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• Mineralogy and geophysics used to describe depositional sequences of Guadiana Basin. • Illite, smectite + palygorskite and kaolinite enrichment image 3 depositional sequences. • Depositional sequences exhibit distinct electric resistivity imaging. • Data integration unravels Guadiana Basin formation and the role of Alpine tectonics. In the Iberian Peninsula, Alpine tectonics built several Cenozoic basins that were mainly filled with continental deposits. The Guadiana Basin is located halfway between two of the most important Cenozoic basins of the SW of Spain, the Tajo and the Guadalquivir basins. In this paper, both geophysical and mineralogical studies have been carried out in order to establish the lithostratigraphy of the Guadiana basin. A combination of electric resistivity properties and variations in clay mineral assemblage content of the basin infill was used to identify several depositional sequences within the Cenozoic deposits of the basin. Three depositional sequences, DS1, DS2 and DS3 characterized by differentiated clay content and mineral assemblages were distinguished. The lower depositional sequence, DS1, consists of reddish siltstones and clays that scarcely crop out in the basin. Clay content of the <2 μm fraction is dominated by illite averaging 60% of the total clay content, with kaolinite and a few amount of smectite. DS2 deposits lie unconformably over DS1 and the Variscan basement and consist of a siliciclastic succession where carbonate units occur at bottom and at the top of the depositional sequence. Smectite dominates throughout the entire succession except in the basal carbonate unit where up to 70% of palygorskite is found. In the younger sequence DS3, kaolinite is the dominant clay mineral. Electrical resistivity imaging helped in the physical characterization and horizontal and vertical distribution of each unit and provided good insight on the structure of the Guadiana Basin, allowing to infer the basin structure due to high resistivity contrast between the basement and the sedimentary rocks. In addition, in areas where the lower sedimentary units do not crop out, and borehole information is not available, the geophysical response of the resistivity units imaged can be used to infer the corresponding depositional sequence. The joint interpretation of the clay mineral assemblages and geophysical properties of the sedimentary units showed to be a useful tool to gather a reliable identification of depositional sequences in basins characterized by scarcity of good outcrops, lack of borehole information and similarity of sedimentary rocks. This is very important to properly correlate the different sedimentary units mapped as well as to infer the basin structure and its evolution through time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Complex landslides in clay-bearing sediments are investigated in two moderate-relief regions of Southeast Spain. Both regions, more than 100km apart show landslides affecting the same Flysch formation, which outcrops widely in the central and western Betic Cordillera along the contact between the External (South Iberian Domain) and Internal (Alborán Domain) zones. Intense rainfall episodes can be considered as the main triggering factor for slope failures in these two areas. We have chosen two landslides (Diezma and Riogordo landslides), one from each area of study, to investigate their morphological and geotechnical features in order to establish the relative importance of the different controlling factors. From a kinematic point of view, the two features studied in detail can be referred as to rotational failures, evolving downhill to slow earthflows. The movement was concentrated on several surfaces developed on a clay-rich layer mostly constituted by smectite. This clay mineral is of critical relevance to the mechanical behaviour of soils and Flysch-like formations, being very consistent at dry conditions, but rapidly losing its strength at wet conditions. Thus, softened smectite-rich clay layers with high water contents can approach the properties of a lubricant, which, in turn, can be critical for slope stability. In addition to their high plasticity, these clays have a high swelling potential, which can induce significant vertical overpressure, thus reducing even more the strength properties of the Flysch formation. In Southeast Spain, a region with a Mediterranean rainfall regime, slope stability can be seriously influenced by the presence of these smectite-rich clay layers in a formation of regional extent, as is the case of the Flysch formation. Therefore, this lithologically-controlled factor should be taken into account when evaluating landslide hazard in the Betic Cordillera. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this work we present a review of the current state of knowledge of the active faults in El Salvador and its seismo-tectonic implications. An updated map of active fault traces is combined with the spatial analysis of shallow seismicity, focal mechanisms, recent geodetic GPS velocities, local strain estimations and morpho-tectonic features to provide a synoptic view of the active tectonics of the El Salvador. The major faults selected as potential seismic sources bound tectonic blocks or regions that include GPS sites with consistent relative velocity vectors. We propose several active tectonic domains along El Salvador controlled by three current deformation regimes: a crustal block in the forearc sliver dominated by rigid westward translation with the faster and more homogeneous GPS velocities; three zones dominated by E-W distributed extensional coaxial deformation; and two bands with a deformation compatible with transtensional regime. In the Western sector of the ESFZ, GPS velocities and local structure suggest that E-W extension concentrates along the NNW-SSE oriented Santa Ana volcanic axis and it could connect to the north with the extensional region of the Ipala Graben. This is consistent with to the eastward shift of the North America-Cocos-Caribbean triple junction and "the closing of the zipper" proposed in recent models that progressively slows down the strike-slip movement along the northern limit of the forearc sliver. In the central sector large GPS velocity gradient parallel to the volcanic arc may be associated to complex and discontinuous structure of the ESFZ driving slowdown of the westward movement of local tectonic blocks. The southeaster sector of the ESFZ is an incipient large pull-apart structure affecting a pre-existing extensional N-S oriented fabric that induces two tectonic subdomains, the eastern one undergo E-W coaxial extension and the western one characterized by transtensional strain regime. We propose a new structural segmentation of the ESFZ considering that this fault zone includes all those structures that accommodate the relative velocity between the forearc sliver and the Chortís block. The 38 active faults with surface traces that are mapped for more than 5 km long proposed in this work, with maximum potential magnitude Mw ranging from 5.98 to 7.94, will contribute to improve regional and local seismic sources databases and seismic hazard assessment. • Review of the current state of knowledge of the active faults in El Salvador. • Updated active faults map consistent with GPS velocities distribution. • Three current deformation regimes along the El Salvador fault zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]