Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Seismological Society of America
Résumé : With the assistance of the ASTER team (M. Arnold, G. Aumaître, D. Bourlès, and K. Keddadouche)
International audience
The Bulnay earthquake of 23 July 1905 (Mw 8.3–8.5), in north‐central Mongolia, is one of the world’s largest recorded intracontinental earthquakes and one of four great earthquakes that occurred in the region during the twentieth century. The 375 km long surface rupture of the left‐lateral, strike‐slip, N095°E‐trending Bulnay fault associated with this earthquake is remarkable for its pronounced expression across the landscape and for the size of features produced by previous earthquakes. Our field observations suggest that in many areas the width and geometry of the rupture zone is the result of repeated earthquakes; however, in those areas where it is possible to determine that the geomorphic features are the result of the 1905 surface rupture alone, the size of the features produced by this single earthquake are singular in comparison to most other historical strike‐slip surface ruptures worldwide. Along the 80 km stretch, between 97.18° E and 98.33° E, the fault zone is characterized by several meters width and the mean left‐lateral 1905 offset is 8.9±0.6  m with two measured cumulative offsets that are twice the 1905 slip. These observations suggest that the displacement produced during the penultimate event was similar to the 1905 slip. Morphotectonic analyses carried out at three sites along the eastern part of the Bulnay fault allow us to estimate a mean horizontal slip rate of 3.1±1.7  mm/yr over the Late Pleistocene–Holocene period. In parallel, paleoseismological investigations show evidence for two earthquakes prior to the 1905 event, with recurrence intervals of ∼2700–4000  yrs.
ISSN: 0037-1106

hal-01179837
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01179837
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01179837v2/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01179837/file/rizza2015.pdf
DOI : 10.1785/0120140119

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Diffusion parameters for HTO, 36Cl−, and 125I− were determined on Upper Toarcian argillite samples from the Tournemire Underground Research Laboratory (Aveyron, France) using the through diffusion technique. The direction of diffusion was parallel to the bedding plane. The purpose of the present study was 3-fold; it was intended (i) to confirm the I− interaction with Upper Toarcian argillite and to verify the effects of initial I− concentration on this affinity, as previously observed by means of radial diffusion experiments, (ii) to highlight any discrepancy between Cl− and I− diffusivity, and (iii) to investigate the effect of an increase of the ionic strength of the solution on the anionic tracers' diffusive behaviour. The results show that the effective diffusion coefficient (De) and diffusion accessible porosity (εa) values obtained with an ionic strength (I.S.) synthetic pore water of 0.01 eq L−1 are: De = 2.35-2.50 × 10−11 m2 s−1 and εa = 12.0-15.0% for HTO, and De = 14.5-15.5 × 10−13 m2 s−1 and εa = 2.5-2.9% for 36Cl−. Because of anionic exclusion effects, anions diffuse slower and exhibit smaller diffusion accessible porosities than HTO, taken as a water tracer. The associated effective diffusion coefficient (De) and rock capacity factor (α) obtained for 125I are: De = 7.00-8.60 × 10−13 m2 s−1 and α = 4.3-7.2%. Such values make it possible to calculate low 125I distribution ratios (0.0057 < RD < 0.0192 mL g−1) which confirm the trend indicating that the 125I rock capacity factor increases with the decrease of the initial I− concentration. Additional through-diffusion experiments were carried out with a higher ionic strength synthetic pore water (I.S. = 0.11 eq L−1). No evolution of HTO diffusion parameters was observed. The anionic tracers' effective diffusion coefficient increased by a factor of two but no clear evolution of their accessible porosity was observed. Such a paradox could be related to the particularly small mean pore size of the Upper Toarcian argillite of Tournemire. The most significant finding of this study is the large discrepancy (factor of two) between the values of the effective diffusion coefficient for 125I and 36Cl. Whatever the ionic strength of the synthetic solution used, 125I exhibited De values two times lower than those of 36Cl. A detailed explanation for this difference cannot be given at present even if a hypothesis based on ion-pairing or on steric-exclusion cannot be excluded. This makes questionable the assumption usually made for quantifying 125I sorption and postulating that 36Cl and 125I would diffuse in the same porosity. In other terms, at Tournemire, 125I sorption could be more pronounced than previously indicated.
ISSN: 0883-2927

hal-00757749
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00757749
DOI : 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2011.12.017

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
The Taleghan fault (TF) is a major active fault of the Central Alborz mountain range in Iran. Located 50 km northwestwards of Tehran, this 80-km-long fault represents one of the major structures threatening 15 million people living in the capital of Iran and the surrounding cities (e.g. Karaj). The TF could be the source of some of the strongest historical earthquakes recorded in the Tehran region, notably the 958 AD event (estimated magnitude M 7.7). To characterize the kinematics and activity of the fault, we carried out a detailed morphological and palaeoseismological study combining aerial photographs, digital elevation models and fieldwork. We show that, unliked described so far, the TF is not a reverse fault but a left-lateral strike-slip fault with a normal component. Its strike, dip and rake within its eastern part are 105, 60 and -20/-40, respectively. Our palaeoseismological analysis shows that a sequence of 2-3 events with magnitudes M-w >= 7 occurred during the past 5300 years. If we consider a three-event scenario, the average recurrence interval is similar to 2000 years, and the most recent event is younger than 80 AD. If we consider a two-event scenario, the time interval between the second and the first events ranges between 3760 and 830 years, and the elapsed time since the last event ranges between 3529 and 1599 years. Combined with morphotectonics data, our palaeoseismological analysis allows estimating a minimum horizontal slip rate of 0.6-1.6 mm yr(-1) and a minimum vertical slip rate of similar to 0.5 mm yr(-1). Taking the similar to 450-m total vertical displacement observed across the fault, we conclude that the kinematical change along the TF (from reverse to left-lateral + normal) occurred similar to 1 Ma.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-00420896
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00420896
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00420896v2/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00420896/file/narariGJI2009.pdf
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2009.04173.x