Abstract. The North Anatolian Fault in the northern Aegean Sea triggers frequent earthquakes of magnitudes up to Mw∼7. This seismicity can be a source of modest tsunamis for the surrounding coastlines with less than 50 cm height according to numerical modelling and analysis of tsunami deposits. However, other tsunami sources may be involved, like submarine landslides. We assess the severity of this potential hazard by performing numerical simulations of tsunami generation and propagation from a Holocene landslide (1.85 km3 in volume) identified off Thasos. We use a model coupling the simulation of the submarine landslide, assimilated to a granular flow, to the propagation of the tsunami wave. The results of these simulations show that a tsunami wave of water height between 1.10 and 1.65 m reaches the coastline at Alexandroupoli (58 000 inhabitants) 1 h after the triggering of the landslide. In the same way, tsunami waves of water height between 0.80 and 2.00 m reach the coastline of the Athos peninsula 9 min after the triggering of the landslide. Despite numerous earthquakes of Mw>7 and strong detrital input (on the order of 30 cm ka−1), only a few Holocene landslides have been recognized so far, asking for tsunami recurrence in this area.
Abstract. The North Anatolian Fault in the northern Aegean Sea triggers frequent earthquakes of magnitude up to M w ∼ 7.This seismicity can be a source of modest tsunamis for the surrounding coastlines with less than 50 cm height according to numerical modelling and analysis of tsunami deposits. However, other tsunami sources may be involved, like submarine landslides. We assess the severity of this potential hazard by performing numerical simulations of tsunami generation and propagation from a Holocene landslide (1.85 km 3 in volume) identified off Thasos island. We use a model coupling the simu-5 lation of the submarine landslide, assimilated to a granular flow, to the propagation of the tsunami wave. The results of these simulations show that a tsunami wave of water height between 1.10 m and 1.65 m reaches the coastline at Alexandroupolis (58.000 inhabitants) one hour after the triggering of the landslide. In the same way, tsunamis waves of water height between 0.80 m and 2.00 m reach the coastline of the Athos peninsula 9 min after the triggering of the landslide. Landslide tsunamis should not be neglected as a potential source of tsunami in the area. Despite numerous earthquakes of M w > 7 and strong 10 detrital input (on the order of 30 cm.ka −1 ), only a few Holocene landslides have been recognized so far, asking the question of the relationships between seismicity and landslide frequency in the area.
<p>The Owen oceanic transform fault is a 300-km long linear structure connecting the Carlsberg and Sheba spreading centers in the northwest Indian Ocean. It presently forms with the Carlsberg ridge the active plate boundary between India and Somalia. The Owen transform fault accommodates the left-lateral strike-slip motion between India and Somalia at a rate of about 23 mm/yr<strong>. </strong>&#160;Firstly identified by Tuzo Wilson in the 60s, this oceanic transform remains poorly described. The fault was recently surveyed in the Spring of 2019 during the VARUNA and CARLMAG cruises (https://doi.org/10.17600/18001108, https://doi.org/10.17600/18000872) along its entire length aboard BHO Beautemps-Beaupr&#233;, an oceanographic ship operated by the French Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Services (SHOM) and the French Navy.</p><p>During these missions a set of high-resolution seismic lines (>5000 km) were acquired together with high resolution multibeam bathymetry. The data cover both the active and fossil traces of the transform fault between 9&#176;N and 15&#176;N, at a place where continuous deposition of the distal Indus turbiditic sediments offers a unique high-resolution stratigraphic record of past regional tectonic events.</p><p>The new bathymetric mapping reveals two remarkable transpressive ridges on the active fault trace. A precise stratigraphic work using seismic profiles and drilling data of the ODP leg 117 allows the time calibration of the new seismic lines as far south as the Carlsberg ridge.</p><p>We show that a major compressive event occurred on the Owen Oceanic Transform Fault recently between 1.5 Ma and 2.4 Ma. Compression is still active today as evidenced by Sub-bottom profiler data (3.5 kHz) and two compressive focal mechanisms found in the historical seismicity records. At the intersection with the Carlsberg ridge, the southern transpressive ridge bends and stands ~1200 m above the seafloor at its apex, suggesting a maximum surrection rate near 800 m/Ma.&#160; These new geophysical dataset combined with previous cruises offers an unprecedented window on the recent evolution of the India-Somalia plate boundary.</p>
Plate tectonics theory predicts that transform faults connecting mid-oceanic ridge segments are long-lasting steady-state features, since their length, side-to-side material contrast, rate and style are invariant as long as boundary conditions remain stable. In nature, transform faults formed in the early stage of oceanic basin opening commonly have lifespans of several tens of million years (Bonatti et al., 1994;Géli et al., 1997;Maia et al., 2016), in agreement with the theory. Furthermore, global plate models for past and current kinematics based on magnetics and geodesy point to relative kinematic stability over the last million years (DeMets et al., 2010), within the bounds of data uncertainties (such as errors in fault traces, magnetic pickings, focal mechanisms, GPS measurements).Yet, the multi-strand morphology of some of the longest transform faults bears witness to a complex geological evolution involving fault abandonment, fault growth, uplift of transverse and median ridges, formation of
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