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Earthquake crisis unveils the growth of an incipient continental fault system

Author

Listed:
  • Eulàlia Gràcia

    (Barcelona-CSI, Institut de Ciències del Mar, ICM-CSIC)

  • Ingo Grevemeyer

    (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research)

  • Rafael Bartolomé

    (Barcelona-CSI, Institut de Ciències del Mar, ICM-CSIC)

  • Hector Perea

    (Barcelona-CSI, Institut de Ciències del Mar, ICM-CSIC
    GRD, Scripps Institution of Oceanography – UCSD)

  • Sara Martínez-Loriente

    (University College of Dublin, School of Earth Sciences)

  • Laura Gómez de la Peña

    (Barcelona-CSI, Institut de Ciències del Mar, ICM-CSIC
    GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research)

  • Antonio Villaseñor

    (Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera, ICTJA-CSIC)

  • Yann Klinger

    (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, UMR7154 CNRS)

  • Claudio Lo Iacono

    (National Oceanography Centre, Waterfront Campus)

  • Susana Diez

    (Unitat de Tecnologia Marina, UTM-CSIC)

  • Alcinoe Calahorrano

    (Barcelona-CSI, Institut de Ciències del Mar, ICM-CSIC)

  • Miquel Camafort

    (Barcelona-CSI, Institut de Ciències del Mar, ICM-CSIC)

  • Sergio Costa

    (Barcelona-CSI, Institut de Ciències del Mar, ICM-CSIC)

  • Elia d’Acremont

    (Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS - ISTEP)

  • Alain Rabaute

    (Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS - ISTEP)

  • César R. Ranero

    (Barcelona-CSI, Institut de Ciències del Mar, ICM-CSIC
    Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA))

Abstract

Large continental faults extend for thousands of kilometres to form boundaries between rigid tectonic blocks. These faults are associated with prominent topographic features and can produce large earthquakes. Here we show the first evidence of a major tectonic structure in its initial-stage, the Al-Idrissi Fault System (AIFS), in the Alboran Sea. Combining bathymetric and seismic reflection data, together with seismological analyses of the 2016 Mw 6.4 earthquake offshore Morocco – the largest event ever recorded in the area – we unveil a 3D geometry for the AIFS. We report evidence of left-lateral strike-slip displacement, characterise the fault segmentation and demonstrate that AIFS is the source of the 2016 events. The occurrence of the Mw 6.4 earthquake together with historical and instrumental events supports that the AIFS is currently growing through propagation and linkage of its segments. Thus, the AIFS provides a unique model of the inception and growth of a young plate boundary fault system.

Suggested Citation

  • Eulàlia Gràcia & Ingo Grevemeyer & Rafael Bartolomé & Hector Perea & Sara Martínez-Loriente & Laura Gómez de la Peña & Antonio Villaseñor & Yann Klinger & Claudio Lo Iacono & Susana Diez & Alcinoe Cal, 2019. "Earthquake crisis unveils the growth of an incipient continental fault system," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-11064-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11064-5
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