Forearc deformation along the peruvian margin and the effects of changes in subduction style: quantifying the rates of Quaternary deformation using in situ produced cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al.

The Andes are one ofthe world's two highest mountain ranges and together wíth the westem cordillera of North America they forro an almost a continuous mountaín chain from the tip of Patagonia to the Alaskan peninsula. Common to all the cordillera of westem North and South America is the ín:fluence oflong-lived subduction. Indeed, the style of this subduction process has profoundly modified the margin of both continents. For example, following relatively normal subduction in the Jurassíc and the Cretaceous, the Laramide orogeny of North America is thought to have been produced from effects of extremely flat subduction

Long-term slip rate of the southern San Andreas Faultfrom 10Be-26Al surface exposure dating of an offset alluvial fan

International audience[1] We determine the long-term slip rate of the southern San Andreas Fault in the southeastern Indio Hills using 10 Be and 26 Al isotopes to date an offset alluvial fan surface. Field mapping complemented with topographic data, air photos and satellite images allows precise determination of piercing points across the fault zone that are used to measure an offset of 565 ± 80 m. A total of 26 quartz-rich cobbles from three different fan surfaces were collected and dated. The tight cluster of nuclide concentrations from 19 samples out of 20 from the offset fan surface implies a simple exposure history, negligible prior exposure and erosion, and yields an age of 35.5 ± 2.5 ka. The long-term slip rate of the San Andreas Fault south of Biskra Palms is thus 15.9 ± 3.4 mm/yr. This rate is about 10 mm/yr slower than geological (0–14 ka) and short-term geodetic estimates for this part of the San Andreas Fault, implying changes in slip rate or in faulting behavior. This result puts new constraints on the slip rate of the San Jacinto and on the Eastern California Shear Zone for the last 35 kyr. Our study shows that more sites along the major faults of southern California need to be targeted to better constrain the slip rates over different timescales

Quaternary morphotectonic mapping of the Wadi Araba and implications for the tectonic activity of the southern Dead Sea fault

International audienceThe Dead Sea strike-slip fault accommodates the northward motion of Arabia relative to Sinai at a rate of ∼5 mm/yr. The southern segment of the fault, the Wadi Araba fault, runs along a valley blanketed in Quaternary sediments. We first focused on understanding the relative and absolute timing of emplacement of the alluvial surfaces. We then determined the probable source of the sediments before assessing their lateral offset to constrain the late Pleistocene fault slip rate. Seven successive morphostratigraphic levels were identified. At two sites, we recognized an alluvial sequence of five to seven successive levels with ages getting younger northward, a pattern consistent with the western block moving southward relative to two fixed feeding channels located to the east. Surface samples were collected for10Be cosmogenic radionuclide dating. Fans F3 and F5 were found to be synchronous from site to site, at 102 ± 26 ka and 324 ± 22 ka, respectively, while F4 could be dated at 163 ± 19 ka at one site only. These are minimum ages, assuming no erosion of the alluvial surfaces. At least two of these periods are correlated with wet periods that are regionally well documented. Further analyses of tectonic offsets are affected in most cases by large uncertainties due to the configuration of the sites. They indicate maximum offsets of ∼5.5 km for the oldest, possibly ∼1 Ma old, surfaces. They lead to bracketing of the fault slip rate between 5 and 12 mm/yr, with preferred values of 5-7 mm/yr, for the last 300 ka

20<SUP>th</SUP>-century strain accumulation on the Lesser Antilles megathrust based on coral microatolls

International audienceThe seismic potential of the Lesser Antilles megathrust remains poorly known, despite the potential hazard it poses to numerous island populations and its proximity to the Americas. As it has not produced any large earthquakes in the instrumental era, the megathrust is often assumed to be aseismic. However, historical records of great earthquakes in the 19th century and earlier, which were most likely megathrust ruptures, demonstrate that the subduction is not entirely aseismic. Recent occurrences of giant earthquakes in areas where such events were previously thought to be improbable have illustrated the importance of critically evaluating the seismic potential of other "low-hazard" subduction zones, such as the Lesser Antilles. Using the method of coral microatoll paleogeodesy developed in Sumatra, we examine 20th-century vertical deformation on the forearc islands of the Lesser Antilles and model the underlying strain accumulation on the megathrust. Our data indicate that the eastern coasts of the forearc islands have been subsiding by up to ∼8 mm/yr relative to sites closer to the arc, suggesting that on the time scale of the 20th century, a portion of the megathrust just east of the forearc islands has been locked. Our findings are in contrast to recent models based on satellite geodesy that suggest little or no strain accumulation anywhere along the Lesser Antilles megathrust. This discrepancy is potentially explained by the different time scales of measurement, as recent studies elsewhere have indicated that interseismic coupling patterns may vary on decadal time scales and that century-scale or longer records are required to fully assess seismic potential. The accumulated strain we have detected will likely be released in future megathrust earthquakes, uplifting previously subsiding areas and potentially causing widespread damage from strong ground motion and tsunami waves

Early Holocene and Late Pleistocene slip rates of the southern Dead Sea Fault determined from <SUP>10</SUP>Be cosmogenic dating of offset alluvial deposits

International audienceTwo sites located along the Wadi Araba Fault (WAF) segment of the Dead Sea Fault are targeted for tectonic-morphological analysis. 10Be cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) dating of embedded cobbles is used to constrain the age of offset alluvial surfaces. At the first site a 48 ± 7 m offset alluvial fan, for which 10Be CRN model ages average 11.1 ± 4.3 ka, yield a slip rate of 5.4 ± 2.7 mm/a, with conservative bounds of 1.3-16.4 mm/a. At the second site the scattered distributions of the 10Be CRN ages from an offset bajada attest to the complex processes involved in sediment transport and emplacement. There, two offsets were identified. The 160 ± 8 m offset of an incised alluvial fan dated at 37 ± 5 ka shows a slip rate of 4.5 ± 0.9 mm/a, with a conservative minimum value of 3.2 mm/a. A larger offset, 626 ± 37 m, is derived from a prominent channel incised into the bajada. Cobbles from the bajada surface have ages from 33 to 141 ka, with a mean of 87 ± 26 ka. A slip rate of 8.1 ± 2.9 mm/a is derived from the mean age, with conservative bounds of 3.8-22.1 mm/a. These results and other published slip rates along the linear WAF segment, from GPS to geological time scales, lack the resolution to fully resolve the question of temporal variations versus consistency of the fault slip rate of the WAF. Yet, given the uncertainties, they are not inconsistent with each other

A two-way interaction between the Hainan plume and the Manila subduction zone

The interaction between mantle plumes and subducting slabs is well accepted, but the influence of slabs on plumes has more often been portrayed than the reverse. Here we present three-dimensional upper mantle laboratory models in which a compositional plume rises underneath a subducting plate. Slab/plume buoyancy flux ratios ranged between 7 and 18. The models exhibit a two-way interaction. While the plume conduit increasingly tilts away from the trench as a result of slab rollback-induced toroidal mantle flow, the slab subduction rate decreases as a function of the amount of plume buoyancy opposing that of the slab, which gets subducted beneath the slab. We propose that our models apply to the Hainan/Manila system and explain the recently imaged tilt of the Hainan plume by the Manila slab-induced mantle return flow. The Hainan plume could lessen the Manila subduction rate from 8Ma into the future