Earthquakes in Switzerland and surrounding regions during 2003

Deichmann, Nicholas; Baer, Manfred; Braunmiller, Jochen; Cornou, Cécile; Fäh, Donat; Giardini, Domenico; Gisler, Monika; Huber, Sarah; Husen, Stephan; Kästli, Philipp; Kradolfer, Urs; Mai, Martin; Maraini, Silvio; Oprsal, I.; Schler, Thomas; Schorlemmer, Danijel; Wiemer, Stefan; Wössner, Jochen; Wyss, Adrian

doi:10.1007/s00015-004-1135-4

Cited by 33 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The average of these three rotation poles is [8.9E, 45.7N], located at the boundary between the Po Basin and the southern foothills of the Central Alps. This location of Adria's Euler pole is consistent with the aseismicity of the Lepontine Dome , the extensional and dextral seismotectonic regime in the Western Alps and in the Valais (Maurer et al, 1997, Deichmann et al, 2002, and with a compressional regime observed in seismotectonics and paleoseismology in the Eastern Alps, east of longitude 9.5°E (e.g. WORKING GROUP CPTI, 2004).…”

Section: Present-day Kinematicssupporting

confidence: 72%

Erosion-driven uplift of the modern Central Alps

et al. 2009

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We present a compilation of data of modern tectono-geomorphic processes in the Central European Alps which suggest that observed rock uplift is a response to climate-driven denudation. This interpretation is predominantly based on the recent quantification of basinaveraged Late Holocene denudation rates that are so similar to the pattern and rates of rock uplift rates as determined by geodetic leveling. Furthermore, a GPS data-based synthesis of Adriatic microplate kinematics suggests that the Central Alps are currently not in a state of active convergence. Finally, we illustrate that the Central Alps have acted as a closed system for Holocene redistribution of sediment in which the peri-Alpine lakes have operated as a sink for the erosional products of the inner Central Alps.While various hypotheses have been put forward to explain Central Alpine rock uplift (e.g. lithospheric forcing by convergence, mantle processes, or ice melting) we show with an elastic model of lithospheric deformation, that the correlation between erosion and rock uplift rates reflects a positive feedback between denudation and the associated isostatic response to unloading. Thus, erosion does not passively respond to advection of crustal material as might be the case in actively converging orogens. Rather, we suggest that the geomorphic response of the Alpine topography to glacial and fluvial erosion and the resulting disequilibrium for modern channelized and associated hillslope processes explains much of the pattern of modern denudation and hence rock uplift. Therefore, in a non-convergent orogen such as the Central European Alps, the observed vertical rock uplift is primarily a consequence of passive unloading due to erosion.

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Section: Present-day Kinematicssupporting

confidence: 72%

Erosion-driven uplift of the modern Central Alps

et al. 2009

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“…the 2001 activity took place exactly vertically below the well known carboniferous graben of salvan Dorenaz (Deichmann et al 2002). the strike of the active fault perfectly matches the strike of this graben (NE-sW).…”

Section: Alps Central Zone: Ac_01 To Ac_15 Small Scale Zonesmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…7. Depth distribution of well constrained small earthquakes of switzerland, projected onto a N-s profile across the Alps after Deichmann et al (2002). We superimposed a tentative interpretation in terms of temperature and lithology.…”

Section: Rhine Graben Rg_1 Rg_2 and Rg_3 Small Scale Zonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seismic source zone characterization for the seismic hazard assessment project PEGASOS by the Expert Group 2 (EG1b)

Burkhard

Grünthal

2009

Swiss J. Geosci.

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A comprehensive study of the seismic hazard related to the four NNP sites in NW switzerland was performed within the project PEGAsOs. to account for the epistemic uncertainties involved in the process of the characterization of seismic source zones in the frame of probabilistic seismic hazard assessments, four different expert teams have developed and defended their models in the frame of an intensive elicitation process.Here, the results of one out of four expert groups are presented. the model of this team is based first of all on considerations regarding the large scale tectonics in the context of the Alpine collision, and neotectonic constraints for defining seismic source zones. this leads to a large scale subdivision based on the structural 'architectural' considerations with little input from the present seismicity. Each of the eight large zones was characterized by the style of present-day faulting, fault orientation, and hypocentral depth distribution. A further subdivision of the larger zones is performed based on information provided by the seismicity patterns. 58 small source zones have been defined in this way, each of them characterized by the available tectonic constrains, as well as the pros and cons of different existing geologic views connected to them. Of special concern in this respect were the discussion regarding thin skinned vs. thick skinned tectonics, the tectonic origin of the 1356 basel earthquake, the role of the Permo-carboniferous graben structures, and finally the seismogenic orientation of faults with respect to the recent crustal stress field. the uncertainties connected to the delimitations of the small source zones have been handled in form of their regrouping, formalized by the logic tree technique.the maximum magnitudes were estimated as discretized probability distribution functions. After declustering the used EcOs earthquake catalogue and an analysis of data completeness as a function of time the parameters of the frequency-magnitude relations were derived within their uncertainties. Introductionthe sites of the four nuclear power plants (NPP) in NW switzerland have been subject to a comprehensive analysis of seismic hazard evaluated in the frame of the PEGAsOs project (Abrahamson et al. 2004; coppersmith et al., this volume). the definition of seismic source zones (ssZ) and the derivation of the parameters characterizing the seismic activity in each ssZ are integral parts of any probabilistic seismic hazard assessment. Here we present the results of one of the four expert groups (EG1b) responsible for the delineation of ssZ and determining the seismic activity parameters in the source zones.the study area was set up as the envelope of the radii of 300 km around all sites studied. this guarantees that the study area encompasses all seismic sources which have a seismic influence on the target sites. It extends well beyond the territory of switzerland, covering the southwestern parts of Germany, the western parts of Austria, the adjacent parts of northern Italy and n...

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“…5). This transcurrent dextral fault system runs from the Aiguilles Rouges strike-slip fault, possibly connected north-eastward with the dextral seismic alignment of the northern Valais (Deichmann et al 2002), towards the southern front of the Belledonne massif (Thouvenot et al 2003) up to the High-Durance and Bersézio/Argentera faults Southeastward (Sue et al 1999;Sue & Tricart 2003).…”

Section: Discussion -Comparison With Seismotectonicsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Quantification of strain rate in the Western Alps using geodesy: comparisons with seismotectonics

et al. 2008

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The contrasted seismotectonic regime of the Western Alps is characterized by radial extension in the high chain, combined with local compressive areas at the foothill of the belt, and everywhere occurrence of transcurrent tectonics. Here, we compare this seismotectonic regime to a large-scale compilation of GPS measurements in the Western Alpine realm. Our analysis is based on the raw GPS database, which give the measured velocity field with respect to the so called "stable Europe", and an interpolated velocity field, in order to smooth the database on a more regular mesh. Both strain rate and rotational components of the deformation are investigated. The strain rate field shows patch-like structure, with extensional areas located in the core and to the North of the belt and compressional areas located in its periphery. Although the GPS deformation fields (both raw and interpolated) are more spatially variable than the seismotectonic field, a good qualitative correlation is established with the seismotectonic regionalization of the deformation. The rotation rate fields (both raw and interpolated) present counterclockwise rotations in the innermost part of the belt and a surprising continuous zone of clockwise rotations following the arc-shape geometry of the Western Alps along their external border. We interpret this new result in term of a counterclockwise rotation of the Apulia plate with respect to the stable Europe. This tectonic scheme may induce clockwise rotations of crustal block along the large strike-slip fault system, which runs in the outer part of the belt, from the Rhône-Simplon fault to the Belledonne fault and Southeastward, to the High-Durance and Argentera fault.

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Earthquakes in Switzerland and surrounding regions during 2003

Cited by 33 publications

References 22 publications

Erosion-driven uplift of the modern Central Alps

Erosion-driven uplift of the modern Central Alps

Seismic source zone characterization for the seismic hazard assessment project PEGASOS by the Expert Group 2 (EG1b)

Quantification of strain rate in the Western Alps using geodesy: comparisons with seismotectonics

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