Prehistoric earthquake history revealed by lacustrine slump deposits

Schnellmann, Michael; Anselmetti, Flavio S.; Giardini, Domenico; McKenzie, Judith A.; Ward, Steven N.

doi:10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<1131:pehrbl>2.0.co;2

Cited by 230 publications

(251 citation statements)

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“…Six of these events including the 1601 AD Unterwalden earthquake are characterized by multiple synchronous mass-failures at different lake sides. Therefore, a seismic trigger mechanism could be asPaleoseismic record in lake deposits in Central Switzerland 355 signed (Schnellmann et al 2002). Long sediment cores reach the different seismic stratigraphic event horizons and allow the dating of the events, compiled in Figure 16.…”

Section: Events In Vierwaldstätter See (Lake Lucerne)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Paleoseismic investigations in Central Switzerland include a separate study of Vierwaldstätter See carried out by Schnellmann et al (2002 and2006, this volume), which is here only summarized. Vierwaldstätter See lies at the border of the Alpine range and is the largest lake in this region with a surface area of 116 km 2 .…”

Section: Events In Vierwaldstätter See (Lake Lucerne)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Large-scale units of chaotic seismic facies with irregular shape and thicknesses up to 7.5 m occur. These are interpreted as mass movement deposits interrupting the regular sedimentation (Schnellmann et al 2002;Chapron et al 1999) and are named with four colors from the youngest to the oldest: yellow, blue, green and pink. Correlation of the uppermost yellow and blue units to the northern and southern basin is possible, whereas interbasinal correlation for the deeper events is uncertain.…”

Section: Deformation Structures In Lungerer Seementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, a single mass movement deposit cannot clearly be interpreted as coseismic deformation feature. Only if multiple mass failure occurs contemporaneously at different lake sides a regional trigger mechanism like an earthquake is highly probable, requiring the correlation of several mass movement deposits throughout the entire lake basin (Schnellmann et al 2002).…”

Section: Earthquake-induced Deformation Structures In Lake Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, the youngest sediments of four smaller lakes around Vierwaldstätter See were investigated for traces of historically reported earthquakes to calibrate earthquake-induced deformation in lake sediments ). Based on a detailed seismic survey in Vierwaldstätter See, Schnellmann et al (2002) proposed four larger, prehistoric earthquakes in Central Switzerland during the Late Pleistocene/Holocene indicated by multiple contemporaneous mass failure at different lake sides. In order to complete this paleoseismic record and to determine, if possible, epicenter and magnitude of prehistoric events, the present study focuses on three smaller lakes around Vierwaldstätter See distributed within an area of approximately 2000 km 2 : Lungerer See, Baldegger See and Seelisberg Seeli.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Earthquake-induced deformation structures in lake deposits: A Late Pleistocene to Holocene paleoseismic record for Central Switzerland

Monecke

Anselmetti

Becker³

et al. 2006

Eclogae geol. Helv.

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Paleoseismic record in lake deposits in Central Switzerland 343 ZUSAMMENFASSUNG In den bis zu 15,000 Jahre alten Sedimenten von vier Seen in der Zentralschweiz wurden Spuren von drei starken historischen und mindestens sieben prähistorischen Erdbeben gefunden. Der Schweizer Erdbebenkatalog der letzten 1000 Jahre verzeichnet in der Zentralschweiz drei grössere Erdbeben mit Magnituden zwischen Mw=5.7 und Mw = 6.2 (1964 AD Alpnach, 1774 AD Altdorf, 1601 AD Unterwalden) sowie ein katastrophales Mw = 6.9 Ereignis in Basel im Jahre 1356 AD. Zur Bestimmung der Wiederkehrraten dieser starken Erdbeben wurden mit Hilfe von hochauflösender Seismik und Sedimentkernanalysen paläoseismische Untersuchungen in vier verschiedenen Seen in der Zentralschweiz durchgeführt (Lungerer See, Baldegger See, Seelisberg Seeli und Vierwaldstätter See). In Abhängigkeit von der Geometrie des Seebeckens, des Sedimenttyps und der lokalen Bodenerschütterung treten wäh-rend eines Erdbebens grosse subaquatische Rutschungen oder kleine in-situ Deformationsstrukturen auf. Die Spuren der historischen Erdbeben zeigen, dass Seesedimente nur ab einer Magnitude von Mw>5.7 und bei einer lokalen Bodenerschütterung der Intensität >VII deformiert werden. Mindestens sechs prähistorische Erdbeben in der Zentralschweiz (Epizentrum und Magnitude ähnlich wie beim Mw=6.2 Unterwalden Erdbeben), sowie ein starkes prähisto-risches Erdbeben in der Baselregion (Magnitude ähnlich wie beim Mw = 6.9 Basel Erdbeben) konnten anhand der Art und regionalen Verteilung der Deformationsstrukturen bestimmt werden. Darüber hinaus gibt es Hinweise auf ein weiteres Ereignis in der Nähe von Basel und vier weitere Ereignisse in der Zentralschweiz. Im Vergleich zum Mittleren Holozän scheint die Erdbebenhäufigkeit in der Zentralschweiz erhöht während des Spätpleistozäns/Frühho-lozäns und während der letzten 4000 Jahre. Dies kann einerseits auf isostatische Ausgleichsbewegungen nach dem Abschmelzen des Eises vor 15,000 Jahren, sowie auf eine periodische Aktivierung einer alpinen seismogenen Zone in jüngerer Zeit zurückgeführt werden. ABSTRACTTraces of three larger historic and at least seven prehistoric earthquakes during the last 15,000 years were found in the sedimentary record of four lakes in Central Switzerland. The Swiss historic earthquake catalogue of approximately the last 1000 years reports three larger earthquakes in Central Switzerland with moment magnitudes varying between Mw = 5.7 and Mw = 6.2 (1964 AD Alpnach, 1774 AD Altdorf, 1601 AD Unterwalden) and the nearby catastrophic Mw = 6.9 event close to Basel in 1356 AD. In order to determine the recurrence intervals of such events and thus, the seismic hazard and risk, paleoseismic investigations were carried out in four different lakes of Central Switzerland (Lungerer See, Baldegger See, Seelisberg Seeli, Vierwaldstätter See) using high-resolution seismic data and sediment core analyses. Depending on lake basin geometry, sediment type and local ground shaking earthquake-induced deformation structures comprise large-scale mass...

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Section: Events In Vierwaldstätter See (Lake Lucerne)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Events In Vierwaldstätter See (Lake Lucerne)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Deformation Structures In Lungerer Seementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Earthquake-induced Deformation Structures In Lake Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Earthquake-induced deformation structures in lake deposits: A Late Pleistocene to Holocene paleoseismic record for Central Switzerland

Monecke

Anselmetti

Becker³

et al. 2006

Eclogae geol. Helv.

Self Cite

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Lacustrine turbidites as a tool for quantitative earthquake reconstruction: New evidence for a variable rupture mode in south central Chile

et al. 2014

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Understanding the long-term earthquake recurrence pattern at subduction zones requires continuous paleoseismic records with excellent temporal and spatial resolution and stable threshold conditions. South central Chilean lakes are typically characterized by laminated sediments providing a quasi-annual resolution. Our sedimentary data show that lacustrine turbidite sequences accurately reflect the historical record of large interplate earthquakes (among others the 2010 and 1960 events). Furthermore, we found that a turbidite's spatial extent and thickness are a function of the local seismic intensity and can be used for reconstructing paleo-intensities. Consequently, our multilake turbidite record aids in pinpointing magnitudes, rupture locations, and extent of past subduction earthquakes in south central Chile. Comparison of the lacustrine turbidite records with historical reports, a paleotsunami/subsidence record, and a marine megaturbidite record demonstrates that the Valdivia Segment is characterized by a variable rupture mode over the last 900 years including (i) full ruptures (M w~9 .5: 1960, 1575, 1319 ± 9, 1127 ± 44), (ii) ruptures covering half of the Valdivia Segment (M w~9 : 1837), and (iii) partial ruptures of much smaller coseismic slip and extent (M w~7 .5-8: 1737, 1466 ± 4). Also, distant or smaller local earthquakes can leave a specific sedimentary imprint which may resolve subtle differences in seismic intensity values. For instance, the 2010 event at the Maule Segment produced higher seismic intensities toward southeastern localities compared to previous megathrust ruptures of similar size and extent near Concepciόn.

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Interpreting Soft Sediment Deformation and Mass Transport Deposits as Seismites in the Dead Sea Depocenter

et al. 2017

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We have studied the history of earthquakes over the past 70 kyr by analyzing disturbed sedimentary layers around the margins of the Dead Sea. However, we know little about disturbances in the basin depocenter, where water depth is ~300 m, and accessible only by drilling. In this study, we compare disturbances from the Dead Sea depocenter, with the contemporaneous earthquake record (~56–30 ka) that was recovered on the western margin of the lake. This comparison allows us to discern the characteristics of disturbance in the different subaqueous environments and identify the source and sedimentary process of mass transport deposits. Our observations indicate that (i) the long disturbance sequences in the Dead Sea depocenter are composed of in situ deformation, slump, and chaotic deposits; (ii) earthquake‐triggered Kelvin‐Helmholtz Instability is a plausible mechanism for the in situ deformation in the lake center; (iii) the slump is slope area sourced; (iv) the unit of chaotic deposits is lakeshore sourced; and (v) earthquake‐triggered slope instability is a viable mechanism for the slump and chaotic deposits. We further suggest that long sequences of disturbance in seismically active lake depocenters can be used to infer earthquake clusters.

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Prehistoric earthquake history revealed by lacustrine slump deposits

Cited by 230 publications

References 16 publications

Earthquake-induced deformation structures in lake deposits: A Late Pleistocene to Holocene paleoseismic record for Central Switzerland

Earthquake-induced deformation structures in lake deposits: A Late Pleistocene to Holocene paleoseismic record for Central Switzerland

Lacustrine turbidites as a tool for quantitative earthquake reconstruction: New evidence for a variable rupture mode in south central Chile

Interpreting Soft Sediment Deformation and Mass Transport Deposits as Seismites in the Dead Sea Depocenter

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