Search

Plate tectonics describes oceanic transform faults as conservative strike-slip boundaries, where lithosphere is neither created nor destroyed. Therefore, seafloor accreted at ridge-transform intersections should follow a similar subsidence trend with age as lithosphere that forms away from ridge-transform intersections. Yet, recent compilations of high-resolution bathymetry show that the seafloor is significantly deeper along transform faults than at the adjacent fracture zones. We present residual mantle Bouguer anomalies, a proxy for crustal thickness, for 11 transform fault systems across the full range of spreading rates. Our results indicate that the crust is thinner in the transform deformation zone than in either the adjacent fracture zones or the inside corner regions. Consequently, oceanic transform faulting appears not only to thin the transform valley crust but also leads to a secondary phase of magmatic addition at the transition to the passive fracture zones. These observations challenge the concept of transform faults being conservative plate boundaries.

We present the results of P-to-S receiver function analysis to improve the 3D image of the sedimentary layer, the upper crust, and lower crust in the Pannonian Basin area. The Pannonian Basin hosts deep sedimentary depocentres superimposed on a complex basement structure and it is surrounded by mountain belts. We processed waveforms from 221 three-component broadband seismological stations. As a result of the dense station coverage, we were able to achieve so far unprecedented spatial resolution in determining the velocity structure of the crust. We applied a three-fold quality control process; the first two being applied to the observed waveforms and the third to the calculated radial receiver functions. This work is the first comprehensive receiver function study of the entire region. To prepare the inversions, we performed station-wise H-Vp/Vs grid search, as well as Common Conversion Point migration. Our main focus was then the S-wave velocity structure of the area, which we determined by the Neighborhood Algorithm inversion method at each station, where data were sub-divided into back-azimuthal bundles based on similar Ps delay times. The 1D, nonlinear inversions provided the depth of the discontinuities, shear-wave velocities and Vp/Vs ratios of each layer per bundle, and we calculated uncertainty values for each of these parameters. We then developed a 3D interpolation method based on natural neighbor interpolation to obtain the 3D crustal structure from the local inversion results. We present the sedimentary thickness map, the first Conrad depth map and an improved, detailed Moho map, as well as the first upper and lower crustal thickness maps obtained from receiver function analysis. The velocity jump across the Conrad discontinuity is estimated at less than 0.2 km/s over most of the investigated area. We also compare the new Moho map from our approach to simple grid search results and prior knowledge from other techniques. Our Moho depth map presents local variations in the investigated area: the crust-mantle boundary is at 20–26 km beneath the sedimentary basins, while it is situated deeper below the Apuseni Mountains, Transdanubian and North Hungarian Ranges (28–33 km), and it is the deepest beneath the Eastern Alps and the Southern Carpathians (40–45 km). These values reflect well the Neogene evolution of the region, such as crustal thinning of the Pannonian Basin and orogenic thickening in the neighboring mountain belts. ISSN:2169-9313 ISSN:0148-0227 ISSN:2169-9356

The 2014 Mw 8.1 Iquique earthquake ruptured the boundary between the subducting Nazca Plate and the overriding South American Plate in the North Chilean subduction zone. The broken segment of the South American subduction zone had likely accumulated elastic strain since an M~9 earthquake in 1877 and what therefore considered a mature seismic gap. The moderate magnitude of the 2014 earthquake and its compact rupture area, which only broke the central part of the seismic gap, did not result in a significant tsunami in the Pacific Ocean. To investigate the seismo-tectonic segmentation of the North Chilean subduction zone in the region of the 2014 Iquique earthquake at the shallow seismic/aseismic transition, we combine two years of local aftershock seismicity observations from ocean bottom seismometers and long-offset seismic reflection data from the rupture area. Our study links short term deformation associated with a single seismic cycle to the permanent deformation history of an erosive convergent margin over millions of years. A high density of aftershocks following the 2014 Iquique earthquake occurred in the up-dip region of the coseismic rupture, where they form a trench parallel band. The events spread from the subducting oceanic plate across the plate boundary and into the overriding continental crust. The band of aftershock seismicity separates a pervasively fractured and likely fluid-filled marine forearc farther seaward from a less deformed section of the forearc farther landward. At the transition, active subduction erosion during the postseismic and possibly coseismic phases of the 2014 Iquique earthquake leads to basal abrasion of the upper plate and associated extensional faulting of the overlying marine forearc. Landward migration of the seismogenic up-dip limit, possibly at similar rates compared to the trench and the volcanic arc, leaves behind a heavily fractured and fluid-filled outermost forearc. This most seaward part of the subduction zone might be too weak to store sufficient elastic strain to nucleate a large megathrust earthquake.

The 2014 Mw 8.1 Iquique earthquake ruptured the boundary between the subducting Nazca Plate and the overriding South American Plate in the North Chilean subduction zone. The broken segment of the South American subduction zone had likely accumulated elastic strain since an M~9 earthquake in 1877 and what therefore considered a mature seismic gap. The moderate magnitude of the 2014 earthquake and its compact rupture area, which only broke the central part of the seismic gap, did not result in a significant tsunami in the Pacific Ocean. To investigate the seismo-tectonic segmentation of the North Chilean subduction zone in the region of the 2014 Iquique earthquake at the shallow seismic/aseismic transition, we combine two years of local aftershock seismicity observations from ocean bottom seismometers and long- offset seismic reflection data from the rupture area. Our study links short term deformation associated with a single seismic cycle to the permanent deformation history of an erosive convergent margin over millions of years. A high density of aftershocks following the 2014 Iquique earthquake occurred in the up-dip region of the coseismic rupture, where they form a trench parallel band. The events spread from the subducting oceanic plate across the plate boundary and into the overriding continental crust. The band of aftershock seismicity separates a pervasively fractured and likely fluid-filled marine forearc farther seaward from a less deformed section of the forearc farther landward. At the transition, active subduction erosion during the postseismic and possibly coseismic phases of the 2014 Iquique earthquake leads to basal abrasion of the upper plate and associated extensional faulting of the overlying marine forearc. Landward migration of the seismogenic up-dip limit, possibly at similar rates compared to the trench and the volcanic arc, leaves behind a heavily fractured and fluid-filled outermost forearc. This most seaward part of the subduction zone might be too weak to store sufficient elastic strain to nucleate a large megathrust earthquake.

The 2014 Mw 8.1 Iquique earthquake ruptured the boundary between the subducting Nazca Plate and the overriding South American Plate in the North Chilean subduction zone. The broken segment of the South American subduction zone had likely accumulated elastic strain since an M~9 earthquake in 1877 and what therefore considered a mature seismic gap. The moderate magnitude of the 2014 earthquake and its compact rupture area, which only broke the central part of the seismic gap, did not result in a significant tsunami in the Pacific Ocean. To investigate the seismo-tectonic segmentation of the North Chilean subduction zone in the region of the 2014 Iquique earthquake at the shallow seismic/aseismic transition, we combine two years of local aftershock seismicity observations from ocean bottom seismometers and long-offset seismic reflection data from the rupture area. Our study links short term deformation associated with a single seismic cycle to the permanent deformation history of an erosive convergent margin over millions of years. A high density of aftershocks following the 2014 Iquique earthquake occurred in the up-dip region of the coseismic rupture, where they form a trench parallel band. The events spread from the subducting oceanic plate across the plate boundary and into the overriding continental crust. The band of aftershock seismicity separates a pervasively fractured and likely fluid-filled marine forearc farther seaward from a less deformed section of the forearc farther landward. At the transition, active subduction erosion during the postseismic and possibly coseismic phases of the 2014 Iquique earthquake leads to basal abrasion of the upper plate and associated extensional faulting of the overlying marine forearc. Landward migration of the seismogenic up-dip limit, possibly at similar rates compared to the trench and the volcanic arc, leaves behind a heavily fractured and fluid-filled outermost forearc. This most seaward part of the subduction zone might be too weak to store sufficient elastic strain to nucleate a large megathrust earthquake.

Seafloor geodesy experiments have been expanding considerably in recent years. More and more research teamsaround the globe are conducting projects to monitor the tectonic or volcanic deformation of the seafloor. Theseexperiments are commonly based on limited-duration experiments, but increasingly, permanent observatories arealso being installed. This dynamic development is very encouraging for the establishment of a strong community which arguably willlead to the emergence of a worldwide scientific and technical synergy. However, data andknowledge transferbetween the different groups working on similar topics are still limited at the present time. This can be partlyexplained by the fact that the instruments, infrastructure, and processing software developed are custom-made andthus various file formats are used, although the fundamental observables are most of the time identical. One wayto overcome this limitation is to set up exchange standards in the form of standardized file formats. These fileswould gather and store all the physical quantities observed and will prove useful for the processing simplificationand, in the end, the extraction of the geodetic signal sought. Furthermore, uniformized formats would allow muchmore easily the comparison of software and processing methods between research groups, whether during tests oroperational measurement campaigns. Standardized data will eventually provide a base for the activities of potentialfuture national or international observation services. They would also make it possible to envisage the datadissemination similar to geodetic data recorded on land.

The Liguro-Provencal-basin was formed as a back-arc basin of the retreating Calabrian-Apennines subduction zone during the Oligocene and Miocene. The resulting rotation of the Corsica-Sardinia block at roughly 32–24 Ma is associated with rifting, shaping the Ligurian Sea. It is highly debated though, whether oceanic or atypical oceanic crust was formed or if the crust is continental and experienced extreme thinning during the opening of the basin.To investigate the velocity structure of the Ligurian Sea a network (LOBSTER) of 29 broadband Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) was installed jointly by GEOMAR (Germany) and ISTerre (France). The LOBSTER array measured continuously for eight months between June 2017 and February 2018 and is part of the AlpArray seismic network. AlpArray is a European initiative to further reveal the geophysical and geological properties of the greater Alpine area.We contribute to the debate by surveying the type of crust and lithosphere flooring the Ligurian Sea.Because of additional noise sources in the ocean, causing instrument tilt or seafloor compliance, OBS data are rarely used for ambient noise studies. However, we extensively pre-process the data to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Then, we calculate daily cross-correlation functions for the LOBSTER array and surrounding land stations. Additionally, we correlate short time windows that include strong events. The cross-correlations of these are dominated by earthquake signals and allow us to derive surface wave group velocities for longer periods than using ambient noise only. Finally, phase velocity maps are obtained by inverting Green’s functions derived from cross-correlation of ambient noise and teleseismic events, respectively. The phase velocity maps show strong heterogeneities for short periods (5-15 s, corresponding to shallow depths). Causes for these include varying sediment thickness, fault zones and magmatism. For longer periods (20-80 s) the velocity structure smoothens and reveals mantle velocities north-northwest of the basin centre. This might hint on an asymmetric opening of the basin. We do not see strong indications for an oceanic spreading centre in the Ligurian basin.

The Ligurian Basin is located north-west of Corsica at the transition from the western Alpine orogen to the Apennine system. The Back-arc basin was generated by the southeast trench retreat of the Apennines-Calabrian subduction zone. The opening took place from late Oligocene to Miocene. While the extension led to extreme continental thinning little is known about the style of back-arc rifting. Today, the seismic events indicate the closure of this back-arc basin. To shed light on the present day crustal and lithospheric architecture of the Ligurian Basin, active seismic data have been recorded on short period ocean bottom seismometersin the framework of SPP2017 4D-MB, the German component of AlpArray. An amphibious refraction seismicprofile was shot acrossthe Ligurian Basininan E-W direction from the Gulf of Lion to Corsica. The profile extends onshore Corsica to image the necking zone of continental thinning. Local seismicity was recorded on broad band ocean bottom seismometers over a period of 8 month. The majority of the refraction seismic data show mantle phases at offsets up to 70km. The arrivalsof seismic phases were picked and inverted in a travel time tomography. The results show acrust-mantle boundary in the central basin at ~12km depth below seasurface. The mantle shows rather high velocities >7.8 km/s.The crust-mantle boundary deepens from ~12 km to ~18 km within 25 -30 kmtowards Corsica. The results do not map an axial valley as expected for oceanic spreading. However, an extremely thinned continental crust indicates a long lasting rifting process that possibly does not initiated oceanic spreading before the opening of the Ligurian Basin stopped. In the centre of the Ligurian Basin, a cluster of 15 seismic events with magnitudes lower than 2.5 occurred in the upper mantle in a depth of 10-15 kmbelow the seismic Moho. The fault plane solutions indicate reverse faulting and a convergence in NW-SE direction.

The Liguro-Provencal-basin was formed as a back-arc basin of the retreating Calabrian-Apennines subduction zone during the Oligocene and Miocene. The resulting rotation of the Corsica-Sardinia block at roughly 32–24 Ma is associated with rifting, shaping the Ligurian Sea. It is highly debated though, whether oceanic or atypical oceanic crust was formed or if the crust is of continental nature, which was extremely thinned during opening of the basin. In order to investigate the velocity structure of the Ligurian Sea a network (LOBSTER) of 29 broadband Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) was installed jointly by GEOMAR (Germany) and ISTerre (France). The LOBSTER array measured continuously for eight months between June 2017 and February 2018 and is part of the AlpArray seismic network. AlpArray is a European initiative to further reveal the geophysical and geological properties of the greater Alpine area. We contribute to the debate by surveying the type of crust and lithosphere flooring the Ligurian Sea. Because of additional noise sources in the ocean, causing instrument tilt or seafloor compliance, OBS data are rarely used for ambient noise studies. However, we extensively pre-process the data to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Then, we calculate daily cross-correlation functions for the LOBSTER array and surrounding land stations. We use teleseismic events by correlating short time windows that include strong events. Those cross-correlations are dominated by earthquake signals and allow to derive surface wave group velocities for longer periods than using AN. Finally, phase velocity maps are obtained by inverting Green’s functions derived from cross-correlation of ambient noise (AN) and teleseismic events. In the course of this ongoing project we target to derive 3D velocity models of the adjacent Alpine belt region and its complex subduction geometry contributing to questions like the prolongation of the Alpine from beneath the Ligurian Sea.

The Ligurian Basin is situated at the transition from the western Alpine orogeny to the Apennine system, an area where a change in subduction polarity is observed. The back-arc basin was generated by the southeast trench retreat of the Apennines-Calabrian subduction zone. The opening took place from late Oligocene to Miocene. While the extension led to continental thinning and subsidence, oceanic spreading with unroofing of mantle material was proposed for the late opening period, 21-16 Ma. To shed light on the present day crustal and lithospheric architecture of the Ligurian Basin, active and passive seismic data have been recorded on ocean bottom seismometers of a long-term network consisting of 29 broad-band stations, installed from June 2017 to February 2018 in the framework of SPP2017 4D-MB, the German component of AlpArray. Two refraction seismic profiles were shot to serve two aspects: (1) Determine the orientation of the horizontal components of the long-term instruments and (2) estimate the velocity distribution of the upper lithosphere, to provide a velocity model for the passive seismic data analysis. Good quality data have been recorded, regional and teleseismic events as well as active shots could be detected by the network stations. The majority of the refraction seismic data show mantle phases at offsets up to 70 km and a very prominent wide-angle reflection originating at the crust mantle boundary. Its features share a number of characteristics (i.e. offset range, continuity) generally associated with continental settings rather than mimicking seafloor spreading lithosphere emplaced in back-arc basins. Based on traveltime tomography along the refraction lines, the crust-mantle boundary is determined at ~9.5 km depth below seafloor. The acoustic basement is difficult to map seismically. The transition to the crystalline basement is indicated at a depth of ~6.5 km below seafloor. The absolute seismic velocities can be interpreted as hyper-extended continental crust or serpentinised mantle. The thick sedimentary coverage allows for long lasting extension of the crust. The crustal portion interpreted from the seismic velocities thickens towards the north which is in good agreement with the anti-clockwise rotation of the Corsica-Sardinia block and an associated gradual opening of the Ligurian Basin.

On April 2014 the Iquique Mw 8.1 earthquake ruptured the interpolate contact between the oceanic Nazca and continental South American plates offshore northern Chile between 19.5◦S to 21◦S in April 2014. This earthquake did not fully release the strain accumulated since the last great megathrust (Mw 8.8) in 1877 and had left an unbroken segment in the south. From December 2014 to November 2016, we deployed an offshore network of 15 Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBS) that covered the rupture area and the unbroken southern segment using the Chilean Navy ship OPV Toro and R/V Sonne. That data set is supplemented by five weeks of data from 67 OBS installed for a controlled source seismic experiment during cruise MGL1610 of the R/V Marcus Langseth in late 2016. Data acquired onshore by stations from of the IPOC (Integrated Plate Boundary Observatory Chile) and CSN (Chilean Seismological Service) networks are also included. We present first results of this ongoing project, which include double-difference hypocenter relocations based on waveform cross-correlation. Most of the seismicity occurs between 19.5 and 21◦S up-dip of the patch of maximum coseismic slip during the 2014 earthquake, while the seismicity in seismogenic depths is highly concentrated forming well-defined clusters. The observed seismicity provides constraints on the structure of the marine forearc and enables us to relate the seismicity distribution to the background seismicity, seafloor morphology, and regional tectonics.

The convergence between the Africa and Eurasia plates dominates the tectonic setting in the western and central Mediterranean Sea leading to a complex structure consisting of basins and ranges. The Ligurian Sea as a part of the Western Mediterranean Sea is a basin generated by the southeast trench retreat of the Apennines-Calabrian Subduction Zone and back-arc extension. It is located next to the Alpine orogen and the Apennine system. As the offshore part of the AlpArray initiative a network of 29 broad-band ocean bottom seismometers were installed from June 2017 to February 2018 in the Ligurian Sea as part of the German SPP2017-4D-MB and a contribution of the French IPGP. The local seismicity in the Ligurian Sea was investigated with the offshore stations and some onshore stations close to the coast in France and Italy. Over 100 local earthquakes were located in the area of the network. The main area of seismic activity north of the network close to the Alpine orogen. A cluster of 14 earthquakes lies 150 km west of Corsica at (42.2°N / 7.1°E). The cluster was mainly active in June 2017 and in August 2017. The radiation pattern of the events indicates a reverse faulting mechanism, which is consistent with the moment tensor solution of two events close by from July 2011 and June 2012.

On 25 December 2016, a Mw 7.6 earthquake broke a portion of the Southern Chilean subduction zone south of Chiloé Island, located in the central part of the Mw 9.5 1960 Valdivia earthquake. This region is characterized by repeated earthquakes in 1960 and historical times with very sparse interseismic activity due to the subduction of a young (~15 Ma), and therefore hot, oceanic plate. We estimate the co-seismic slip distribution based on a kinematic finite fault source model, and through joint inversion of teleseismic body waves and strong motion data. The coseismic slip model yields a total seismic moment of 3.94×1020 Nm that occurred over ~30 s, with the rupture propagating mainly downdip, reaching a peak-slip of ~4.2 m. Regional moment tensor inversion of stronger aftershocks reveals thrust type faulting at depths of the plate interface. The fore- and aftershock seismicity is mostly related to the subduction interface with sparse seismicity in the overriding crust. The 2016 Chiloé event broke a region with increased locking and most likely broke an asperity of the 1960 earthquake. The updip limit of the main event, aftershocks, foreshocks and interseismic activity are spatially similar, located ~15 km offshore and parallel to Chiloé Islands west coast. The coseismic slip model of the 2016 Chiloé earthquake suggests a peak slip of 4.2 m that locally exceeds the 3.38 m slip deficit that has accumulated since 1960. Therefore, the 2016 Chiloé earthquake possibly released strain that has built up prior to the 1960 Valdivia earthquake.

Large intraplate earthquakes in oceanic lithosphere are rare and usually related to regions of diffuse deformation within the oceanic plate. The 23 January 2018 MW 7.9 strike-slip Gulf of Alaska earthquake ruptured an oceanic fracture zone system offshore Kodiak Island. Bathymetric compilations show a muted topographic expression of the fracture zone due to the thick sediment that covers oceanic basement but the fracture zone system can be identified by offset N-S magnetic anomalies and E-W linear zones in the vertical gravity gradient. Back-projection from global seismic stations reveals that the initial rupture at first propagated from the epicenter to the north, likely rupturing along a weak zone parallel to the ocean crustal fabric. The rupture then changed direction to eastward directed with most energy emitted on Aka fracture zone resulting in an unusual multi-fault earthquake. Similarly, the aftershocks show complex behavior and are related to two different tectonic structures: (1) events along N-S trending oceanic fabric, which ruptured mainly strike-slip and additionally, in normal and oblique slip mechanisms and (2) strike-slip events along E-W oriented fracture zones. To explain the complex faulting behavior we adopt the classical stress and strain partitioning concept and propose a generalized model for large intra-oceanic strike-slip earthquakes of trench-oblique oriented fracture zones/ocean plate fabric near subduction zones. Taking the Kodiak asperity position of 1964 maximum afterslip and outer-rise Coulomb stress distribution into account, we propose that the unusual 2018 Gulf of Alaska moment release was stress transferred to the incoming oceanic plate from co- and post-processes of the nearby great 1964 MW 9.2 megathrust earthquake.

Cold water event in the deep Marmara Sea presented in #EGU18 OS4.5

The Sumatran subduction zone exhibits strong seismic and tsunamogenic potential with the prominent examples of the 2004, 2005 and 2007 earthquakes. Here, we invert travel-time data of local earthquakes for vp and vp∕vs velocity models of the central Sumatran forearc. Data were acquired by an amphibious seismometer network consisting of 52 land stations and 10 ocean-bottom seismometers located on a segment of the Sumatran subduction zone that had not ruptured in a great earthquake since 1797 but witnessed recent ruptures to the north in 2005 (Nias earthquake, Mw = 8.7) and to the south in 2007 (Bengkulu earthquake, Mw = 8.5). The 2-D and 3-D vp velocity anomalies reveal the downgoing slab and the sedimentary basins. Although the seismicity pattern in the study area appears to be strongly influenced by the obliquely subducting Investigator Fracture Zone to at least 200 km depth, the 3-D velocity model shows prevailing trench-parallel structures at depths of the plate interface. The tomographic model suggests a thinned crust below the basin east of the forearc islands (Nias, Pulau Batu, Siberut) at ∼ 180 km distance to the trench. vp velocities beneath the magmatic arc and the Sumatran fault zone (SFZ) are around 5 km s−1 at 10 km depth and the vp∕vs ratios in the uppermost 10 km are low, indicating the presence of felsic lithologies typical for continental crust. We find moderately elevated vp∕vs values of 1.85 at ∼ 150 km distance to the trench in the region of the Mentawai Fault. vp∕vs ratios suggest an absence of large-scale alteration of the mantle wedge and might explain why the seismogenic plate interface (observed as a locked zone from geodetic data) extends below the continental forearc Moho in Sumatra. Reduced vp velocities beneath the forearc basin covering the region between the Mentawai Islands and the Sumatra mainland possibly reflect a reduced thickness of the overriding crust.

Die Erfindung betrifft eine Vorrichtung zur lösbaren Verbindung eines Drahtes, insbesondere eines Tiefseedrahtes (1), mit einem Gerät, insbesondere Tiefseegerät (9), wobei eine Auslöseeinheit (11) zwischen dem Draht (1) und dem Gerät (9) vorgesehen ist, die zum bedarfsweisen Lösen der Verbindung des Drahts (1) mit dem Gerät (9) unter Wasser ausgebildet ist. Erfindungsgemäß sind zumindest ein erster und ein zweiter Transponder (4, 8) vorgesehen, die zwischen dem Draht (1) und der Auslöseeinheit (11) angeordnet sind, wobei der Draht (1) über eine Verbindung mit der Auslöseeinheit (11) verbunden ist und die Verbindung eine definierte Länge aufweist. Des Weiteren betrifft die Erfindung ein Verfahren zum Ausbringen des Gerätes (9) in ein Gewässer, insbesondere in Meerwasser, vorzugsweise in die Tiefsee, mit dieser Vorrichtung.

On 1 April 2014, a Mw 8.1 earthquake ruptured a portion of the subduction zone in northern Chile offshore Iquique between 19.5◦S to 21◦S. A large earthquake had been expected in the subduction zone off northern Chile, because it had not ruptured in a megathrust earthquake since a M∼8.8 event in 1877. The 2014 earthquake did only affect the northern region of the 1877 rupture and left an unbroken segment to the South. In December 2014 we deployed an offshore network of 15 ocean-bottom-seismometers (OBS) between 19◦S and 22◦S using the Chilean Navy ship OPV Toro, covering the aftershock zone of the 2014 Iquique event and the un-ruptured offshore domain in the South. The network was recovered in November 2015 with RV SONNE.

Subduction Interface Processes Meeting (SIP), An International Conference Zooming On Subduction Zones, 19-21 April 2017, Barcelona, While releasing stress of the well-defined Northern Chile seismic gap, the 2014 Mw. 8.1 Iquique Earthquake only ruptured part of this gap, leaving large and possibly highly coupled areas untouched. These non-ruptured areas now may pose an elevated seismic hazard due to the transfer of stresses resulting from the 2014 rupture. Here we use multibeam bathymetric data, covering ~90% of the North Chilean marine forearc, in combination with seismic reflection images to derive a tectonic map of the marine forearc in the seismic gap. In the entire study area we find evidence for widespread normal faulting. On the upper continental slope, some of the normal faults dip towards the continent, defining N-S trending ridges that can be traced over tens of kilometers. Seaward dipping normal faults however displays segmentation in it distribution along the margin. In the unbroken southern segment of the seismic gap, seaward dipping normal faults cutting the forearc locally extend close to the slope toe and the deformation front at the deep-sea trench, under ~8 km of water. Similar normal faults cutting the lower slope are neither observed further north (2014 Iquique earthquake area) nor further south (2007 Tocopilla earthquake area). The spatial variation in lowermost-slope normal faulting does not correlate with obvious changes in the structural and tectonic setting of the subduction zone (e.g. plate convergence rate and direction, trench sediment thickness, subducting plate roughness). Thus, the changes in permanent deformation recorded by the spatial distribution of faults may hold crucial information about the long-term seismogenic behavior of the Northern Chile seismic gap over multiple earthquake cycles. Although the structural interpretations cannot directly be translated into seismic hazard, the tectonic map may hold key information to better understand deformation in the marine forearc related to the seismic cycle, historic seismicity, and spatial changes in plate-coupling

The seafloor stores crucial information on sub-seafloor processes, including stress, elastic strain, and earthquakes. This information may be extracted through the nascent scientific field of seafloor geodesy. The GeoSEA (Geodetic Earthquake Observatory on the SEAfloor) array uses acoustic signals for direct-path ranging and relative positioning at mm-scale resolution for a period of up to 3.5 years. The transponders also include high-precision pressure sensors to monitor vertical movements and dual-axis inclinometers in order to measure their altitude as well as any change in submarine fault zones and characterizing their behavior (locked or aseismically creeping). A further component of the network is GeoSURF, a self-steering autonomous surface vehicle (Wave Glider), which monitors system health and is able to upload the seafloor data to the sea surface and to transfer it via satellite. Seafloor transponders are currently installed across a dextral strike-slip fault to measure the instability of the eastern flank of Mt Etna in Sicily, along the North Anatolian Fault offshore Istanbul to measure the strain build-up along the fault in a seismic gap. In addition, three arrays are currently deployed on the marine forearc and outer rise of the South American subduction system around 21°S. This segment of the Nazca-South American plate boundary has last ruptured in an earthquake in 1877 and was identified as a seismic gap prior to the 2014 Iquique earthquake (Mw 8.1). The southern portion of the segment remains unbroken by a recent earthquake. The first 12 month of all geodetic installations were analyzed and we discuss baselines with precision less 5 mm for ranges up to 2000 m of distance and compare them to synthetics baselines. The North Anatolian across-fault baseline changes remains within the resolution and preclude fault-displacement rates larger a few millimeters-per-year, which suggests a locked fault zone.

Seafloor seepage of hydrocarbon-bearing fluids has been identified in a number of marine forearcs. However, temporal variations in seep activity and the structural and tectonic parameters that control the seepage often remain poorly constrained. Subduction-zone earthquakes for example, are often discussed to trigger seafloor seepage but causal links that go beyond theoretical considerations have not yet been fully established. This is mainly due to the inaccessibility of offshore epicentral areas, the infrequent occurrence of large earthquakes, and challenges associated with offshore monitoring of seepage over large areas and sufficient time periods. Here, we report visual, geochemical, geophysical, and modelling results and observations from the Concepción Methane Seep Area (offshore Central Chile) located in the rupture area of the 2010 Mw. 8.8 Maule earthquake. High methane concentrations in the oceanic water column and a shallow sub-bottom depth of sulfate penetration indicate active methane seepage. The stable carbon isotope signature of the methane and hydrocarbon composition of the released gas indicate a mixture of shallow-sourced biogenic gas and a deeper sourced thermogenic component. Pristine fissures and fractures observed at the seafloor together with seismically imaged large faults in the marine forearc may represent effective pathways for methane migration. Upper-plate fault activity with hydraulic fracturing and dilation is in line with increased normal Coulomb stress during large plate-boundary earthquakes, as exemplarily modelled for the 2010 earthquake. On a global perspective our results point out the possible role of recurring large subduction-zone earthquakes in driving hydrocarbon seepage from marine forearcs over long timescales.

Powerful subduction zone earthquakes rupture thousands of square kilometers along continental margins but at certain locations earthquake rupture terminates. To date detailed knowledge of the parameters that govern seismic rupture and aftershocks is still incomplete. On 16 September 2015 the Mw. 8.3 Illapel earthquake ruptured a 200 km long stretch of the Central Chilean subduction zone, triggering a tsunami and causing significant damage. Here we analyze the temporal and spatial pattern of the co-seismic rupture and aftershocks in relation to the tectonic setting in the earthquake area. Aftershocks cluster around the area of maximum coseismic slip, in particular in lateral and downdip direction. During the first 24 hours after the mainshock, aftershocks migrated in both lateral directions with velocities of approximately 2.5 and 5 km/h. At the southern rupture boundary aftershocks cluster around individual subducted seamounts that are related to the downthrusting Juan Fernández Ridge. In the northern part of the rupture area aftershocks separate into an upper cluster (above 25 km depth) and a lower cluster (below 35 km depth). This dual seismic-aseismic transition in downdip direction is also observed in the interseismic period suggesting that it may represent a persistent feature for the Central Chilean subduction zone.

The submarine Istanbul-Silivri fault segment, within 15km of Istanbul, is the only portion of the North Anatolian Fault that has not ruptured in the last 250years. We report first results of a seafloor acoustic ranging experiment to quantify current horizontal deformation along this segment and assess whether the segment is creeping aseismically or accumulating stress to be released in a future event. Ten transponders were installed to monitor length variations along 15 baselines. A joint least squares inversion for across-fault baseline changes, accounting for sound speed drift at each transponder, precludes fault displacement rates larger than a few millimeters per year during the 6month observation period. Forward modeling shows that the data better fit a locked state or a very moderate surface creep-less than 6mm/yr compared to a far-field slip rate of over 20mm/yr-suggesting that the fault segment is currently accumulating stress.

Powerful subduction zone earthquakes rupture thousands of square kilometers along continental margins but at certain locations earthquake rupture terminates. On 16 September 2015 the Mw. 8.3 Illapel earthquake ruptured a 200 km long stretch of the Central Chilean subduction zone, triggering a tsunami and causing significant damage. Here we analyze the spatial pattern of coseismic rupture and the temporal and spatial pattern of local seismicity for aftershocks and foreshocks in relation to the tectonic setting in the earthquake area. Aftershock seismicity surrounds the rupture area in lateral and downdip direction. For the first 24 hours following the mainshock we observe aftershock migration to both lateral directions with velocities of approximately 2.5 and 5 km/h. At the southern earthquake boundary aftershocks cluster around individual subducted seamounts located on the prolongation of the downthrusting Juan Fernández Ridge indicating stress transfer from the main rupture area. In the northern part of the rupture area a deeper band of local seismicity is observed indicating an alternation of seismic to aseismic behavior of the plate interface in downdip direction. This aseismic region at 30 km depth that is also observed before the Illapel 2015 earthquake is likely controlled by the intersection of the continental Moho with the subducting slab. Dietrich Lange (1), Jacob Geersen (1), Sergio Barrientos (2), Marcos Moreno (3), Ingo Grevemeyer (1), Eduardo Contreras-Reyes (2), and Heidrun Kopp (1)

The lithosphere is the outermost solid layer of the Earth and includes the brittle curst and brittle uppermost mantle. It is underlain by the asthenosphere, the weaker and hotter portion of the mantle. The boundary between the brittle lithosphere and the asthenosphere is call the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, or LAB. The oceanic lithosphere is created at spreading ridges and cools and thickens with age. Seismologists define the LAB by the presence of a low shear wave velocity zone beneath a high velocity lid. Surface waves from earthquakes occurring in young oceanic lithosphere should sample lithospheric structure when being recorded in the vicinity of a mid-ocean ridge. Here, we study group velocity and dispersion of Rayleigh waves caused by earthquakes occurring at transform faults in the Central Atlantic Ocean. Earthquakes were recorded either by a network of wide-band (up to 60s) ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) deployed at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near 15 N or at the Global Seismic Network (GSN) Station ASCN on Ascension Island. Surface waves sampling young Atlantic lithosphere indicate systematic age-dependent changes of group velocities and dispersion of Rayleigh waves. With increasing plate age maximum group velocity increases (as a function of period), indicating cooling and thickening of the lithosphere. Shear wave velocity is derived inverting the observed dispersion of Rayleigh waves. Further, models derived from the OBS records were refined using waveform modelling of vertical component broadband data at periods of 15 to 40 seconds, constraining the velocity structure of the uppermost 100 km and hence in the depth interval of the mantle where lithospheric cooling is most evident. Waveform modelling supports that the thickness of lithosphere increases with age and that velocities in the lithosphere increase, too.

An important tool for understanding deformation occurring within a subduction zone is the measurement of seismic anisotropy through observations of shear wave splitting (SWS). In Sumatra, two temporary seismic networks were deployed between December 2007 and February 2009, covering the fore arc between the fore-arc islands to the back arc. We use SKS and local SWS measurements to determine the type, amount, and location of anisotropy. Local SWS measurements from the fore-arc islands exhibit trench-parallel fast directions which can be attributed to shape preferred orientation of cracks/fractures in the overriding sediments. In the Sumatran Fault region, the predominant fast direction is fault/ trench parallel, while in the back-arc region it is trench perpendicular. The trench-perpendicular measurements exhibit a positive correlation between delay time and raypath length in the mantle wedge, while the fault-parallel measurements are similar to the fault-parallel fast directions observed for two crustal events at the Sumatran Fault. This suggests that there are two layers of anisotropy: one due to entrained flow within the mantle wedge and a second layer within the overriding crust due to the shear strain caused by the Sumatran Fault. SKS splitting results show a NNW-SSE fast direction with delay times of 0.8–3.0 s. The fast directions are approximately parallel to the absolute plate motion of the subducting Indo-Australian Plate. The small delay times exhibited by the local SWS (0.05–0.45 s), in combination with the large SKS delay times, suggest that the anisotropy generating the teleseismic SWS is dominated by entrained flow in the asthenosphere below the slab.

The objectives were (1) to recover acoustic ranging data logged by the Geomar and LGO acoustic transponder networks since the previous data recovery cruise (on R/V Yunus, May 4 and 5, 2017) (2) to recover as many of the 4 LGO "Fetch" acoustic transceivers as possible (4) to deploy at the seafloor the BPR mooring frame prepared by DT-INSU for bottom pressure and current recording. All the equipment shipped by GEOMAR (from Kiel), LGO and DT-INSU (both from Brest) were on board as well as 4 wooden boxes prepared for the return shipment of the LGO geodetic beacons. The Geomar beacons remained silent, but data could be downloaded from 3 or the 4 LGO beacon, thus providing measurements of all baselines of the French network; 2 of the 4 LGO acoustic beacons (Figure 1) were recovered. The BPR was successfully delivered to the seafloor. The complete set of data available from both geodetic networks, including the data back to the installation with RV Pourquoi Pas? end of 2014, was exchanged in-between the science party.

The objective of the cruise was to download data from the sea-bottom distancemeter stations in the Kumburgaz Basin, Marmara Sea. The stations were installed by the Marine Geosciences Laboratory in Brest and Geomar Institute in Khiel during RV Pourquoi Pas ? Marsite cruise late October 2014. The first data set was downloaded during the 3rd leg of the Marsite cruise, after only 15 days of operations. A 2nd cruise was organized in April 2015 by GEOMAR using RV Poseidon (POS484) to collect the data after 6 months of operation. A 3rd download was performed in April 2016 using again RV Poseidon (POS497). This cruise was the 4th data collection and was organized by the Technical University of Istanbul (ITU) using RV Yunus. The stations have been ranging on the sea-bottom for 2 years and 4 months. The RV Yunus was on site the 4th of May 2017 from 13h15 to 20h30 (local time). After a night in Mimar Sinan, the ship was back on site the 5th of May from 8h00 à 13h30 (local time) and returned back to Istanbul late afternoon. In total, 12h45 of effective work were spent on site (about 30 nautical miles from Istanbul). The conditions were optimal with a beautiful weather and a calm sea.