Seismicity occurs mainly around plate boundaries, but there are rare occurrences of large magnitude earthquakes with a plate. When and why these events occur is not well understood but they are capable of producing significant damage to these regions. Where these earthquakes occur, are known as intraplate seismic zones. In the American Midwest there are two seismically active intraplate seismic zones, the New Madrid and Wabash Valley seismic zones. Each of these zones is capable of producing large magnitude earthquakes though it has proven somewhat difficult to study intraplate seismicity because the reoccurrence intervals for intraplate events are much longer than interplate earthquakes, requiring a much longer timescale for study. One approach to avoid the longer timescale of observation is to focus on studying smaller events, which occur more often. However, these events will have their own disadvantages with less optimal signal-to-noise ratios which does not allow events to be located by the minimum three seismometers needed to triangulate the events epicenter. A potential solution to remedy this difficulty is to use methods using one-station events that go beyond the conventional ways of locating earthquakes and possibly improve locating microseismic events that normally go unnoticed. A small seismograph array was set up around Cedar Lake, in Makanda, Illinois. This location is situated southwest of the Wabash Valley seismic zone and north of the New Madrid seismic zone but is typically viewed as aseismic. The conventional method was used for finding events by triangulation on three months data from January 1, 2011 to March 31, 2011. Through triangulation there 14 events located in January, 10 in February, and 74 in March. In addition to triangulated events, event probabilities for one-station also applied events and located a few of these events via azimuth by utilizing three component seismometers. As a result the area closest to Cedar Lake exhibited a measurable amount of activity that was not detected through triangulation. Along the Pomona Fault there were numerous azimuth events located and a few triangulated events. A linear trend of events, both azimuth and triangulated, were depicted to possibly be an unknown fault in the areas that trend NW-SE through the north portion of Cedar Lake. The comparison of rainfall and seismicity suggest the possibility of a seasonal component in background seismicity. Through our study, utilizing the one-station events to locate areas of probability for events, and locating through azimuth, methods are able to improve upon when examining microseismicity in an intraplate setting.

Two kinds of earthquakes, interplate and intraplate, occur in the world. Interplate earthquakes occur at the plate boundaries and are common. Intraplate earthquakes occur within the stable continental land mass and are less common. Fatality models have been developed by a number of different research groups in the last decades to estimate losses in these types of events. This is a relatively new research area, with the added problem that a fatal event only occurs every fortnight or so, so that the data collection process is long term. This research study has two objectives; the first is to update the Generalized Poissonian distribution parameters for the period 2000 to 2009. The second is to establish the statistical properties of the set of fatal earthquakes for the world, for the interplate region, and intraplate region in the last decade and for the twentieth century. This work has not been previously completed and represents a potential insight into the cost effectiveness of current earthquake mitigation schemes. The key hypothesis is that fatal interplate earthquakes occur at a higher rate than fatal intraplate events. The results of the two analyses show that there is an increase in the average number of earthquakes and the average number of deaths caused by these earthquakes for this decade, indicating this decade has proved to be worse when compared to the earlier recorded earthquake period data. There was a total of 202 recorded fatal events in the period of 2000 to 2009. The interplate earthquakes proved to cause more fatalities compared to intraplate earthquakes during the past decade. The difference at the five percent confidence level is significant.

Isostasy, flexure and dynamic processes all influence the shape of the Earth’s surface. While the first two processes are well understood, dynamic topography remains controversial. On the continents, dynamic uplift is often expressed by positive long-wavelength gravity anomalies, radial drainage patterns, and slow seismic velocity anomalies within the upper mantle. Volcanic activity and elevated heat flow are also often observed. The aim of this study is to investigate the link between geochemical compositions of intracontinental magmatism and geophysical, geomorphological and geodetic observations of dynamic uplift. Three volcanic regions are considered in detail: western North America, northeast Brazil and Madagascar. The combined database includes 348 new whole-rock geochemical analyses. Rare earth element concentrations of mafic, asthenospheric-derived volcanic samples are exploited to calculate the depth and temperature of melt generation by inverse modelling. A sensitivity test of this modelling scheme is carried out. Lithospheric thickness and mantle temperature are independently determined from shear wave velocity models. Beneath western North America, a negative correlation between shear wave velocities at depths of 70–150 km and degree of melting is observed. Temperatures obtained from igneous compositions and from shear wave velocity profiles beneath volcanic fields closely agree. Melts are produced within, or close to, the spinel-garnet transition zone at depths shallower than $\sim$70 km, yielding mantle potential temperatures of up to 1380$^{\circ}$C. Calculated uplift and heat flow based upon these results match observed surface elevation and heat flow measurements. In northeast Brazil, Jurassic, Cretaceous and Cenozoic phases of mafic igneous activity are recognised. Jurassic magmatic activity probably resulted from spinel-field melting at potential temperatures of $\sim$1380$^{\circ}$C. This episode is associated with regional magmatism during break-up of the Central Atlantic Ocean. Cretaceous compositions record melting at potential temperatures of 1330–70$^{\circ}$C at similar depths. This activity is linked to extension at the time of break-up of the equatorial and South Atlantic Ocean. Cenozoic volcanism comprises low-degree melts within the spinel-garnet transition zone at ambient potential temperature. Shear wave velocity models support these results. Cenozoic volcanism in Madagascar is predominantly alkaline and records small-degree melting with minor temperature anomalies within the spinel-garnet transition zone. Rare tholeiitic basalts record temperatures up to 1360$^{\circ}$C. Analysis of global and regional shear wave velocity models closely matches these results. The principal control on continental magmatism appears to be temperature anomalies within the upper mantle beneath thin lithosphere. Highest mantle potential temperatures correlate with largest dynamic uplift. Mantle potential temperatures $ < $1350$^{\circ}$C are matched with minimal or negative dynamic topography.

The rapid development of space geodesy over the last two decades has had a profound effect on geologic studies by allowing measurements of crustal motion with sub-millimeter per year precision. The focus of this work is to better understand microplate kinematics, intraplate deformation and sea level rise in Europe by use of Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements of crustal deformation. This is accomplished in three separate studies. The first study focuses on crustal motion and sea level rise along the eastern margin of Adria. We use data from tide gauge and continuous GPS (CGPS) stations. We develop a new method to separate common-mode relative sea level from spatially variable signals. From tide gauge data, we find uniform relative sea level rise along the coast that is 2-4 times lower than the estimates for global average sea level rise. In constrast, vertical motion of coastal rocks determined by CGPS varies appreciably from an average of -1.7 ± 0.4 mm/yr in the southern Adria to 0.0 ± 0.4 mm/yr in northern Adria. The most enigmnatical result of this study is that the combination of tide gauge and CGPS data shows that absolute sea level varies in such a way that relative sea level remains constant. The second study focuses on diffuse intraplate deformation of western Eurasia measured by CGPS. We find that our preferred model involves four subplates, separated by the Pyrenees, Rhine Graben, and Trans European Suture Zone, and yields residual velocities indistinguishable from random samples. We interpret the intraplate dormation as the surface manifestation of downwelling mantle lithosphere. The final component of this work is a study of the Northern and Southern Adria microplates' internal stability and tectonic motion. Results show that both Adria microplates are kinematically distinct from one another and from the slowly converging Eurasia and Nubia plates, with implications for the dynamics of the Nubia-Eurasia plate boundary zone. We also find that internal strain within the Adria microplates is statistically insignificant. We estimate appreciable fault slip rates around the periphery of Adria, with implications for slip rates and seismic hazards associated with circum-Adria fault zones.

The New Madrid Seismic Zone is well known for its historical seismicity, most notably the 1811-12 New Madrid, MO earthquakes and to a lesser extent the 1895 Charlston, MO earthquake. It has been 124 years since an earthquake larger than M 5.1 occurred in the area. The debate of whether the New Madrid Seismic Zone is an active system or a system in decline has remained a contentious topic when interpreting the intricacies and challenges of an intraplate seismic system. This thesis focuses on an overlooked parameter in the already complex issue regarding the seismic hazard of the New Madrid Seismic Zone. In the early part of the 20th century the Little River Drainage District excavated 9.7 x 109 metric tons of overburden and drained approximately 5000 km2 from within the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Our model demonstrates that the Little River Drainage District resulted in a likely perturbation of the seismic system. The overburden removal, coupled with a reduction of the water column has moved the system away from failure when interpreted in the context of regional stress orientation in relation to the geographic orientation of the Little River Drainage District. This potentially explains the apparent lack of moderate to large events over the past century in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

Thesis advisor: John E. Ebel / Thesis advisor: Mark D. Behn / On January 12, 2015, a magnitude 3.1 mainshock occurred in Plainfield, Connecticut near Wauregan Tilcon Quarry, causing modified Mercalli II-IV intensities. Shortly after the event, a team from Weston Observatory installed portable seismographs in the epicentral area. The portable array detected hundreds of small earthquakes from around the quarry, with 26 events that were accurately located. P-wave first motion directions obtained from readings of the mainshock suggest a thrusting focal mechanism on a NNE-SSW trending fault. In this research, we collected 113 gravity measurements in the proximity of the quarry to verify and correct local fault geometry proposed by historic aeromagnetic and geologic mapping. Interpretations of the computed simple Bouguer anomaly are consistent with historic mapping, with a few exceptions. The gravity survey constrains a NNE-SSW trending fault that dips west underneath the quarry, inferred to be the Lake Char-Honey Hill Fault, and reduces ambiguity in the position of an undefined ESE-WNW trending fault, which appears to be on strike to intersect the quarry. A 3D boundary element program (3D~Def) is used to simulate quarry-induced stress changes on these faults in order to analyze the possibility of inducing seismicity through crustal unloading in the region. Quarry operations resulted in the removal of mass from the crust, which decreased lithostatic load. In a setting confined by a maximum horizontal compressional stress, decreasing the lithostatic load, orminimum principal stress (σ3), shifts a Mohr-Coulomb diagram toward failure. The boundary element model shows that following the excavation of materials at the quarry, positive Coulomb failure stress changes occur on the west dipping Lake Char-Honey Hill Fault. In agreement with past studies, our results suggest that quarrying operations can trigger seismic activity in specific settings with stress regime, fault orientations, and rock characteristics such as those that exist in the northeastern U.S. In order to mitigate the risk for future earthquakes related to quarrying operations, these factors must be considered before operations begin. / Thesis (MS) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Earth and Environmental Sciences.

No description available.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-02-24T19:48:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 HelenoCLN_TESE.pdf: 5085114 bytes, checksum: 8f73b093043e3323a8310182a887e244 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-16 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / This thesis presents and discusses the results of the various seismic areas in the State of Pernambuco, with the aim of having a vision of regional seismicity and its causes. To the papers published in journals were added two new original works submitted to international journals, dealing with seismic areas located in the counties of S?o Caetano, Cupira, and Agrestina. All seismic areas mentioned in this thesis are located on the Pernambuco Lineament and its surroundings (both in branches or single faults within 40 km of it). The Pernambuco Lineament is a Neoproterozoic shear zone of continental-scale that deformed the Borborema Province, and presents as branches, shear zones with NE-SW direction. The new submitted papers are from the analysis of data collected by three local networks of stations that operated in the following areas: network SO07 (seismicity in the district of Santa Luzia - S?o Caetano, 2007), network BM10 (data from seismic areas of Serra Verde ( Cupira) and Barra do Chata (Agrestina), in 2010), network SO10 (seismicity near the urban center of S?o Caetano in 2010). These data were used for determining the hypocenters and focal mechanisms in order to discuss the relationship between the seismicity and geological features of the area. The new mechanisms obtained, as well as the previously published allowed the determination of the direction of the average stress in the region. The direction of stress in the region involving the various seismic areas, now or previously studied, is quite stable and approximate EW direction (SHmax). The correlation between seismicity and geological features is observed on the lineament and north of it. In the south (Cupira and Agrestina), in seismic areas nearby shear zones NE-SW, there is no correlation and seismogenic EW normal faults are active and its motion is compatible with regional stresses. It is probable that these active faults are more recent than the Neoproterozoic, probably of the Cretaceous period, when the last great movement of the Pernambuco Lineament occurred / Nesta tese s?o apresentados e discutidos os resultados do estudo de diversas ?reas s?smicas no Estado de Pernambuco com o objetivo de se ter uma vis?o regional da sismicidade e suas causas. Aos trabalhos j? publicados em revistas foram acrescentados dois novos trabalhos originais, submetidos a peri?dicos internacionais, abordando as ?reas s?smicas localizadas nos munic?pios de S?o Caetano, Cupira e Agrestina. Todas as ?reas s?smicas abordadas nesta tese est?o situadas sobre o Lineamento Pernambuco ou seu entorno (seja em ramifica??es ou falhas isoladas a menos de 40 km do mesmo). O Lineamento Pernambuco ? uma zona de cisalhamento Neoproteroz?ica de escala continental que deformou a Prov?ncia Borborema e que apresenta, como ramifica??es, zonas de cisalhamento com dire??o NE-SW. Os novos trabalhos submetidos s?o decorrentes da an?lise de dados coletados por tr?s redes de esta??es que operaram nas seguintes ?reas: rede SO07 (sismicidade no distrito de Santa Luzia - S?o Caetano, em 2007); rede BM10 (dados das ?reas s?smicas de Serra Verde (Cupira) e Barra do Chata (Agrestina), em 2010); rede SO10 (sismicidade pr?xima ao centro urbano de S?o Caetano, em 2010). Esses dados foram utilizados na determina??o dos hipocentros e mecanismos focais visando discutir a correla??o entre a sismicidade e as principais fei??es geol?gicas da regi?o. Os novos mecanismos obtidos, bem como os anteriormente publicados permitiram a determina??o da dire??o do esfor?o m?dio na regi?o. A dire??o dos esfor?os na regi?o envolvendo as diversas ?reas s?smicas, agora ou anteriormente estudadas, ? bastante est?vel e de dire??o aproximada EW (SHmax). A correla??o entre a sismicidade e fei??es geol?gicas ? observada sobre o lineamento e ao norte do mesmo. Ao sul (Cupira e Agrestina), em ?reas s?smicas pr?ximas a zonas de cisalhamento NE-SW, n?o h? correla??o e falhas sismog?nicas normais de dire??o EW est?o ativas e seu movimento ? compat?vel com os esfor?os regionais. ? prov?vel que essas falhas ativas sejam mais recentes que o Neoproteroz?ico, provavelmente do per?odo Cret?ceo, ?poca do ?ltimo grande movimento do Lineamento Pernambuco

The Black Rock volcanic cluster consists of 30 small volume monogenetic volcanoes. The volcanoes of this cluster have exhibited bimodal volcanism for > 9 Ma. The most recent eruption of Ice Springs volcano ~600 yrs. ago along with ongoing geothermal activity attests to the usefulness of a hazard assessment for this area. The likelihood of a future eruption in this area is estimated to be between a 0.16 and 24% chance over the next 1 Ka (95% confidence). The explosivity and nature of many of these eruptions is not well known. In particular, the physical volcanology of Tabernacle Hill suggests a complicated episodic eruption. Initial phreatomagmatic eruptions at Tabernacle Hill are reported to have begun no later than ~14 Ka. The initial eruptive phase produced a tuff cone approximately 150 m high and 1.5 km in diameter with distinct bedding layers. Recent mapping and sampling of Tabernacle Hill's lava and tuff cone deposits was aimed at better constraining the sequence of events, physical volcanology, and energy associated with this eruption. Blocks located on the rim of the tuff cone of were mapped and analyzed to yield preliminary minimum muzzle velocities of 60-70 m s-1. After the initial phreatomagmatic explosions, the eruption style transitioned to a more effusive phase that partially filled the tuff cone with a semi-steady state lava lake 200 m wide and 15 m deep. Eventually, the tuff cone was breached by the impinging lava resulting in large portions of the cone rafting on top of the lava flows away from the vent. Eruption onto the Lake Bonneville lake bed allowed the Tabernacle Hill lava flows to flow radially from the tuff cone and cover an area of 19.35 km², producing a very uniform high aspect ratio (100:1) flow field. Subsequent eruptive phases cycled several times between effusive and explosive, producing scoria cones and more lava flows, culminating in an almost complete drainage of the lava lake through large lava tubes and drain back.

Le département de la Vendée est classé en zone de risque sismique niveau 3, en raison d’une activité sismique continue et d’une sismicité historique de forte intensité avec l’évènement majeur du 25 janvier 1799 (M6) dans le Marais Breton. Ce séisme a provoqué des dégâts massifs localement à Bouin et dans la région nantaise, et a été largement ressenti dans l’Ouest de la France. La Vendée littorale est située sur la côte atlantique française au sud du cisaillement sud-armoricain. Elle est caractérisée par de nombreuses structures héritées d’origine varisque et d’orientation NW-SE, réactivées au Mésozoïque et au Cénozoïque délimitant des marais côtiers holocènes. L’enjeu de cette thèse est de caractériser la géométrie des éventuelles failles plio-quaternaires et potentiellement actives dans cette région, en s’intéressant particulièrement à la faille de Machecoul, bordière des bassins sédimentaires du Marais Breton et de la Baie de Bourgneuf et candidate potentielle pour le séisme Vendéen de 1799. Notre approche est pluridisciplinaire terre-mer, intégrant sismologie (réseau temporaire), géophysique marine (sismique réflexion Chirp et Sparker, bathymétrie haute résolution), morpho-tectonique, gravimétrie, étude de forages et sismicité historique. Notre étude a permis d’analyser et de caractériser (1) la structure et la géométrie en profondeur du système de failles normales de Machecoul, (2) la localisation des dépocentres plioquaternaires du Marais Breton et de la Baie de Bourgneuf en relation avec le système de failles de Machecoul, atteignant localement une vingtaine de mètres d’épaisseur, (3) la perturbation du réseau hydrographique et l’incision récente du relief du compartiment inférieur de la faille de Machecoul, probablement d’âge pliocène, ainsi que (4) l’activité microsismique de la faille de Machecoul. Nos données suggèrent que la sédimentation plioquaternaire des bassins en mer comme à terre au sud de la faille de Machecoul a pu être contrôlée par cette faille probablement héritée de l’Eocène. Ce travail confirme l’intérêt multi-disciplinaire de l’étude des failles en domaine de déformation faible et apporte un faisceau d’indices permettant de relier la faille de Machecoul à la rupture du séisme Vendéen de 1799 (M6), évènement historique de référence dans l’Ouest de la France de par son ampleur, et par là même de ses conséquences dans une zone littorale de plus en plus peuplée. / The Vendée department is classified as a level 3 seismic risk zone because of a moderate background seismic activity and a strong historical seismicity dominated by the 1799 January 25th (M6) major event in the MaraisBreton. This earthquake caused local massive damages in Bouin and around Nantes, and its perception area stretched widely in the West of France. Coastal Vendée is located on the French Atlantic coast, south of the SouthArmorican Shear Zone. This area is made of numerous NW-SE trending hercynian inherited structures, reactivated during Mesozoic and Cenozoic times and delimiting holocene coastal marschlands. The main goal of this thesis is to characterize the geometry of potential plio-quaternary active faults in the area by focusing on the Machecoul fault, bounding the Marais Breton and the Baie de Bourgneuf sedimentary basins and potential candidate for the 1799 earthquake. We used a multidisciplinary onshore-offshore approach, including seismology (temporary network), marine geophysics (Chirp and Sparker seismic reflexion, high resolution bathymetry), morphotectonic, gravity, onshore drilling database and historical seismicity.Our results allowed us to analyze and characterize (1) the Machecoul normal faults system structure and geometry in depth, (2) the plio-quaternary depocenters location in Marais Breton and Baie de Bourgneuf in relation with the Machecoul fault system, reaching locally around twenty meters thick, (3) the hydrographic network perturbation and recent incision of the Machecoul fault footwall, probably pliocene aged relief, (4) the microseismic activity of the Machecoul fault. Our data suggest that the plioquaternary sedimentation of the marine and terrestrial basins located in the south of the fault could be controlled by this inherited fault, probably dated from Eocene age.This work confirms the importance of multi-disciplinary approach in the study of faults in low deformation context and provides a body of evidence allowing to connect the Machecoul fault to the rupture of the 1799 Vendée earthquake (M6), historic and reference event in the western part of France given its scale and so its consequences in the more and more densely populated coastal area.