Seafloor earthquake ruptures and mass wasting from the 2004 Mw 6.3 Les Saintes submarine earthquake
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| Date | 2023-07 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | English | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Author(s) | Hughes Alex 1, Escartín Javier2, Billant Jeremy3, Leclerc Frédérique3, Andreani Muriel4, Olive Jean-Arthur2, Arnaubec Aurelien5, Dano Alexandre3, Delorme Arthur1, Deplus Christine1, Feuillet Nathalie1, Gini Caroline6, Gracias Nuno7, Hamelin Cédric8, Istenič Klemen7, Komorowski Jean-Christophe1, Le Friant Anne1, Marchand Claire9, Mével Catherine1, Onstad Solveig Lie10, Quidelleur Xavier11 |
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| Affiliation(s) | 1 : Université Paris Cité, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005, Paris, France 2 : Laboratoire de Géologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure (CNRS UMR 8538), PSL Research University, Paris, France 3 : Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, IRD, Valbonne, France 4 : Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Université de Lyon, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5276 LGL-TPE, 69622, Villeurbanne, France 5 : IFREMER, Ctr Mediterranee, Unité Syst. Marins, CS 20330, F-83507, La Seyne Sur Mer, France 6 : Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John’s, NL, Canada 7 : Computer Vision and Robotics Institute, University of Girona, Girona, Spain 8 : Independent Scholar, Søndre Skogveien 7, 5055, Bergen, Norway 9 : Sea Operations Division, iXblue, 6 Quai François Mitterrand, NEF XX, 13600, La Ciotat, France 10 : University of Bergen Centre for Deep Sea Research, Bergen, Norway 11 : Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, GEOPS, Orsay, 91405, France |
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| Source | Communications Earth & Environment (2662-4435) (Springer Science and Business Media LLC), 2023-07 , Vol. 4 , N. 1 , P. 270 (13p.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DOI | 10.1038/s43247-023-00919-x | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | The seismic hazard posed by submarine faults and the capacity of submarine earthquakes to trigger mass wasting are poorly understood because we lack detailed characterizations of coseismic ruptures at the seafloor. Here, we present comprehensive mapping of a seafloor rupture caused by the 2004 Mw 6.3 Les Saintes earthquake on the Roseau normal fault in the Lesser Antilles. We report the visual characteristics, displacement profile, and note pronounced asymmetry of the rupture that bears similarities with well-studied subaerial normal fault ruptures. We also identify footwall-derived mass wasted debris that locally cover the coseismic rupture, and show that ground accelerations of 0.1–0.2 g can trigger submarine mass wasting events in well consolidated bedrock along unstable, over-steepened, scarps. Our study demonstrates the potential of underwater vehicles for detailed mapping of seafloor ruptures and hints at a key role for earthquakes in shaping submarine bedrock landscapes by triggering mass wasting events. |
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