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| Titel |
Coastal and submarine instabilities distribution in the tectonically active SW margin of the Corinth Rift (Psathopyrgos, Achaia, Greece) |
| VerfasserIn |
Eirini Simou, Dimitrios Papanikolaou, Vasilios Lykousis, Paraskevi Nomikou, Emmanuel Vassilakis |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2014
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 16 (2014) |
| Datensatznummer |
250094373
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 EGU/EGU2014-9780.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| The Corinth Rift, one of the most active rifts in the world as local extension trending NE-SW
reaches the amount of 14±2 mm/yr, corresponds to one of the largest zones of seismically
active normal faulting. The formation, growth and migration southwards of the prevailing
fault systems, which evolve simultaneously with the intense morphogenetic processes,
are overprinted in the age, facies and thickness of the Plio-Pleistocene sequences
constructing the south margin of the western Gulf of Corinth. The dominant fault
blocks, defined by east-west trending, north dipping normal faults, are accompanied
by several morphological features and anomalies, noticed in both the terrestrial
and the marine environment. Our main aim has been to examine how the tectonic
evolution, in combination with the attendant fierce erosional and sedimentary processes,
has affected the morphology through geodynamic processes expressed as failures
in the wider coastal area. High resolution multibeam bathymetry in combination
with the available land surface data have contributed to submarine and subaerial
morphological mapping. These have been used as a basis for the detection of all
those geomorphic features that indicate instabilities probably triggered, directly or
indirectly, by the ongoing active tectonic deformation. The interpretation of the
combined datasets shows that the southwestern margin of the Corinth Rift towards
Psathopyrgos fault zone is characterized by intense coastal relief and a narrow, almost
absent, continental shelf, which passes abruptly to steep submarine slopes. These
steep slope values denote the effects of the most recent brittle deformation and are
related to coastal and submarine instabilities and failures. High uplift rates and rapid
sedimentation, indicative of the regional high-energy terrestrial and submarine
environment, are subsequently balanced by the transportation of the seafloor currents,
especially where slope gradients decrease, disintegrating the probable slide deposits.
Conversely, the nearby active -but older- tectonic structure of the Heliki fault, is related
to less steep slopes. Canyons are extensive and sediment mass failures appear as
retrogressive landslide scars identified near the headwalls. The mass movements
evolving near the coastal and shallow marine areas may have a high tsunamigenic
potential, which depends on the volumes of the mobilized materials. As a special
interest has been arisen nowadays concerning risk assessment and management,
the results of our study can be further evaluated from a geohazard perspective. |
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