Geomorphic and archaeological -historical evidence for past ealihquakes in Greece

Abstract

Geomorphic observations focused on landforms of marine and fluvial origin such as notches, beachrocks, stream channel shifts, alluvial terraces and knickpoints, when combined with historical and archaeological information are able to date seismic events that took place in the past in some places of the Peloponnesus. At thc Eastern Gulf of Corinth, a seismically active area, all the geomorphic observations fit quite well with the deformation field induced by the action of an offshore fault. At Mycenae, a seismically inactive area with no historical evidence of earthquakes, the archaeological information is the only evidence for past earthquakes while geomorphic data indicate the most probable activated fault. At Sparta, an area of low seismicity but with historical evidence of destructive earthquakes, the geomorphic evidence helps to identify the most likely ruptured fault. At Eliki, a seismically active area with well documented historical activity, the geomorphic data serve to define the causative fault.This paper shows that although historical and archaeological data provide evidence far the occurrence of past earthquakes and often their date, geomorphic observations must be used to identify the causative fault.