Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/2122/7086
Authors: Fracassi, U.* 
Di Bucci, D.* 
Ridente, D.* 
Trincardi, F.* 
Valensise, G.* 
Title: Recasting Historical Earthquakes in Coastal Areas (Gargano Promontory, Italy): Insights From Marine Paleoseismology
Journal: Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 
Series/Report no.: 1/102(2012)
Publisher: Seismological Society of America
Issue Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1785/​0120110001
Keywords: Adriatic foreland
Gondola Fault Zone
macroseismic intensity
seismic hazard
Subject Classification04. Solid Earth::04.04. Geology::04.04.01. Earthquake geology and paleoseismology 
04. Solid Earth::04.04. Geology::04.04.04. Marine geology 
04. Solid Earth::04.07. Tectonophysics::04.07.07. Tectonics 
Abstract: Historical earthquakes of the Gargano Promontory, an uplifted foreland sector in southeastern Italy, have been usually regarded as generated by inland faults. Some have been associated with activity of the Mattinata Fault, a section of a regional E-W shear zone. The 10 August 1893, Mw 5.4 is one of such earthquakes, but its current onshore location is only loosely based on the damage pattern. Regions that were hit by offshore earthquakes are also known to be affected by a methodological bias such that offshore historical events appear to be located onshore. To test this condition for the 1893 earthquake we pursued an alternative hypothesis for its location. The earthquake occurred near the Gondola Fault Zone, a right-lateral active fault system representing the offshore counterpart of the Mattinata Fault and hence capable of producing sizable earthquakes along the Gargano coast. We focused on its westernmost segment, suggesting that it could be the causative fault of the 1893 earthquake, in agreement with both the damage distribution and reported environmental effects. The approach we present works side by side with the recent developments of the algorithms used to compile historical catalogues, providing a fine-scale, geologically-based method to define or confirm the dubious location of historical earthquakes. Marine Paleoseismology is a new field stemming from the increased capabilities of high-resolution marine techniques in supporting classical paleoseismological analyses for the exploration of the seismogenic potential of offshore faults. Based on Late Pleistocene and Holocene individual or cumulative earthquake records, the potential of offshore faults can now be constrained in terms of expected magnitude and recurrence intervals. We stress the importance of revisiting historical earthquakes in coastal zones using marine paleoseismological data to assess regional seismic hazard, particularly in tectonic settings where regional-size seismogenic areas straddle the onshore and the offshore.
Appears in Collections:Article published / in press

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat Existing users please Login
BSSA-D-11-00001_reviewed_2_figures.pdfAccepted manuscript with figures24.24 MBAdobe PDF
Show full item record

Page view(s) 5

835
checked on Mar 27, 2024

Download(s)

47
checked on Mar 27, 2024

Google ScholarTM

Check

Altmetric