The Dead Sea Rift as a natural laboratory for earthquake behavior: prehistorical, historical and recent seismicity

The DSW 2009 - Field Trip & Workshop "The Dead Sea Rift as natural laboratory for earthquake behaviour: prehistorical, historical and recent seismicity", held in Israel on 16th-23rd February, 2009, was organized by the Geological Survey of Israel and INQUA Focus Group on Paleoseismology and Active Tectonics, in collaboration with UNESCO (IGCP project 567 “Earthquake Archaeology”). This event was aimed at improving our understanding of Paleoseismology and Seismic Hazard Assessment, at a global level and specifically in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, with an emphasis on the study of the environmental effects of earthquakes and on the application of the ESI 2007 intensity scale. The region of the Dead Sea Rift is in fact the object of large engineering projects, such as the Dead Sea - Red Sea water conduit project, and existing and planned nuclear facilities in Israel and Jordan. A six days long field trip along the Dead Sea fault from Hula Valley at the border with Lebanon, to the Red Sea and Aqaba in Jordan, was organized by the Geological Survey of Israel in collaboration with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University and Ben- Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel. This volume is the comprehensive Field Trip Guide for the DSW 2009. The field trip spanned 4 seasons, from the snowy Mt Hermon, to the rainy Sea of Galilee region, and to the hot arid desert -- Dead Sea, Arava valley and to the Red Sea, the Aqaba/Eilat area, allowing to examine a wide variety of climatic and geomorphic settings. The “fil rouge” of the trip was of course the trace of the Dead Sea Tranform, which was followed for more than 300 km, with about 35 stops. The participants examined unique field exposures presented by expertise of each site and discussed, among others, A) seismically-induced landslide hazards near the Sea of Galilee and South of the Dead Sea, B) evidence of archaeoseismicity at a variety of location along the Jordan River Valley, Dead Sea Rift and at Aqaba/Petra, C) paleoseismic surface faulting exposed along trench walls in the Arava Valley, and damaged and offsett archaeological remains at Qala'at Al-Subeiba Namrod fortress, Vadum Jacob, Susita, Petra, and Ayla (Aqaba) in Jordan:, D) paleoliquefaction features preserved in the Lisan Formation around the Dead Sea, E) long paleoseismic record from deformed speleothemes in the Soreq Cave near Jerusalem

40 Years Later: New Perspectives on the 23 November 1980, Ms 6.9, Irpinia-Lucania Earthquake

Special Issue \u201cThe 23 November, 1980 Irpinia-Lucania, Southern Italy Earthquake: Insights and Reviews 40 Years Later\u201d we revisit this milestone geological and seismological event, bringing together the latest views and news on this earthquake, with the aim of improving the dissemination of wide-ranging information on this remarkable case history. This earthquake struck Irpinia-Lucania region (Lucania is also called Basilicata; Southern Italy) on 23 November 1980 (Ms 6.9, Io X MCS), and it is remembered in Italy not only for being the strongest earthquake recorded in the last 100 years causing devastation of entire regions and severe loss of human life, but also for the destruction of the cultural heritage in the epicentral area

New stratigraphic and structural evidence for Late Pleistocene surface faulting along the Monte Olimpino Backthrust (Lombardia, N Italy)

We summarize some preliminary results achieved during the investigations conducted for the CARG Project, geological sheet n. 75 “Como”, i.e. the analysis of the Quaternary evolution of the “Monte Olimpino Backthrust” and the evaluation of its seismogenic activity. Cross-border field mapping between Ticino (CH) and Lombardia (IT) resulted in the finding of new outcrops (Borgo Vico site, in the north-western sector of the urban area of Como) located along the front of the Monte Olimpino Backthrust, that allowed to recognize evidence for Late Pleistocene reverse surface faulting along this structure. At Borgo Vico, a clastic Tertiary unit, the Villa Olmo Conglomerate, intercalated in the Chiasso Fm. of Early Oligocene age, is thrust over a Late Pleistocene fluvioglacial and glacio-lacustrine sequence (Comerci et alii, 2007). Until now, the Monte Olimpino Backthrust was supposed by most authors to have been active until Tortonian times. Sileo et alii (2007) inferred a Pliocene activity and proposed, based on geomorphic evidence, that fault displacement was still taking place during Pleistocene. However, this is the first time that Pleistocene activity along the Monte Olimpino Backthrust has been documented by unequivocal tectonic offset of late Pleistocene deposits. Paleoseismological analyses are in progress in order to distinguish potential coseismic movement from fault creep during the observed recent displacement

Ground effects of the 18 October 1992, Murindo earthquake (NW Colombia), using the Environmental Seismic Intensity Scale (ESI 2007) for the assessment of intensity

The macroseismic intensity of the 18 October 1992 Murindo-Atrato earthquake that affected the northwestern states of Colombia (Choco\ub4 and Antioquia) is reassessed using the newly developed INQUA Environmental Seismic Intensity Scale (ESI 2007) which is based on the evaluation of earthquake environmental effects. To generate the ESI 2007 isoseismal map of northwestern Colombia, a geographical information system was used. Unifying the available information on the seismological and active tectonics framework including historical seismicity, hypocentral depths, foreshocks, aftershocks, focal mechanism, macroseismic data under the same GIS and the map of Quaternary faults allowed us to reinterpret the geological and environmental effects of the 1992 earthquakes sequence. A total of 24 sites from the areas of Quibdo\ub4, Bojaya\ub4, Rio Sucio, Murindo, Vig\u131\ub4a del Fuerte and Turbo were evaluated. A systematic comparison among evaluated intensities (Modified Mercalli and ESI scale) revealed differences from one to two degrees. According to the ESI 2007 scale, the epicentral intensity Io is XI. This represents one degree higher than the epicentral intensity obtained using MM and Medveded Sponhauer Karnik (MSK) intensity scales, probably due to the lack of suitable observations on building damage in this poorly populated and developed region. This information is also useful in order to shed some light on the persistent question of the exact location and dimension of the main rupture zone associated with the earthquake. The isoseismal map derived from the integration of the whole set of environmental effects with other macroseismic data strongly suggests that the causative tectonic structure is the Murindo fault. However, the rupture length derived from the distribution of ground effects is greater than the Murindo fault length, implying that other nearby fault segments were activated during the 1992 event. The new isoseismal map resulting from this work is relevant for the assessment of future seismic risk in the northwestern region of Colombia. Overall, the application of the ESI 2007 scale to the 18 October 1992 earthquake, and to similar strong events in the region, can be useful for disaster management and planning, estimation of damage, and post-earthquake recovery efforts

Landslides Induced by Historical and Recent Earthquakes in Central-Southern Apennines (Italy): A Tool for Intensity Assessment and Seismic Hazard

Analysis of distribution of landslides (rock falls and coherent slides), induced by 12 moderate to strong earthquakes occurred in the last three centuries in Central\u2013Southern Apennines, has permitted to investigate the relationship of their maximum distance versus magnitude and ESI epicentral intensity. For coherent slides, the correlation of magnitude or ESI intensity versus distance is fairly good and consistent with global datasets. Instead, rock falls show a less evident correlation with distance. We stress here the usefulness of such relationships to define the expected scenario of earthquake-induced landslides. However, the data base needs to be improved and enlarged to allow more robust estimates

Quaternary capable folds and seismic hazard in Lombardia (Northern Italy): the Castenedolo structure near Brescia.

We identify evidence of late Quaternary compressive tectonics in the Northern sector of the Central Po Plain through a systematic revision of the literature, new field mapping, and a new study of seismic reflection data obtained by ENI E&P. In particular, the reinterpretation of ca. 18.000 km of seismic profiles clearly shows a belt of segmented, 10 to 20 km long, fault propagation folds, controlled by the Plio-Quaternary growth of several out-of-sequence thrusts. As an example of this active structural style, in this paper we focus on a buried fold located just south of the Castenedolo Hill, a few km SE of Brescia. Although the Castenedolo anticline has long ago been described as a young compressional structure (e.g., DESIO, 1965), no detailed structural analysis of this feature has been performed until now. We calculated the uplift rates of this fold through the analysis of its syntectonic sedimentary record as imaged by the extremely high quality ENI E&P subsurface data available in the area. The evolution of this anticline was a discontinuous process characterized by several tectonic uplift pulses (with rates of ca. 0.1 mm/yr) of different duration, separated by periods of variable extent in which no fold growth occurred. The Quaternary growth history of this anticline and the presence of faulted and folded late Pleistocene to Holocene deposits at nearby sites (Ciliverghe and Monte Netto) demonstrate that the significant seismicity of this area (e.g., the December 25, 1222, Io = IX MCS Brescia earthquake, MAGRI & MOLIN, 1986; GUIDOBONI, 1986) must be related to active compressional structures within the Brescia piedmont belt. Our regional investigations show that the structural and paleoseismic setting illustrated near Castenedolo is typical of the whole Lombardia domain of the Southern Alps. This implies that the currently accepted seismotectonic model for this region, and related seismic hazard assessment, should be thoroughly and carefully re-evaluated

EARTHQUAKE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS, INTENSITY AND SEISMIC HAZARD ASSESSMENT: THE EEE CATALOGUE (INQUA PROJECT #0418)

Earthquake Environmental Effects (EEE) are the effects produced by an earthquake on the natural environment, either directly linked to the earthquake source or triggered by the ground shaking. These include surface faulting, regional uplift and subsidence, tsunamis, liquefaction, ground resonance, landslides, and ground failure phenomena. The EEE catalogue is a data collection of Earthquake Environmental Effects from modern, historical and paleoseismic earthquakes compiled at global level by the INQUA TERPRO Project #0811 WG. The damages caused by recent catastrophic seismic events have been mostly linked to the vulnerability of physical environment enhancing the crucial role of EEEs, including tsunamis, for seismic hazard purposes. Therefore, these events have confirmed that the EEE Catalogue is an essential tool to complete traditional SHA based on PGA maps, since it allows to identify the natural areas most vulnerable to earthquake occurrence and to objectively compare in time and in space the earthquake intensity through the ESI scale

The liquefaction features in the area of the May-June 2012 Emilia seismic sequence: An investigation approach coupling Electric Resistivity Tomography (ERT) with coring

In order to geometrically characterize the liquefaction features observed in the epicentral sector of the 2012 Emilia seismic sequence and to evaluate the potential for recording palaeoseismic features of the area, we performed two electric resistivity tomographic sections and 4 shallow corings, coupled with 14C datings and archaeological age estimates in selected sites. Preliminary results show that there is a good agreement between ERT sections and core-logs; moreover a major role in determining the scalar relationships of the liquefaction features is played by the local geomorphological and topographic setting. The high sedimentation rates obtained through core datings (4 – 20 mm/yr) suggest that the described methodological approach can cover time windows of only a few centuries, thus hardly encompassing, in this tectonic setting, a significant period for paleoseismological purposes.Published206-2092T. Deformazione crostale attivaN/A or not JC

THE RESOLUTION OF GEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS AND MODELS FOR EARTHQUAKE FAULTING STUDIES

The workshop was jointly organised by the Geo-Structural and Tectonic Studies Group (GST) of the University of Camerino, as a contribution to the research Project “Neotectonics and active tectonics in Apennines“ co-funded by MURST (Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica), and by the Italian Agency for Environmental Protection (ANPA). The aim of the workshop, attended by about 90 researchers from many different countries (Australia, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, USA), was that of providing a forum for specialists of various disciplines in order to discuss the different aspects of earthquake geology and their bearing on seismic hazard analysis. The in-door session of the meeting was preceded by a two-day field trip in central Italy, where surface faulting effects associated with damaging earthquakes (Norcia-L’Aquila, 1703, M=7.0; Fucino, 1915, M=7.0; Norcia, 1979, M=5.9; Colfiorito, 1997, M=6.0) are clearly recorded within both the carbonate basement units of the Apennines and the Quaternary continental deposits filling the intramontane basins of the apenninic mountain range. The workshop was convened by E. Tondi (GST) and A.M. Michetti (ANPA) and was supported by an organizing committee (G. Cello and G. Deiana for the GST, and L. Serva and E. Vittori for the ANPA). The secretarial work was carried out mostly by C. Invernizzi and L. Marchegiani (GST), with the help of graduate and post-graduate students of the Earth Science Department of Camerino University