A ten years analysis of deformation in the Corinthian Gulf via GPS and SAR Interferometry

The Corinthian Gulf in Greece, is the most active of a series of extending grabens which accomodate the deformation in the highly seismic Aegean region. The geodetic network established in the region has about 200 points: 50 1st order points and ~150 2nd order points. The network covers an area of about 100 x 80 km2, which correspond to an average density of 1 point every 5 km2. This dense network allows to study the main active faults in the region. Eleven field surveys were organized in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, June 1995, October 1995, 1997, and 2001. Two earthquakes occurred in the vicinity during the ten years period: the 1992, 18 November Ms=5.9 Galaxidi earthquake and the 1995, 15 June 1995 Ms=6.2 Aigion one. With respect to the stable Europe, we find for Peloponnessos an average displacement rate of 30 mm/yr in the N215° direction, similar to that found in previous studies. Our results show that most of the deformation in the Corinthian Gulf is localizes off-shore, in a narrow band, in the central part of the Gulf. The extension rate measured over 10 years is 11 mm/yr in the N185° direction in the middle of the Gulf (Xiloxastro) and 16 mm/yr in the N185° direction in its western part (Aigion). The southern block appears un-deformed, except the region of Aigion event. Using CNES DIAPASON software, we derived 85 interferograms of the Corinthian Gulf from 38 raw ERS SAR images acquired between 1992 and 1999. The interferograms sampling the 1995 earthquake show a clear coseismic signal reaching 250 +/- 15 mm at Psaromita cape, a value consistent with the GPS measurements. No post-seismic motion, within the error bars of SAR interferometry (+/- 15 mm), is observed during the 1995-1999 period

Coseismic velocity variations caused by static stress changes associated with the 2001 Mw=4.3 Agios Ionis earthquake in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece

The analysis of temporal variations in the seismic velocity across faults can be used to estimate in situ stress changes. Seismic velocity of propagation depends on the fault stiffness, which is a function of stress. The coda wave interferometry technique is applied to seven families of repeating earthquakes (multiplets) recorded on the southern shore of the Gulf of Corinth, Greece, to estimate high precision velocity changes in the Earth ’ s crust associated with the M w = 4.3 Agios Ioanis earthquake. Results show that the Agios Ioanis event causes a perturbation in elastic properties at seismogenic depth, resulting in a reduction of 0.2% in the seismic velocity. The results are not consistent with either damage induced by dynamic stresses nor a fluid transient origin. In contrast, both the spatial distribution and magnitude of the velocity perturbation correlate well with modeled static stress variations. This suggests that the measured changes in the mechanical properties of the seismogenic crust can be attributed to a change in static stress field associated with the M w = 4.3 Agios Ioanis earthquake. The velocity changes indicate an unclamping of the Pyrgaki fault at depth, which has local hazard implicationsAD 25/02/201

Investigating Dynamic Triggering of Seismicity by Regional Earthquakes: The Case of the Corinth Rift (Greece)

Dynamic triggering has been commonly observed after large teleseismic events, but the physics behind it is still under debate. To broaden observations, we here focus on the dynamic triggering by regional earthquakes, that is, by events with magnitude lower than 6.2 at distances smaller than 600 km. The western part of the Corinth Rift (Greece) is characterized by intense seismic swarms and is therefore adapted to study such responses. The microseismicity rates before and after the transient perturbations are high enough to analyze 30 regional earthquakes out of the 59 occurring in 2013. More than 40% of those 30 events, including earthquakes with magnitude as small as 4.5, are associated with a significant seismicity rate increase. The triggerability primarily depends on the amplitude of the seismic waves. However, triggering is mainly observed when the seismic perturbations are orthogonal to the faults, which suggests that fluid pressurization is likely involved

High resolution operational modal analysis of Sant’Agata del Mugello in light of its building history

International audienceThe building history of a cultural heritage building and the after-effects induced by extreme loads such as earthquakes have a durable impact on its modal parameters. This article aims to discuss the peculiarities of some modal parameters extracted from ambient vibration measurements in light of the complex history of Sant’Agata del Mugello. The Romanesque church located in the Mugello basin (Tuscany, Italy) suffered from many earthquakes, at least from 1542. In this context, we carried out two dense ambient vibration campaigns in March and June 2019. We extracted each mode’s natural frequency, mode shape, and damping using the Enhanced Frequency Domain Decomposition. We identified ten modes. Some modes highlight structural singularities related to the building history of the church: rocking of the base of the bell tower; phase opposition between the bell tower and the nave; bending of the walls of the nave. Since the instrumentation benefited from a vast number of recording positions (83), we tested the impact of the sensor placement strategy on the resolution of the identified modal parameters in the specific case of Sant’Agata del Mugello. The resolution of the higher-order modes decreases strongly in case of degraded sensor placement strategy impacting the dynamic analysis of the church

Tracing the seismic history of Sant’Agata del Mugello (Italy, Tuscany) through a cross-disciplinary approach

International audienceHistorical seismicity is mainly defined from historical sources which are not always available. Yet historical buildings are a unique opportunity to record and study effects of past earthquakes at a given place. An innovative methodology is defined to improve knowledge of local historical seismicity. Such a methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach combining: analysis of historical sources, stratigraphic analysis and structural analysis of an historical building. The church of Sant’Agata del Mugello (Italy, Tuscany) is considered as a case of study. The stratigraphic analysis is performed by identifying the repairs using the RECAP methodology. 80 repairs units using 13 building techniques are identified in the church. The identified repairs are associated with unknown events, earthquakes or routine reconstructions. When post-earthquake reconstructions are found, damage mechanisms are associated with them. 13 constructive phases of the church have been traced combining stratigraphic analysis and historical sources. A proto-church was built before 948 A.D. and is nowadays below the current one. The first phase of the current church appears between the 9th and the 12th century. A significant event of unknown origin occurred during the 12th century which probably led to an important collapse and then a significant reconstruction of the church. The church is then deeply affected by the 1542 seismic event (epicentral macroseismic intensity 9, deduced magnitude 6.02) which resulted in the collapse of the upper part of the bell tower and the two lateral chapels as well as the overturning of the front wall and of the two lateral walls of the nave. The 1611 seismic event (epicentral macroseismic intensity 7, deduced magnitude 5.1) damaged the upper part of the bell tower as described in historical records. In spite of the confirmed occurrence of seismic events in the area from the middle of the 17th century and the beginning of the 20th century, no information relating seismic damage of the church has been found in historical records nor in the startigraphic analysis. The most important earthquake which struck the area on June 19th, 1919, produced only some small cracks in the church (magnitude 6.38)

InterMob: A 24-month randomised controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of an intervention including behavioural change techniques and free transport versus an intervention including air pollution awareness-raising on car use reduction among regular car users living in Grenoble, France

Background Frequent car use contributes to health and environmental issues such as air pollution, climate change and obesity. Active and sustainable mobility (bike, walk, public transport, car sharing) may address these issues. Different strategies have been implemented in past research, involving hard levers, aimed at modifying the economical or geographical context (e.g., free public transport), and soft levers, aimed at modifying psychological processes (e.g., personalised transport advice). However, few studies have combined both hard and soft levers. In addition, few have used robust methodologies (e.g., randomised controlled trials), followed behavioural changes in the long-term, and been anchored in behaviour change theories. InterMob aims to address these limits by implementing a 24-month randomised controlled trial including hard and soft levers. The objectives of InterMob are to a) evaluate the effectiveness of an experimental arm versus an active controlled arm, and b) identify the processes of mobility change

An Atypical Shallow Mw 5.3, 2021 Earthquake in the Western Corinth Rift (Greece)

International audienc

The Western Gulf of Corinth (Greece) 2020–2021 Seismic Crisis and Cascading Events: First Results from the Corinth Rift Laboratory Network

International audienceAbstract We investigate a seismic crisis that occurred in the western Gulf of Corinth (Greece) between December 2020 and February 2021. This area is the main focus of the Corinth Rift Laboratory (CRL) network, and has been closely monitored with local seismological and geodetic networks for 20 yr. The 2020–2021 seismic crisis evolved in three stages: It started with an Mw 4.6 event near the northern shore of the Gulf, opposite of Aigion, then migrated eastward toward Trizonia Island after an Mw 5.0 event, and eventually culminated with an Mw 5.3 event, ∼3 km northeast of the Psathopyrgos fault. Aftershocks gradually migrated westward, triggering another cluster near the junction with the Rion–Patras fault. Moment tensor inversion revealed mainly normal faulting; however, some strike-slip mechanisms also exist, composing a complex tectonic regime in this region dominated by east–west normal faults. We employ seismic and geodetic observations to constrain the geometry and kinematics of the structures that hosted the major events. We discuss possible triggering mechanisms of the second and third stages of the sequence, including fluids migration and aseismic creep, and propose potential implications of the Mw 5.3 mainshock for the seismic hazard of the region