1. Fault reactivation linked to rapid ice-mass removal from the Southern Patagonian Icefield (48–52°S).
- Author
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Ammirati, Jean-Baptiste, Azúa, Kellen, Pastén-Araya, Francisco, Richter, Andreas, Wiens, Douglas A., Flores, María Constanza, Ruiz, Sergio, Guzmán-Marín, Pedro, Lanza, Federica, and Sielfeld, Gerd
- Subjects
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EARTHQUAKE zones , *SEISMIC networks , *DATA recorders & recording , *SUBDUCTION zones , *EARTHQUAKES , *SEISMOMETERS , *VISCOSITY - Abstract
The Southern Patagonian Icefield (SPI) lies above an area of slow convergence between Antarctic and South-America plates, where limited seismicity is recorded by global and regional seismic networks. To understand the seismic behavior of this zone, we analyze two years of continuous broad-band data recorded by 27 seismometers, deployed around the SPI. Substantial ice loss coupled with the unusually low viscosity of the underlying mantle is causing a rapid uplift. Our findings indicate that most of the seismicity occurs in the upper crust , likely associated with the (re)activation of regional compressive structures. However, earthquakes immediately beneath the SPI generally are shallower and show normal or strike-slip faulting. We suggest that this activity is promoted as a response to the crustal relaxation after rapid ice removal of SPI. The almost complete absence of interplate and intraslab events is consistent with a locked megathrust fault interface, highlighting the similarity of this region with the Cascadia subduction zone. • Shallow seismicity is observed in the majority in the area of southern Patagonia Icefield. • The inferred stress suggests the solid earth response to mass loss from the icefield as the major cause. • The almost complete absence of interplate earthquakes suggests that the megathrust may be locked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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