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Evidence for a developing plate boundary in the western Mediterranean

Author

Listed:
  • Laura Gómez de la Peña

    (Instituto de Ciencias del Mar, CSIC)

  • César R. Ranero

    (Instituto de Ciencias del Mar, CSIC
    ICREA)

  • Eulàlia Gràcia

    (Instituto de Ciencias del Mar, CSIC)

  • Guillermo Booth-Rea

    (Universidad de Granada
    Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC)

  • José Miguel Azañón

    (Universidad de Granada
    Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC)

  • Umberta Tinivella

    (Istituto Nazionale di Ocenagrafia e di Geofisica Sperimentale)

  • Abdelkarim Yelles-Chaouche

    (Centre de Recherche en Astronomie, Astrophysique et Géophysique)

Abstract

The current diffuse-strain model of the collision between Africa and Eurasia in the western Mediterranean predicts a broad region with deformation distributed among numerous faults and moderate-magnitude seismicity. However, the model is untested because most deformation occurs underwater, at poorly characterized faults of undetermined slip. Here we assess the diffuse-strain model analysing two active offshore fault systems associated with the most prominent seafloor relief in the region. We use pre-stack depth migrated seismic images to estimate, for the first time, the total Plio-Holocene slip of the right-lateral Yusuf and reverse Alboran Ridge structurally linked fault system. We show that kinematic restoration of deformational structures predicts a slip of 16 ± 4.7 km for the Alboran Ridge Fault and a minimum of 12 km for the Yusuf Fault. Thus, this fault system forms a well-defined narrow plate boundary that has absorbed most of the 24 ± 5 km Plio-Holocene Africa-Eurasia convergence and represents an underappreciated hazard.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Gómez de la Peña & César R. Ranero & Eulàlia Gràcia & Guillermo Booth-Rea & José Miguel Azañón & Umberta Tinivella & Abdelkarim Yelles-Chaouche, 2022. "Evidence for a developing plate boundary in the western Mediterranean," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-31895-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31895-z
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