand (reworked calcareous plankton and minor volcanoclastics). This layer can be up to 2 m thick, and overlies fine-grained hemipelagites. The upper centimeters of the latter represent the normal RedOx water/sediment interface. Pb-210 and Cs-137 activities lack in the massive sands, while a normal profile of unsupported Pb-210 decrease is observed in the hemipelagite below, together with a Cs-137 peak corresponding to the Atmospheric Nuclear Experiments (1962). The RedOx level was thus capped by a recent instantaneous major sedimentary event considered as post-1970 AD; candidate seismic events to explain this sedimentary deposits are either the 16 March 1985 earthquake or the 8 October 1974 one (M-w = 6.3 and M-w = 7.4, respectively). This leads to consider that the syntectonic sedimentation in this area is not continuous but results from accumulation of thick homogenites deposited after the earthquakes (as observed in the following weeks after Haiti January 2010 event, McHugh et al., 2011). The existence of such deposits suggests that, in the area of study, vertical throw likely results from cumulated effects of separated earthquakes rather than from aseismic creep. Examination of VHR profiles shows that all major co-seismic offsets are recorded in the fault growth sequence and that co-seismic offsets can be precisely estimated. By using a sedimentation rate deduced from Pb-210 decrease curve (0.5 mmyr(-1)) and taking into account minor reworking events detected in cores, we show that the Redonda system may have been responsible for five > M-6 events during the last 34 000 yr. The approach presented in this work differs from fault activity analyses using displaced sets of isochronous surfaces and postulating co-seismic offsets. Combining VHR seismic imagery and coring we can decipher co-seismic vs. slow continuous displacement, and thus actually estimate the amplitude and the time distribution of major co-seismic offsets.
Natural Hazards And Earth System Sciences (1561-8633) (Copernicus Gesellschaft Mbh), 2012 , Vol. 12 , N. 5 , P. 1755-1767

Droits : Author(s) 2012. CC Attribution 3.0 License.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00089/20040/21990.pdf
DOI:10.5194/nhess-12-1755-2012
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00089/20040/

Éditeur(s) : Université Nice Sophia Antipolis
Résumé : The Lesser Antilles is a case study of a very slow subduction (~2 cm/yr) of an old oceanic lithosphere (~84-100 Ma). The region presents a relatively low seismic activity, especially along the interplate contact, and the seismic hazard associated with a possible mega-thrust earthquake is still poorly known. This PhD thesis is a first step toward assessing the ability of the Lesser Antilles subduction zone to produce such a large subduction event. To do so, it aims at constraining the downdip width of the interplate's seismogenic zone. The lack of coverage of permanent seismological stations is a major limitation in the exploration of the Lesser Antilles subduction zone. It is due to the presence of only small aligned islands at far distances from the potentially seismogenic interplate area. Several oceanographic cruises were therefore planned that notably allowed the repeated deployment of ocean bottom seismometers; some of them being left for a few months of background seismicity recording. This thesis specifically focuses on two sets of wide-angle seismic data acquired offshore the Dominica and Martinique islands. From their analysis 3D and 2D tomographic models were produced respectively over the forearc region and across the whole subduction complex. These models constrain the plates' seismic structure as well as their geometry. They allow the discussion of how the imaged structures affect the subduction processes and give a first estimation of the downdip width of the seimogenic zone, defined as the segment of the interplate between the backstop and the upper plate's Moho. The joint interpretation of seismic models and earthquake localizations then refine this first assessment. Epicenter distribution from height months of seismic recording shows indeed that seismicity concentrates within the inner forearc region. The strong velocity gradient that characterize its basement suggests it is denser and more rigid than the more deformable outer forearc basement. The updip limit of the seismogenic zone could then lie arcward of the backstop at the contact of the interplate and the seaward end of the inner forearc crust. At depth, interplate earthquake mechanisms are observed between 35 and 45 km depth and interpreted to have occurred at the downdip limit of the seismogenic zone. The latter could reach a depth over 10,km deeper than the contact of the upper plate's Moho with the interplate, and therefore lie within the mantle wedge. All together, these results imply a large downdip width of the seismogenic zone (~70 km) offshore the Dominica and Martinique islands. Further work is, however, needed in order to fully comprehend the ability of the Lesser Antilles subduction zone to produce a possible mega-thrust earthquake. This would necessitate the evaluation of seismic coupling at the interplate contact and the possible segmentation of the seismogenic zone, for instance, due to the subduction of oceanic ridges.
Les Petites Antilles présentent un contexte géodynamique caractérisé par la subduction à très faible vitesse (~2 cm/an) d'une lithosphère océanique âgée (~84-100 Ma). L'activité sismique y est relativement faible, notamment à l'interplaque, où l'aléa sismique lié à un éventuel séisme de méga-chevauchement reste encore mal contraint. Cette thèse se veut être une première étape dans l'évaluation de la capacité de la zone de subduction des Petites Antilles à générer un tel évènement. Dans ce but, ces travaux tentent d'appréhender l'extension en profondeur du domaine sismogène de l'interplaque. Le manque de couverture des stations sismologiques permanentes est un inconvénient majeur dans l'exploration des Petites Antilles. Il s'explique en raison du peu de terres émergées et de leur éloignement de la zone potentiellement sismogène de l’interplaque. La région a donc fait l'objet de plusieurs campagnes océanographiques qui ont permis, notamment, le déploiement de sismomètres fond de mer (OBS); certains instruments étant restés immergés plusieurs mois afin de procéder à une écoute de la sismicité. Les travaux réalisés au cours de cette thèse se sont focalisés sur deux jeux de données de sismique grand-angle acquis au large des îles de la Dominique et de la Martinique. Leur analyse a permis la construction de modèles tomographiques 3D et 2D respectivement à l'échelle de l'avant-arc et de l'ensemble de la subduction. Ces modèles renseignent sur la structure sismique des plaques en convergence ainsi que sur leur géométrie. Ils permettent de discuter le rôle de la structure dans le fonctionnement de la subduction et d’obtenir une première estimation de l'extension en profondeur de la zone sismogène en considérant la portion de l'interplaque comprise entre le butoir et le Moho de la plaque supérieure. Dans un second temps, l'interprétation conjointe des modèles tomographiques et des localisations des séismes locaux a permis d'affiner cette estimation. Huit mois d'enregistrement de la sismicité montrent en effet une concentration des épicentres dans la région interne de l’avant-arc. Celle-ci présente un socle épais, à fort gradient de vitesse interprété comme plus dense et rigide que le socle de la région externe de l'avant-arc, plus déformable. La limite amont de la zone sismogène pourrait donc se situer en retrait de la position du butoir au contact de l'interplaque et de la limite entre ces deux zones de l'avant-arc. En profondeur, des mécanismes interplaques sont observés entre 35 et 45 km et interprétés comme des marqueurs de la limite aval de la zone sismogène. Cette dernière pourrait donc atteindre une profondeur jusqu'à 10 km supérieure à la limite précédemment évoquée et se trouver, par conséquent, au contact du manteau lithosphérique. L'ensemble de ces résultats suggèrent une extension en profondeur de la zone sismogène (i.e une largeur) de près de 70 km face aux îles de la Dominique et de la Martinique. Ces travaux doivent cependant être poursuivis afin d’évaluer pleinement la capacité de la zone de subduction des Petites Antilles à générer un éventuel séisme de méga-chevauchement. Le taux de couplage à l'interplaque doit être précisé ainsi que sa possible segmentation en lien, par exemple, avec à l'entrée en subduction des rides océaniques.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00172/28335/26628.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00172/28335/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Société Géologique de France
Résumé : International audience
The seaward extension of onshore formations and structures were previously almost unknown in Provence. The interpretation of 2D high-resolution marine seismic profiles together with the integration of sea-bottom rock samples provides new insights into the stratigraphic, structural and paleogeographic framework of pre-Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) deposits of the Provence continental shelf. Seven post-Jurassic seismic units have been identified on seismic profiles, mapped throughout the offshore Provence area and correlated with the onshore series. The studied marine surface and sub-surface database provided new insights into the mid and late Cretaceous paleogeography and structural framework as well as into the syn-and post-rift deformation in Provence. Thick (up to 2000 m) Aptian-Albian series whose deposition is controlled by E-W-trending faults are evidenced offshore. The occurrence and location of the Upper Cretaceous South-Provence basin is confirmed by the thick (up to 1500 m) basinal series downlaping the Aptian-Albian unit. This basin was fed in terrigenous sediments by a southern massif (" Massif Méridional ") whose present-day relict is the Paleozoic basement and its sedimentary cover from the Sicié imbricate. In the bay of Marseille, thick syn-rift (Rupelian to Aquitanian) deposition occurred (>1000 m). During the rifting phase, syn-sedimentary deformations consist of dominant N040 to N060 sub-vertical faults with a normal component and N050 drag-synclines and anticlines. The syn-rift and early post-rift units (Rupelian to early Burdigalian) are deformed and form a set of E-W-trending en echelon folds that may result from sinistral strike-slip reactivation of N040 to N060 normal faults during a N-S com-pressive phase of early-to-mid Burdigalian age (18-20 Ma). Finally, minor fault reactivation and local folding affect post-rift deposits within a N160-trending corridor localized south of La Couronne, and could result from a later, post-Burdigalian and pre-Pliocene compressive phase.
Cadre tectonostratigraphique des formations anté-pliocènes du plateau continental de Provence (golfe du Lion oriental, SE France) Mots-clés. – Géologie marine, Tectonostratigraphie, Stratigraphie sismique, Paléogéographie crétacée, Rifting oligo-miocène, Compression post-rift Résumé. – Le prolongement en mer des formations et des structures provençales était jusqu'alors largement inconnu.L'interprétation de profils de sismique-réflexion marine 2D et l'intégration de dragages et carottages du fond-marin ont permis d'apporter des éléments nouveaux concernant le cadre stratigraphique, structural et paléogéographique des dé-pôts anté-Messiniens du plateau continental de Provence. Sept unités sismiques post-jurassiques ont été identifiées sur les profils sismiques, cartographiées à travers le plateau continental et corrélées avec les séries affleurant à terre. Une épaisse unité apto-albienne (jusqu'à 2000 m) dont le dépôt est contrôlé par des failles E-W a été mise en évidence en mer. L'existence d'un bassin subsident au Crétacé supérieur sur le plateau continental de Provence a été confirmée par le développement d'une épaisse série de bassin (jusqu'à 1500 m) reposant en downlap sur l'Apto-Albien. Le socle mé-tamorphique de l'écaille de Sicié et sa couverture sédimentaire peut être considéré comme une relique allochtone du « Massif Méridional » ayant alimenté le Bassin sud-provençal en éléments terrigènes au Crétacé supérieur. Dans la rade de Marseille, une épaisse unité syn-rift (Rupélien à Aquitanien) a été mise en évidence (>1000 m), structurée en une série de synformes en échelon d'axe E-W et affectée par des failles d'orientation dominante N040 à N060. Sur le flanc sud des synformes, la formation de plis d'axe N050 est associée à une déformation syn-sédimentaire. La formation des synformes en échelon d'axe E-W résulterait d'une réactivation en décrochement des failles N040 à N060 pendant une phase de compression N-S dont l'âge est compris entre le Burdigalien inférieur et moyen (18-20 Ma). Enfin, les dépôts post-rift sont affectés par des déformations mineures (réactivation de failles et plis associés), le long d'un couloir d'orientation N160 à l'ouest de la baie de Marseille, attribuables à une phase de compression post-burdigalienne et anté-pliocène.
ISSN: 0037-9409

hal-01463727
https://hal-amu.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01463727
https://hal-amu.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01463727/document
https://hal-amu.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01463727/file/Fournier_et_al_Provence_2016.pdf
DOI : 10.2113/gssgfbull.187.4-5.187

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Résumé : International audience
Subduction of a narrow slab of oceanic lithosphere beneath a tightly curved orogenic arc requires the presence of at least one lithospheric scale tear fault. While the Calabrian subduction beneath southern Italy is considered to be the type example of this geodynamic setting, the geometry, kinematics and surface expression of the associated lateral, slab tear fault offshore eastern Sicily remain controversial. Results from a new marine geophysical survey conducted in the Ionian Sea, using high-resolution bathymetry and seismic profiling reveal active faulting at the seafloor within a 140 km long, two-branched fault system near Alfeo Seamount. The previously unidentified 60 km long NW trending North Alfeo Fault system shows primarily strike-slip kinematics as indicated by the morphology and steep-dipping transpressional and transtensional faults. Available earthquake focal mechanisms indicate dextral strike-slip motion along this fault segment. The 80 km long SSE trending South Alfeo fault system is expressed by one or two steeply dipping normal faults, bounding the western side of a 500+ m thick, 5 km wide, elongate, syntectonic Plio-Quaternary sedimentary basin. Both branches of the fault system are mechanically capable of generating magnitude 6–7 earthquakes like those that struck eastern Sicily in 1169, 1542, and 1693.
ISSN: 0278-7407

insu-01256887
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01256887
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01256887/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01256887/file/GutscherEtal_2015_Tectonics.pdf
DOI : 10.1002/2015TC003898

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Société géologique de France
Résumé : In the western Mediterranean Sea, the Liguro-Provençal Basin (LPB) is a key area for studying passive margins because of its recent formation and abundance of onshore and offshore data. The Nerthe area located in the northern margin of LPB provides the unique continuous Oligo-Miocene deposits contemporaneous of the transition rifting to drifting. However, the age of the deposits remains debated and the link between outcrops and offshore seismic data is poorly constrained. The purpose of this paper is double. First, we intend to propose a new chronostratigraphic frame based on bio- (planktonic foraminifera, calcareous nannofossils) and magneto-stratigraphy. Second, we aim to make, through the integration of new highly time-resolved seismic data and field works, a coherent onshore-offshore link concretized by a 3D geological model. The new temporal and spatial data presented in this paper allow correlating the Oligo-Miocene sequences, defining their geometry and specifying precisely the timing of syn- and post-rift stages. The first marine transgression is now precisely dated latest Chattian within the syn-rift deposits and appears to be synchronous with the first marine deposits in the offshore wells and other marginal basins. The transition from syn-rift to post-rift appears to last 3.3 Ma at maximum, between 21.8 and 18.5 Ma (late Aquitanian to early Burdigalian). It is underlined by two major erosional unconformities bearing a hiatus of around 1 Ma. The post-rift started with a major marine transgression that is now dated from middle Burdigalian, at around 18.5 Ma, as elsewhere in the LPB. Contrarily to recent proposals, the post-rift deposits are widely represented on the northeastern margin of the "Golfe du Lion". There, the subsidence of the margin was low during the syn-rift and the transitional periods and high during the post-rift. The onset of this high post-rift subsidence appears to be synchronous with the slowdown of the Corsica-Sardinia block (CSb) motion.
EISSN: 1777-5817

hal-00558497
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00558497
DOI : 10.2113/gssgfbull.181.6.591

Éditeur(s) : Amer Geophysical Union
Résumé : The Algerian margin has originated from the opening of the Algerian basin about 25-30 Ma ago. The central margin provides evidence for large-scale normal faults of Oligo-Miocene age, whereas transcurrent tectonics characterizes the western margin. A set of NW-SE oriented dextral transform faults was active during basin opening and divided the 600 km long central margin into segments of similar to 120-150 km. The upper Miocene, Plio-Quaternary, and present-day tectonic setting is, however, compressional and supports the occurrence of a margin inversion, a process still poorly documented worldwide. We show that the central Algerian margin represents a rare example of inverted margin, where the process of subduction inception is particularly well expressed and helps understand how extensional and transtensive structures are involved in margin shortening. Using multibeam bathymetry and multichannel seismic reflection sections from the MAR-ADJA 2003 and 2005 cruises, we evidence Pliocene-Pleistocene shortening with contrasting styles along the margin between west (Khayr Al Din bank) and east (Boumerdes-Dellys margin) of Algiers. Pre-Miocene structures such as basement highs and transform faults appear to control changes of the deformation pattern along this part of the margin, resulting in different widths, geometries, and relative positions of folds and faults. Plio-Quaternary and active blind thrust faults do not reuse Oligo-Miocene normal and transform faults during inversion, but instead grow within the continental margin (as testified for instance by the 21 May 2003 M-w 6.8 Boumerdes-Zemmouri earthquake), at the foot of the continental slope and at the northern sides of basement highs interpreted as stretched continental blocks of the rifted margin. The inherited structures of the margin appear, therefore, to determine this deformation pattern and ultimately the earthquake and tsunami sizes offshore. The complex geometry of the fault system along the Algerian margin suggests a process of initiation of subduction in its central and eastern parts.
Tectonics (0278-7407) (Amer Geophysical Union), 2010-03 , Vol. 29 , N. TC2008 , P. 1-22

Droits : 2010 American Geophysical Union
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00008/11883/9286.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00008/11883/9287.pdf
DOI:10.1029/2009TC002547
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00008/11883/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Absolute earthquake hypocenter locations have been determined in the area offshore eastern Taiwan, at the Southernmost Ryukyu subduction zone. Location process is run within a 3D velocity model by combining the Taiwanese and neighboring Japanese networks and using the 3D MAXI technique. The study focuses on the most active seismic cluster in the Taiwan region that occurs in the forearc domain offshore eastern Taiwan. Earthquakes distribute mainly along 2 active planes. The first one aligns along the subduction interface and the second one, shallower affects the overriding margin. Focal mechanisms within the shallow group indicate that nodal planes are either compatible with high-angle back-thrusts or low-angle thrusts. The active seismic deformation exclusively indicates reverse faulting revealing that the forearc basement undergoes trench-perpendicular strong compression. By integrating the seismological image into the regional context, we favor the hypothesis in which the dense seismicity occurring offshore marks the activity of en-échelon high-angle reverse faults accommodating the uplift of a broken piece of Ryukyu Arc basement, called Hoping Basement Rise. The uplift is inferred to be caused by the subduction of an oceanic relief, either exotic block, seamount or oceanic crust sliver. Our favored solution satisfies the narrowness of epicenter's cluster along the Hoping Canyon, and the observation of high-angle active faults on seismic lines crossing the area. Furthermore, this solution is compatible with the active uplift of the Hoping Rise demonstrated from morphological and sedimentological data. We do not exclude the branching of the high-angle reverse faults system onto a splay fault connected with the subduction interface but further investigations are needed to map precisely the 3D distribution of active faults that break the margin.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00407726
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407726
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2007.11.018

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD European Geosciences Union
Résumé : International audience
During the GWADASEIS cruise (Lesser Antilles volcanic arc, February-March 2009) a very high resolution (VHR) seismic-reflection survey was performed in order to constrain Late Quaternary to Present faulting. The profiles we obtained evidence frequent "ponding" of reworked sediments in the deepest areas, similar to the deposition of Mediterranean "homogenites". These bodies are acoustically transparent (few ms t.w.t. thick) and are often deposited on the hanging walls of dominantly normal faults, at the base of scarps. Their thickness appears sufficient to compensate (i.e. bury) co-seismic scarps between successive earthquakes, resulting in a flat and horizontal sea floor through time. In a selected area (offshore Montserrat and Nevis islands), piston coring (4 to 7 m long) was dedicated to a sedimentological analysis of the most recent of these particular layers. It corresponds to non-stratified homogenous calcareous silty sand (reworked calcareous plankton and minor volcanoclastics). This layer can be up to 2 m thick, and overlies finegrained hemipelagites. The upper centimeters of the latter represent the normal RedOx water/sediment interface. 210Pb and 137Cs activities lack in the massive sands, while a normal profile of unsupported 210Pb decrease is observed in the hemipelagite below, together with a 137Cs peak correspond- ing to the Atmospheric Nuclear Experiments (1962). The RedOx level was thus capped by a recent instantaneous major sedimentary event considered as post-1970 AD; candidate seismic events to explain this sedimentary deposits are either the 16 March 1985 earthquake or the 8 October 1974 one (Mw=6.3 and Mw=7.4, respectively). This leads to consider that the syntectonic sedimentation in this area is not continuous but results from accumulation of thick homogenites deposited after the earthquakes (as observed in the following weeks after Haiti January 2010 event, McHugh et al., 2011). The existence of such deposits suggests that, in the area of study, vertical throw likely results from cumulated effects of separated earthquakes rather than from aseismic creep. Examination of VHR profiles shows that all major co-seismic offsets are recorded in the fault growth sequence and that co-seismic offsets can be precisely estimated. By using a sedimentation rate deduced from 210Pb decrease curve (0.5 mm yr−1) and taking into account minor reworking events detected in cores, we show that the Redonda system may have been responsible for five >M6 events during the last 34 000 yr. The approach presented in this work differs from fault activity analyses using displaced sets of isochronous surfaces and postulating co-seismic offsets. Combining VHR seismic imagery and coring we can decipher co-seismic vs. slow continuous displacement, and thus actually estimate the amplitude and the time distribution of major co-seismic offsets.
ISSN: 1561-8633

insu-00844581
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00844581
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00844581/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00844581/file/nhess-12-1755-2012.pdf
DOI : 10.5194/nhess-12-1755-2012

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We use velocities from 65 continuous stations and 31 survey-mode GPS sites as well as kinematic modeling to investigate present day deformation along the Africa-Iberia plate boundary zone in the western Mediterranean region. The GPS velocity field shows southwestward motion of the central part of the Rif Mountains in northern Morocco with respect to Africa varying between 3.5 and 4.0 mm/yr, consistent with prior published results. Stations in the southwestern part of the Betic Mountains of southern Spain move west-southwest with respect to Eurasia (similar to 2-3 mm/yr). The western component of Betics motion is consistent with partial transfer of Nubia-Eurasia plate motion into the southern Betics. The southward component of Betics motion with respect to Iberia is kinematically consistent with south to southwest motion of the Rif Mountains with respect to Africa. We use block modeling, constrained by mapped surface faults and seismicity to estimate the geometry and rates of strain accumulation on plate boundary structures. Our preferred plate boundary geometry includes one block between Iberia and Africa including the SW Betics, Alboran Sea, and central Rif. This geometry provides a good fit to the observed motions, suggesting a wide transpressive boundary in the westernmost Mediterranean, with deformation mainly accommodated by the Gloria-Azores fault system to the West and the Rif-Tell lineament to the East. Block boundaries encompass aspects of earlier interpretations suggesting three main deformation styles: (i) extension along the NE-SW trending Trans-Alboran shear zone, (ii) dextral strike-slip in the Betics corresponding to a well defined E-W seismic lineament, and (iii) right lateral strike-slip motion extending West to the Azores and right-lateral motion with compression extending East along the Algerian Tell. We interpret differential motion in the Rif-Alboran-Betic system to be driven both by surface processes related the Africa-Eurasia oblique convergence and sub-crustal dynamic processes associated with the long history of subduction of the Neotethys ocean lithosphere. The dextral slip identified in the Betic Mountains in Southern Spain may be related to the offshore fault that produced the Great 1755 Lisbon Earthquake, and as such may represent a significant seismic hazard for the West Mediterranean region.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-00618337
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00618337
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2011.05.048

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD University of Arizona
Résumé : International audience
Taiwan is a young and seismically active mountain belt, where a series of strong earthquakes (M>7) have occurred over the past hundred years. Identifying historical earthquakes around Taiwan is a key to better constrain the geodynamic of this active region. Sedimentological and geochemical analyses of surface sediments from one station offshore east Taiwan revealed the presence of coarse-grained layers interpreted as turbidites. The age of these layers have been determined by 210Pb, 137Cs, and 241Am chronology. Dating of the three most recent turbidites provides ages of AD 2001±3, AD 1950±5, and AD 1928±10. The results show striking temporal correspondence of turbidite layers to large (M≥6.8) earthquakes recorded in the region since the 20th century. The chronologies of sediment layers lead us to believe that turbidites resulted from the 2003 Taitung earthquake (M 6.8), the 1951 Chengkong earthquake (M 7.1), and the 1935 Lutao earthquake (M 7.0), respectively. Such a good correlation between turbidites and high-magnitude (M≥6.8) historical and instrumental seismic events suggests that turbidite paleoseismology constitutes a valuable tool for earthquake assessment in the eastern Taiwan margin. Moreover, the modern reservoir radiocarbon age and the regional marine reservoir correction (ΔR) of the Kuroshio Current off Taiwan were estimated by comparing accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C ages with ages derived from corrected 210Pb profiles and historical accounts of identifiable seismic events. Such a determination is important to calibrate the 14C ages of marine materials for accurate comparison of marine and continental geological records. Our calculated mean ΔR value of 232±54 14C yr (n=2) is higher than its modern value of 86±40 14C yr. This high value can be explained by the presence of local upwelling cells and turbulence in the Kuroshio Current, north of Green Island. These upwelling cells bring 14C-depleted water to the surface, resulting in an increase of the modern ΔR value in this portion of the Kuroshio Current.
ISSN: 0033-8222

hal-01306986
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01306986
DOI : 10.1017/RDC.2015.3

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
3D seismic data located in the Gjallar Ridge (Vøring Basin, offshore Norway) reveals a closely-spaced polygonal fault system affecting more than 800 m of homogeneous mud-dominated Quaternary and Tertiary sequences. As some faults reach the modern seafloor, they represent an active polygonal fault system at present day. Even if the processes remain unclear and are still under debate, it is generally agreed that the initiation of polygonal faults is the result of shallow burial dewatering of fine-grained unconsolidated sediments by volumetric compaction. 3D seismic data are commonly interpreted by propagating horizons automatically and by picking faults manually. However, in the case of polygonal fault intervals, this approach is time consuming due to the huge number of faults and because automatic propagation can be misleading. In this study, we applied a new technique of 3D seismic interpretation based on a sequential stratigraphy analysis, using the new PaleoScan© software (Eliis Company). It allowed us to build a 3D geological model computing more than 300 horizons within the faulted intervals. We then used the coherency attribute, depicting anomalies in the shape of seismic waveform like faults, in order to constrain a possible link between fault distribution and stratigraphic levels. Our approach allows fault throws to be calculated in milliseconds on any polygonal fault plane. The result shows that fault segments have been reactivated by dip-linkage. Distribution of faults depends on mechanical units, intervals characterized by different petrophysical properties, which are independent from lithological and diagenetic changes. According to these results, we propose a model showing the evolution of polygonal fault intervals in which faulting stages are separated by a quiescence phase during burial. A first tier of polygonal faults is initiated at a specific depth, according to the Cam-clay model. Then, following a period of quiescence during which mud-rich sediments continued to accumulate, new fault segments are initiated above the first mechanical unit and within this undeformed interval. New nucleated faults then connect downward to pre-existing underlying polygonal fault system, thus progressively increasing the thickness of the faulted interval.
ISSN: 0025-3227

hal-00772470
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00772470
DOI : 10.1016/j.margeo.2012.07.016

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The purpose of this work is to specify the deformation offshore East of Taiwan by characterizing major active faults in particular at the level of the Ryukyu forearc. The major problem associated with the study of this region is that earthquakes are located outside the permanent networks. Consequently, this led to some unprecise earthquake locations limiting tectonic and statistical analyses, and therefore the correct estimation of the seismic hazard. This work is included in the project ANR ACTS (Active Tectonics and Seismic Hazard in Taiwan). To achieve this goal, we worked on three different timescales for which a different localization method has been proposed to obtain a clear image of seismic deformation and highlight major faults offhore East of Taiwan. First, at the scale of the century (from the analysis of a seismicity catalogue with homogeneous magnitude), the instrumental historical earthquakes (1897-2007) show that the Ryukyu margin was affected by 6 earthquakes of magnitude greater than 7 with 4 of them for which the responsible fault is unknown. We propose a method of relative location to relocate the historic events from the time difference of P and S arrival times (Ts-Tp) at each station. The location is obtained by searching for "analogue" earthquakes in the recent instrumental catalogue (1991-2008) for which Ts-Tp at each station is close. This method has been applied to the largest (in terms of magnitude) earthquake ever recorded in Taiwan, the earthquake of June 5, 1920 (M7.7 +/- 0.2). A rupture along the interplate of the Ryukyu subduction with a possible nucleation at the downdip limit of a splay-fault is certainly responsible of this earthquake. Then, at the scale of the decade, the improvement of the method of absolute location based on MAXimum of Intersection of EDT (MAXI, EDT: Equal Differential Time) allows to better extract the erroneous arrival times and prevents the "trade-off" between depth and origin time, and between depth and epicentral position when the azimuthal coverage is low (gap Azimuthal > 180degre). Synthetic tests show the effectiveness of MAXI (using P-wave only) to determine the parameters x, y and z even when the azimuthal gap is important. In the latter case, the quality of the results is dependent on the velocity model to represent the 3D structure of the Earth. We propose an approach involving the use of a 3D a priori P-wave velocity model to locate earthquakes which are lateral and remote to the seismic network. An application to the case of Taiwan and Ecuador validates this approach. Finally, at the level of a few months, the marine geophysical campaign RATS (Ryukyu Arc: Tectonics and Seismology) was conducted in two stages. A passive seismology experiment from July to October, 2008 (RATS1) has been conducted over the forearc of the Ryukyus and then active seismic experiment (refraction and reflection) was conducted in May 2009 in a NNE - SSW line through the Ryukyu margin. These two combined experiments allow improving our knowledge about the crustal structure of the margin. At the level of the forearc, the basement of the forearc is characterized by vertical backstop and a very deformed basis certainly associated with a significant out of sequence deformation. In depth, the downgoing plate is certainly affected by a tear that controls the seismicity in the region of transition between the subduction and collision.
Le but de ce travail est de préciser la déformation en mer à l'est de Taïwan et de notamment caractériser les failles actives majeures en particulier au niveau de l'avant-arc des Ryukyus. Le problème majeur associé à l'étude de cette région est que les séismes sont localisés en dehors des réseaux permanents et que cela conduit à des localisations peu précises limitant les analyses statistiques, tectoniques et donc l'estimation correcte de l'aléa sismique. Ce travail est inclus dans le projet ANR ACTS (Active Tectonics and Seismic Hazard in Taiwan). Pour atteindre cet objectif, nous travaillons à trois échelles de temps différentes pour lesquelles une méthode de localisation différente a été proposée pour obtenir une image précise de la déformation sismique et mettre en évidence les failles majeures en mer à l'est de Taïwan. D'abord, à l'échelle du siècle (à partir de l'analyse d'un catalogue de sismicité homogène en magnitude), les séismes historiques instrumentaux (1897-2007) montrent que la marge des Ryukyus a été affectée par 6 séismes de magnitude supérieure à 7 dont 4 pour lesquels la faille responsable n'est pas connue. Nous proposons une méthode de localisation relative qui permet de relocaliser les évènements historiques à partir des différences de temps d'arrivées P et S (Ts-Tp) à chaque station. La localisation est obtenue en recherchant les séismes analogues dans le catalogue instrumental récent (1991-2008) pour lesquels Ts-Tp à chaque station est proche. Cette méthode a été appliquée au plus gros séisme (en terme de magnitude) jamais enregistré à Taïwan, le séisme du 5 juin 1920 (M7.7 $pm$ 0.2). Ce séisme a certainement pour origine une rupture sur l'interplaque sismogène de la subduction des Ryukyus avec une possible nucléation à la base d'une faille hors-séquence. Ensuite, à l'échelle de la dizaine d'années, l'amélioration de la méthode de localisation absolue du MAXimum d'Intersection EDT (MAXI, EDT: Equal Differential Time) permet de mieux extraire les temps d'arrivées erronés et empêche les "trade-off" entre profondeur et temps d'origine et, entre profondeur et position épicentrale lorsque la couverture azimutale est faible (gap azimutal > 180°). Des tests synthétiques montrent l'efficacité de MAXI (en utilisant les ondes P uniquement) à déterminer les paramètres x, y et z même lorsque le gap azimutal est important. Dans ce dernier cas, la qualité des résultats reste dépendant du modèle de vitesse à représenter la structure 3D de la Terre. Nous proposons une démarche associant l'utilisation d'un modèle de vitesse des ondes P 3D a priori avec la méthode MAXI pour localiser les séismes qui sont latéraux et éloignés du réseau. Une application au cas de Taïwan et en Équateur valide cette approche. Enfin, à l'échelle de quelques mois, la campagne de géophysique marine RATS (Ryukyu Arc: Tectonics and Seismology) a été menée en deux temps. Une expérience de sismologie passive de juillet à octobre 2008 (RATS1) a été menée au-dessus de l'avant-arc des Ryukyus puis une expérience de sismique active (réfraction et réflexion) a été menée en mai 2009 sur une ligne NNE-SSW à travers la marge des Ryukyus. Ces deux expériences combinées permettent d'améliorer notre connaissance de la structure crustale de la marge. Au niveau de l'avant-arc, le socle de l'avant-arc est caractérisé par une extrémité formant un butoir vertical et une base très déformée certainement associée à une importante déformation hors-séquence. En profondeur, la plaque plongeante est certainement affectée par une déchirure qui contrôle la sismicité dans cette région de transition entre la subduction et la collision.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00660737

tel-00660737
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00660737
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00660737/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00660737/file/Thesis_small.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union
Résumé : International audience
During the GWADASEIS cruise (Lesser Antilles volcanic arc, February–March 2009) a very high resolution (VHR) seismic-reflection survey was performed in order to constrain Late Quaternary to Present faulting. The profiles we obtained evidence frequent " ponding " of reworked sediments in the deepest areas, similar to the deposition of Mediterranean " homogenites ". These bodies are acoustically transparent (few ms t.w.t. thick) and are often deposited on the hanging walls of dominantly normal faults, at the base of scarps. Their thickness appears sufficient to compensate (i.e. bury) co-seismic scarps between successive earthquakes, resulting in a flat and horizontal sea floor through time. In a selected area (offshore Montserrat and Nevis islands), piston coring (4 to 7 m long) was dedicated to a sedimento-logical analysis of the most recent of these particular layers. It corresponds to non-stratified homogenous calcareous silty sand (reworked calcareous plankton and minor volcanoclas-tics). This layer can be up to 2 m thick, and overlies fine-grained hemipelagites. The upper centimeters of the latter represent the normal RedOx water/sediment interface. 210 Pb and 137 Cs activities lack in the massive sands, while a normal profile of unsupported 210 Pb decrease is observed in the hemipelagite below, together with a 137 Cs peak corresponding to the Atmospheric Nuclear Experiments (1962). The RedOx level was thus capped by a recent instantaneous major sedimentary event considered as post-1970 AD; candidate seismic events to explain this sedimentary deposits are either the 16 March 1985 earthquake or the 8 October 1974 one (M w = 6.3 and M w = 7.4, respectively). This leads to consider that the syntectonic sedimentation in this area is not continuous but results from accumulation of thick homogen-ites deposited after the earthquakes (as observed in the following weeks after Haiti January 2010 event, McHugh et al., 2011). The existence of such deposits suggests that, in the area of study, vertical throw likely results from cu-mulated effects of separated earthquakes rather than from aseismic creep. Examination of VHR profiles shows that all major co-seismic offsets are recorded in the fault growth sequence and that co-seismic offsets can be precisely estimated. By using a sedimentation rate deduced from 210 Pb decrease curve (0.5 mm yr −1) and taking into account minor reworking events detected in cores, we show that the Redonda system may have been responsible for five > M 6 events during the last 34 000 yr. The approach presented in this work differs from fault activity analyses using displaced sets of isochronous surfaces and postulating co-seismic offsets. Combining VHR seismic imagery and coring we can decipher co-seismic vs. slow continuous displacement, and thus actually estimate the amplitude and the time distribution of major co-seismic offsets.
Natural Hazards and Earth System Science

insu-01585969
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01585969
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01585969/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01585969/file/nhess-12-1755-2012-beck.pdf
DOI : 10.5194/nhess-12-1755-2012

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The present study addresses the question of increasing need in water supply. One line of research consists in investigating karst aquifers that represent significant water supplies for the areas around the Mediterranean. This work aims at developing a methodology of predictive evaluation of karst distribution and karst thickness within the carbonate massifs. It is based on the study of the Tethysian carbonate platform from the area of Montpellier, South of France. This area underwent a polyphased, complex, tectonic evolution, involving successive karst forming events. The approach is based on the relationships between eustacy and geodynamics, on one hand, and base-level variation recorded within palaeokarsts, on the other hand. Sedimentary fill of palaeokarsts allows to identify distinct karstification phases and sometimes to date them. It is a marker of base-level variations, which we attempt to quantify, that is responsible for karst formation and karst filling and sealing. For three palaeokarsts of regional extent, we analyze : karst sedimentary-fill, the distribution along upstream-downstream profile, the vertical extension of palaeokarsts, indicative of the base-level lowering. - The " Bauxite palaeokarst " results from the two-stage evolution of the " Isthme Durancien " : i) Bauxitic weathering of the Neocomian cover over the southern Massif Central , related to an inversion during Barremian ; ii) ≥1600 m uplift and exhumation during Aptian-Albian, inducing erosion of alterites, upstream, and deposition of detrital bauxites, downstream. - The " Early Paleocene palaeokarsts with marine sedimentary-fill " indicate base level variations of more than 350m in the upstream area. It is suggested here that such base-level variations, exceeding eustacy and recorded in tabular undeformed series, result from desiccation-flooding events in an endoreic silled basin. - The " Miocene palaeokarst with Cevennes-sourced sediment-fill " records a Serravalian-Tortonian base-level drop, depicted by canyon incision in the hinterland of the Gulf of Lion Margin. Uplift values of ≥ 400m upstream, about 250m in an intermediate area and 10's of m downstream, are measured. The present 3D geometry and distribution of carbonate massifs (exposed and covered) are modeled in the study area, from the Cevennes to the Mediterranean. The 3D geological model integrates seismic reflection, borehole and gravimetric data. Tectonic restoration of a N-S section, extracted from the 3D model, allows to reconstruct paleo-base-levels with respect with the carbonate massifs, at different stages of deformation and successive phases of karstification. The 3D paleo-flows through carbonates across the study area, are thus constrained, especially during the Messinian desiccation stage. Application of the results to hydrogeology leads to the following : - Uplift of upstream hinterland (Cretaceous, Miocene) produces large amplitude karsts, but they do not make significant reservoirs. - Karstification responsible for the development of important and deep karst reservoirs is related to desiccation of endoreic basins (early Paleocene and Messinian). - Theses two events have produced two main deep karst reservoirs, with a gravimetric signature : (1) Upstream of Montpellier Thrust, between Pic St Loup, Les Matelles Fault and Hérault Basin, a deep karsts developed over 900m thickness in the Malm limestone, during Paleocene. (2) Downstream (south) of Montpellier Thrust, the coastal karsts extend offshore over more than 10km, they are sealed by a thick Miocene to Quaternary cover, and they result from the Messinian event.
Cette étude s'inscrit dans un contexte de demande croissante en ressources en eau, conduisant à mieux contraindre et estimer la distribution des aquifères karstifiés qui représentent une ressource importante, notamment sur le pourtour méditerranéen. Le but de ce travail est d'élaborer une méthode prédictive de la distribution de la karstification et de l'épaisseur de massifs carbonatés karstifiés, notamment pour les karsts profonds. La méthodologie est développée à partir de l'étude des karsts de la plateforme carbonatée téthysienne du Languedoc montpelliérain; région qui a subi une histoire tectonique complexe et polyphasée, entrainant des phases de karstification successives. Elle est basée sur la compréhension des relations entre eustatisme, géodynamique et niveau de base, enregistrées par les paléokarsts de la région. Le remplissage sédimentaire des paléokarsts permet d'identifier les épisodes de karstification et de les dater ; c'est un marqueur des variations -que l'on cherche à quantifier- du niveau de base local responsable de la formation et du comblement des karsts. On analyse 3 paléokarsts d'extension régionale dont on peut étudier : le remplissage karstique, la distribution le long de profils amont-aval et l'extension verticale indicatrice de l'amplitude de l'abaissement du niveau de base dont il est issu. On en déduit les causes géodynamiques à l'origine de leur formation: - Le " paléokarst des bauxites " à remplissage caractéristique, résulte de l'évolution en 2 phases de " l'Isthme Durancien " : altération bauxitique de la couverture néocomienne sur le sud du Massif Central, liée à une inversion au Barrémien, suivi d'une surrection ≥ 1600m à l'Aptien-Albien, causant l'érosion des altérites en amont et le dépôt des bauxites détritiques en aval. - Le " paléokarst à remplissage marin paléocène inférieur " indique des variations du niveau de base local ≥350m dans la zone amont sud-cévenole. On propose que ces variations de niveau de base d'amplitude très supérieures aux variations eustatiques et dans une zone faiblement déformée, résultent d'assèchements et d'ennoiements d'un bassin endoréique à seuil. - Le " paléokarst à remplissage détritique d'origine cévenole ", enregistre la chute du niveau de base au Serravalien-Tortonien, qui se traduit par l'incision de canyons dans l'arrière-pays de la marge du Golfe du Lion. On détermine une surrection de plus de 400 mètres à l'amont, près de 250m dans les blocs faillés intermédiaires et quelques dizaines de mètres dans la zone avale. En parallèle, on établit la géométrie et la distribution actuelles des massifs carbonatés dans la zone d'étude (y compris sous couverture), en construisant un modèle géologique 3D, des Cévennes à la Méditerranée. On intègre les données de sismique réflexion, de forages et les données gravimétriques. La restauration tectonique séquentielle d'une coupe Nord-Sud extraite du modèle géologique permet d'appréhender la position des paléo-niveaux de base par rapport aux massifs carbonatés, pour chaque époque de karstification. On déduit l'organisation 3D des paléo-écoulements à travers la géométrie complexe des massifs carbonatés languedociens, notamment pendant l'évènement messinien. En terme d'évaluation de la ressource en eau, on déduit que: - Les surrections de l'arrière-pays (Crétacé " moyen ", Miocène) produisent des karsts de grande amplitude, mais ne constituent pas de réservoirs significatifs. - La karstification à l'origine de réservoirs exploitables importants et profonds est créée par l'assèchement de bassins endoréiques, qui ont affecté la région au Paléocène inférieur et au Messinien . - Ces deux évènements sont à l'origine de deux principaux réservoirs karstiques profonds qui ont une signature gravimétrique : (1) En amont du chevauchement de Montpellier, entre le Pic Saint Loup, la faille des Matelles et le bassin de l'Hérault, le karst profond se développe sur une épaisseur atteignant 900m, et est attribuée à l'événement du Paléocène. (2) Au Sud du chevauchement de Montpellier les karsts côtiers s'étendent jusqu'à plus de 10 km au large, scellés par une épaisse couverture Miocène et Plio-Quaternaire, et résultent de l'événement Messinien.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00936257

tel-00936257
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00936257
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00936257/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00936257/file/thA_se_husson_couleurs.pdf

Éditeur(s) : AGU
Résumé : New, high-quality multichannel seismic reflection data from the western New Caledonia offshore domain allow for the first time the direct, continuous connection of seismic reflectors between the Deep Sea Drilling Project 208 drill hole on the Lord Howe Rise and the New Caledonia Basin. A novel seismic interpretation is hence proposed for the northern New Caledonia Basin stratigraphy, which places the Eocene/Oligocene unconformity deeper than previously thought and revisits the actual thickness of the pre-Oligocene sequences. A causal link is proposed between the obduction of the South Loyalty Basin over New Caledonia (NC) and the tectonic history of the northern New Caledonia Basin. Here it is suggested that as the South Loyalty Basin was being obducted during early Oligocene times, the NC Basin subsided under the effect of the overloading and underthrusted to accommodate the compressional deformation, which resulted in (1) the uplift of the northern Fairway Ridge and (2) the sinking of the western flank of New Caledonia. This event also had repercussions farther west with the incipient subsidence of the Lord Howe Rise.
Tectonics (0278-7407) (AGU), 2008-12 , Vol. 27 , N. TC6006 , P. 1-20

Droits : 2008 American Geophysical Union
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2008/publication-4782.pdf
DOI:10.1029/2008TC002263
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/4782/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Taiwan is a young mountain belt, known as one of the most active area in the world. Since the beginning of the 20th century more than twenty _ Mw 7 earthquakes have struck the island. However, the occurrence of larger events (_Mw 8) is still a matter of debate. In this framework it is of key importance to obtain longer record in order to evaluate the occurrence of large past earthquakes. The sub-aqueous paleoseismology, based on the record of the sedimentary gravity deposits, appears as a serious alternative to approach this thematic and is a rapidly advancing field that has the potential to illuminate the long-term history of seismicity.The first part of this work was to investigate the present sedimentary systems off east Taiwan, essential to understand the morphosedimentary features, sedimentary facies and processes governing the evolution of the submarine slope, and the controlling factors of the recent sedimentation. Our results showed that the offshore slope east Taiwan is affected by a variety of sedimentary systems and processes, and that turbidity currents appear as the main erosional processes covering nearly 60% of the sedimentary record. Turbidity currents are generated by distinct controlling factors such as tectonic and climatic activity that enabled us to define twoend-members relative to turbidity currents initiation: Turbidity currents preconditioned by tectonic activity and triggered by earthquakes shaking and likely deposited into intra-slope basin and turbidity currents driven by climatic activity such as extreme floods or typhoons, generated in basin directly connected with onland rivers.The second part consisted to apply a paleoseismic approach, based on turbidites record, at two time-scales. First, we tested and validated the method by correlating turbidites deposits with instrumental earthquakes. Then, once calibrated we extended the time-series back in time. We dated the three most recent turbidites layers circa 2001 ± 3 AD, 1950 ± 5 AD and 1928 ± 10 AD. Using empirical relationship that link peakground acceleration, distance and magnitude to calibrate the seismic sources, we correlate these three turbidites with instrumental earthquakes: the Chengkong Earthquake 12/10/2003 (Mw 6.8), the 11/24/1951 Taitung Earthquake (Mw 7.1) and the 9/4/1935 Lutao Earthquake (Mw 7.0) respectively. Applying criteria to discriminating the different triggering mechanisms for turbidity current generation, we propose that earthquakes are the main triggering mechanisms. Dating and age modeling provided a part of the chronology of extreme events since the last 3000 years and allowed us to estimate return time for earthquakes Mw _ 6.8.This work represents a good starting-point for future investigations in order to better assess Holocene time series of extreme events.
La chaine de Taïwan représente l’une des zones les plus actives au monde. Depuis le début du XXe siècle, plus d’une vingtaine de séismes _Mw 7 ont affecté l’île. Cependant la probabilité d’occurrence de séismes plus importants (_Mw 8) est toujours matière à débat. Dans un tel contexte, il apparait donc important d’obtenir des enregistrements plus anciens pour évaluer l’occurrence de tels évènements. La paléosismologie marine, basée sur l’enregistrement des dépôts issus de la sédimentation gravitaire, apparait comme une alternative sérieuse afin d’illuminer l’histoire de la sismicité sur des périodes anciennes. Ce travail de thèse apporte de nouvelles contraintes sur l’histoire sismique au large, à l’est de Taïwan, au cours des derniers 3000 ans.La première partie de ce travail consiste à caractériser les systèmes sédimentaires récents. Cette étape fut essentielle pour la compréhension des processus, faciès sédimentaires et les facteurs de contrôle de la sédimentation qui régissent l’évolution de la pente sous-marine. Ces résultats ont montré que l’Est de Taïwan est caractérisé par une grande variabilité de processus et que les courants de turbidité dominent l’enregistrement sédimentaire.Les courants de turbidité sont générés par deux facteurs distincts : l’activité tectonique/sismique et l’activité climatique. La deuxième partie de ce travail est consacrée à l’approche paléosismique en utilisant les dépôts de turbidités comme marqueurs des paléoséismes. Pour ce faire, nous avons dans un premier temps testé et validé l’approche à l’échelle du siècle dernier. Ensuite une fois calibré, nous avons pu étendre les séries temporelles à l’échelle de l’Holocène. Nous avons daté les trois plus récents évènements turbiditiques autour de 2001 ± 3 AD, 1950 ± 5 AD et 1928 ± 10 AD. En utilisant des relations empiriques intégrant magnitude, distance et valeur du "peak ground acceleration", nous avons pu calibrer la source sismique et ainsi corréler ces trois turbidites à trois séismes instrumentaux : le séisme de Chengkong (12/10/2003) (Mw 6.8), le séisme de Taitung (11/24/1951) (Mw 7.1) et le séisme de Lutao (9/4/1935) (Mw 7.0). Au-delà du siècle dernier, les datations et modèles d’âges nous permettent d’établir une partie de la chronologie des évènements extrêmes sur une période de 3000 ans et d’estimer un temps de retour pour des évènements de l’ordre _Mw 7. Les résultats ont toutefois montré que ces temps de retour sont nettement supérieurs à ceux connus sur le siècle dernier, ce qui suggère que tous les séismes ne sont pas enregistrés par les dépôts sédimentaires marins. Ce travail de thèse a donc permis de montrer que les dépôts issus de la sédimentation évènementielle peuvent être considérés comme marqueurs de la sismicité et que cette approche peut constituer un outil complémentaire pour les études portant sur le risque sismique.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01661529

NNT : 2014MON20133
tel-01661529
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01661529
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01661529/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01661529/file/55796_LEHU_2014_archivage_cor.pdf

Éditeur(s) : Oxford Univ Press
Résumé : This study presents the results of a deep seismic survey across the north Algerian margin, based on the combination of 2-D multichannel and wide-angle seismic data simultaneously recorded by 41 ocean bottom seismometers deployed along a north-south line extending 180 km off Jijel into the Algerian offshore basin, and 25 land stations deployed along a 100-km-long line, cutting through the Lesser Kabylia and the Tellian thrust-belt. The final model obtained using forward modelling of the wide-angle data and pre-stack depth migration of the seismic reflection data provides an unprecedented view of the sedimentary and crustal structure of the margin. The sedimentary layers in the Algerian basin are 3.75 km thick to the north and up to 4.5-5 km thick at the foot of the margin. They are characterized by seismic velocities from 1.9 to 3.8 km s(-1). Messinian salt formations are about 1 km thick in the study area, and are modelled and imaged using a velocity between 3.7 and 3.8 km s(-1). The crust in the deep sea basin is about 4.5 km thick and of oceanic origin, presenting two distinct layers with a high gradient upper crust (4.7-6.1 km s(-1)) and a low gradient lower crust (6.2-7.1 km s(-1)). The upper-mantle velocity is constrained to 7.9 km s(-1). The ocean-continent transition zone is very narrow between 15 and 20 km wide. The continental crust reaches 25 km thickness as imaged from the most landward station and thins to 5 km over a less than 70 km distance. The continental crust presents steep and asymmetric upper- and lower-crustal geometry, possibly due to either asymmetric rifting of the margin, an underplated body, or flow of lower crustal material towards the ocean basin. Present-time deformation, as imaged from three additional seismic profiles, is characterized by an interplay of gravity-driven mobile-salt creep and active thrusting at the foot of the tectonically inverted Algerian margin.
Geophysical Journal International (0956-540X) (Oxford Univ Press), 2014-09 , Vol. 198 , N. 3 , P. 1486-1503

Droits : 2014 The Royal Astronomical Society
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00217/32836/32150.pdf
DOI:10.1093/gji/ggu179
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00217/32836/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
To improve earthquake location, we create a 3-D a priori P-wave velocity model (3-DVM) that approximates the large velocity variations of the Ecuadorian subduction system. The 3-DVM is constructed from the integration of geophysical and geological data that depend on the structural geometry and velocity properties of the crust and the upper mantle. In addition, specific station selection is carried out to compensate for the high station density on the Andean Chain. 3-D synthetic experiments are then designed to evaluate the network capacity to recover the event position using only P arrivals and the MAXI technique. Three synthetic earthquake location experiments are proposed: (1) noise-free and (2) noisy arrivals used in the 3-DVM, and (3) noise-free arrivals used in a 1-DVM. Synthetic results indicate that, under the best conditions (exact arrival data set and 3-DVM), the spatiotemporal configuration of the Ecuadorian network can accurately locate 70 per cent of events in the frontal part of the subduction zone (average azimuthal gap is 289° ± 44°). Noisy P arrivals (up to ± 0.3 s) can accurately located 50 per cent of earthquakes. Processing earthquake location within a 1-DVM almost never allows accurate hypocentre position for offshore earthquakes (15 per cent), which highlights the role of using a 3-DVM in subduction zone. For the application to real data, the seismicity distribution from the 3-D-MAXI catalogue is also compared to the determinations obtained in a 1-D-layered VM. In addition to good-quality location uncertainties, the clustering and the depth distribution confirm the 3-D-MAXI catalogue reliability. The pattern of the seismicity distribution (a 13 yr record during the inter-seismic period of the seismic cycle) is compared to the pattern of rupture zone and asperity of the Mw = 7.9 1942 and the Mw = 7.7 1958 events (the Mw = 8.8 1906 asperity patch is not defined). We observe that the nucleation of 1942, 1958 and 1906 events coincides with areas of positive Simple Bouguer anomalies and areas where marine terraces are still preserved on the coastal morphology. From north to south: (1) the 1958 rupture zone is almost aseismic and is attributed to a zone of high coupling; (2) south of the Galera alignment (perpendicular to the trench), the 1942 rupture zone presents moderate seismicity, deeper on the seismogenic interplate zone, and abutting on the Jama cluster (to the south). This cluster is facing the Cabo Pasado cap and positive Bouguer anomalies on the overriding margin. We suspect that this cluster reflects a zone of local asperity (partial coupling). South of the Jama cluster, the spherical aseismic zone in the Bahia area is interpreted as having a low seismic coupling (steady creep motion or slow slip events). We suspect that the site that generated the three M > 7 events (1896, 1956 and 1998) correspond to a small patch of strong coupling. To the south, in the Manta-Puerto Lopez zone, the seismicity is mainly organized in earthquake swarms (1998, 2002, 2005). Although slow slip events have been observed in the area (Vallée et al. submitted), we infer from the coastline shape, the marine terraces and the high positive Bouguer anomalies that the seismicity here might reveal a significant amount of seismic coupling.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-00873478
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00873478
DOI : 10.1093/gji/ggs083