Marine Terraces

There is an increasing awareness that dust plays important roles in climate change, biogeochemical cycles, nutrient supply to ecosystems, and soil formation. In Channel Islands National Park, California, soils are clay-rich Vertisols or Alfi sols and Mollisols with vertic properties. The soils are overlain by silt-rich mantles that contrast sharply with the underlying clay-rich horizons. Silt mantles contain minerals that are rare or absent in the volcanic rocks that dominate these islands. Immobile trace elements (Sc-Th-La and Ta-Nd-Cr) and rare-earth elements show that the basalt and andesite on the islands have a composition intermediate between upper-continental crust and oceanic crust. In contrast, the silt fractions and, to a lesser extent, clay fractions of the silt mantle have compositions closer to average upper-continental crust and very similar to Mojave Desert dust. Island shelves, exposed during the last glacial period, could have provided a source of eolian sediment for the silt mantles, but this is not supported by mineralogical data. We hypothesize that a more likely source for the silt-rich mantles is airborne dust from mainland California and Baja California, either from the Mojave Desert or from the continental shelf during glacial low stands of sea. Although average winds are from the northwest in coastal California, easterly winds occur numerous times of the year when "Santa Ana" conditions prevail, caused by a high-pressure cell centered over the Great Basin. The eolian silt mantles constitute an important medium of plant growth and provide evidence that abundant eolian silt and clay may be delivered to the eastern Pacifi c Ocean from inland desert sources.

Detailed mapping and dating of raised Late Holocene shorelines in southern Calabria, central Mediterranean region, reveals that the superposed shoreline record of uplift has both steady and abrupt components. Analysis reveals quantitative constraints may be applied to displacement partitioning between regional and fault‐related sources in a context dominated by forearc uplift and extension above a retreating slab. Rapid displacements of arguable coseismic origin occurred at ∼1.9 and ∼3.5 ka and possibly at ∼5 ka and show a consistent site value, pattern of along‐strike variation, and recurrence time (∼1.6 ka). The source of the rather large (∼1.5–2.0 m) slip per event based on the raised shoreline is not directly known and tentatively coincides with the Scilla extensional fault, which is inferred to run largely offshore. Although large uncertainties exist on the trace location, length, and seismogenic potential of the fault, our findings suggest that a substantial fraction of Holoce...

Aceptado en versión final: 8 de junio de 2006 Resumen. El área de La Macolla se localiza al SW del faro homónimo en la costa NW de Paraguaná, Estado Falcón, Venezuela. El objetivo del trabajo es abordar una posible explicación de evolución geomorfológica, a partir de los indicadores disponibles en el campo, tales como terraza marina, manglar y barrera o cordón litoral, además de caracterizar los ambientes sedimentológicos distintivos. Se trata de una antigua bahía bordeada por un escarpe de terraza constituido por calizas fosilíferas con un promedio de altura de 80 cm. Este escarpe domina un área de 9.6 ha de planicie lodosa o "mud flat" y una barrera litoral de 3.5 ha. La fracción limosa predominante en los sedimentos de la planicie lodosa y del área de manglar se interpretan como evidencias de condiciones más húmedas que las actuales, que permitieron la meteorización de las calizas circundantes, una escorrentía superficial y el consiguiente transporte hasta las partes más bajas, donde la vegetación halófita se instaló. La evolución de la bahía a llanura cenagosa se atribuye a fluctuaciones del nivel marino y al cierre de cordones litorales por transporte sedimentario.

The central area of the Apulia region is characterized by a network of valleys with peculiar features, locally called 'gravine' or 'lame'. They are short, straight valleys, deeply incised in Plio-Pleistocene calcareous sandstones and in Mesozoic limestones. These characteristic valleys cut a staircase of marine terraces. A series of valley generations is recognisable, each one of them leading to the internal margin of a marine terrace representing its base level. Morphological features and hydrogeological conditions suggest that sapping processes were responsible for the development of the valley network. As the aquifer rests on seawater intruding from the nearby coastal area, sapping processes were enhanced during interglacial high sea-level stands so that each ancient coastline is marked by its own generation of valleys. However, the longest and deepest valleys formed at the Ionian side during OIS 7. This is due mostly to a fast sea-level rise accompanied by very humid climatic conditions that increased the hydraulic head at the springs and the intensity of sapping processes. Sapping valleys could be useful for regional correlation of marine terraces and as indicators of relict coastlines at present placed below sea level.

Excavations for modern, urban construction in the greater Lefkosia (Nicosia) area of Cyprus expose three to ten meter thick Holocene alluvium of the Pedhieos River. The Pedhieos River originates in the Trodoos Mountains, flows north to the Mesaoria Valley, then eastward to the Mediterranean. Alluvial stratigraphy presents serial flood deposits underlying river terraces and an extensive alluvial fan. Individual flood deposits include fining-upward sequences of gravel, sand, and silt. Thick, silty, fine-sand, over-bank sequences are overprinted by textural soil profiles and incipient caliche representing periods of sub-aerial, non-deposition. Artifacts from a long history of human occupation occur with 14 C dates from charcoal and other organic remains that indicate the Holocene alluvial sequence has been accumulating for at least 8,000 years. The stratigraphy and geomorphology of the alluvium can be interpreted to distinguish not only the effects of climate change, but also land-use change, and the impact of particular engineering works. Following thousands of years of floods on the aggraded Pedhieos River flood plain, the Venetians rebuilt the city of Lefkosia (Nicosia) in the mid-sixteenth century. The Pedhieos River was redirected into a shorter, steeper channel, initiating vigorous arroyo cutting and downstream aggradation of lithically distinctive alluvium. The redistributed alluvium caused local channel migration and eventual disuse of a Roman-style bridge. In response to the upstream arroyo cutting, a new Gothic-style bridge was constructed by the Venetians; it remained in service until late in the twentieth century. This fluvial signature of a unique event is an analog for the effect of surface cutting faults that are part of the seismic risk for the Lefkosia (Nicosia) area.

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A geological and a geophysical survey have been carried out at Ponza Island, Tyrrhenian sea, Italy. Geological and structural data allowed to identify three main tectonic systems: NW-SE, NE-SW and E-W trending. The first one is related to a pre-volcanic tectonic event, probably linked to the Pliocene extensional activity of the Tyrrhenian evolution; the other two systems affected the volcanic units in two different stages of the Lower Pleistocene, the earlier one after the rhyolitic hyaloclastic formation (HP) emplacement and the later one after the emplacement of older trachytic pyroclastic deposits (Lower Pyroclastic Units-LPU). The latter event was followed by the emersion of the whole Ponza area, as testified by a marked erosional surface and marine terrace deposits cropping out at the top of LPU. The Upper Pyroclastic Units (UPU) represent the younger trachytic activity of the island (1.3 Myr) and do not show evidence of tectonic activity. The NW-SE-trending tectonic system probably assisted the rhyolitic magma rise, while the NE-SW-and E-W-trending systems mainly assisted the trachytic magma rise, responsible for the explosive and effusive activity in the southern area and for the hydrothermal fluids that caused alteration processes in the northern area. A 161~station gravimetric survey was carried out on the island and surrounding islets. The geological data and the gravimetric survey have been used to propose a 2.5 D model in which rhyolitic hyaloclastic deposits (p = 1.7 g cme3) overlay an articulated Meso-Cenozoic sedimentary substratum (p = 2.6 g cm-3) laying at a depth to 300 m below sea level. Both formations are crossed by rhyolitic dykes (p = 2.4 g cmv3) which mark feeder fractures. In the M. Guardia area, where a maximum is present, this model accounts for the presence of a horst of the rigid basement, a shallow trachytic lava flow and its feeder (p = 2.8 g cme3). 0 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.

Three travertinic levels have been identified in the Beni Younech village, near the Quaternary marine terraces of Ras Leona Point, in the south-eastern coast of the Gibraltar Strait. These travertines developed probably over marine terraces as soon as the latter underwent successively subaerial exposure. Samples from the travertine fronts yielded absolute U / Th ages ranging between 225 and 97 ky BP. These data allow inferring the travertines as formed in a regressive context starting probably at 700 ka BP. The travertinic formation had an important episode at 110-120 ka BP, then characterized by a triple cascade before finishing at about 97-98 k

High-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) measurements of surface displacements during earthquakes can provide constraints on fault geometry and near-surface slip, and also quantify on-and off-fault deformation. However, measurements of surface displacements are often hampered by a lack of high-resolution pre-earthquake elevation data, such as lidar. For example, pre-earthquake lidar for the 2016 MW 7.8 Kaikōura, New Zealand earthquake only covers ≲10% of ~180 km of mapped surface ruptures. To overcome a lack of pre-earthquake lidar, we measure 3D co-seismic displacements during the Kaikōura earthquake using point clouds generated from aerial photographs. From these point clouds, which cover the whole area of the 2016 surface ruptures, it is possible to measure 3D displacements to within ±0.2 m. We measure co-seismic slip and estimate the geometries of faults in the steep, inaccessible Seaward Kaikōura mountains, where post-earthquake field observations are very sparse. The Jordan Fault (previously the Jordan Thrust) ruptured in 2016 as a moderate-to-steeply dipping (~50-80°), predominantly strike-slip fault. Slip on this fault in 2016-which included a normal-sense component in some areas-contrasts with field observations that indicate significant longer-term shortening across the Jordan Fault during the Holocene. It is therefore likely that different earthquakes on the Jordan Fault have very different slip vectors, and that the fault does not exhibit "characteristic" slip behaviour. For faults like the Jordan Fault, long-term time-averaged estimates of slip rate may not be reliable indicators of the sense and magnitude of slip in individual earthquakes.

Cephalonia, located in the middle of the central Ionian Islands, has been affected by destructive earthquakes during both the instrumental and the historical period. Despite the fact that it is widely studied from several scientific viewpoints, limited research has been conducted so far regarding the earthquake-triggered landslides (ETL) and the related susceptibility. In the context of the present study, an inventory with 67 ETL from 11 earthquakes that occurred from 1636 to 2014 is presented. Given this record, the study further examines the ETL susceptibility exploiting 10 landslide causal factors in the frame of a GIS-based Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Four factors (i.e., slope, PGA, tectonic structures and lithology) were associated in a higher degree to the locations where ETL occurred on the island. Based on the comparison of the ETL inventory and the landslide susceptibility index (LSI) map, the distribution of ETL in Cephalonia is not random, as their majority (82%) we...

Subduction systems globally terminate, allowing plate-motion to be transferred from the oceanic megathrust onto continental and/or oceanic transform faults. The mechanism of this kinematic transition over earthquake timescales is, however, poorly understood due to a lack of relevant data. Here, we study the 2016 M w 7.8 Kaikōura Earthquake in New Zealand, the first large instrumentally-recorded earthquake across a subduction-termination, to investigate this transfer mechanism in detail. We find that the Kaikōura Earthquake, unlike standard subduction earthquakes globally, involved a predominance (∼80%) of coseismic-slip on upper-plate faults and minor triggered-slip on the underlying oceanic subduction-thrust. In the months following the earthquake, the subduction-thrust accommodated most of the earthquake's afterslip down-dip of its co-seismic rupture zone. This top-down strain-release mechanism is in accord with local geological, geodetic and historical seismicity data which suggest that the bulk of plate-convergence (>75%) is accommodated in the upper-plate. We suggest, therefore, that this alternative strain-release mechanism, which is distinct from standard plate-boundary earthquakes, is characteristic of subduction-terminations and results in the majority of seismic/tsunami hazard being on steep near-surface faults.

The M7.8 Kaikoura Earthquake that struck the northeastern South Island, New Zealand, on November 14, 2016 (local time), is one of the largest ever instrumentally recorded earthquakes in New Zealand. It occurred at the southern termination of the Hikurangi subduction margin, where the subducting Pacific Plate transitions into the dextral Alpine transform fault. The earthquake produced significant distributed uplift along the northeastern part of the South Island, reaching a peak amplitude of ∼8 m, which was accompanied by large (≥10 m) horizontal coseismic displacements at the ground surface along discrete active faults. The seismic waveforms' expression of the main shock indicate a complex rupture process. Early automated centroid moment tensor solutions indicated a strong non-double-couple term, which supports a complex rupture involving multiple faults. The hypocentral distribution of aftershocks, which appears diffuse over a broad region, clusters spatially along lineaments with different orientations. A key question of global interest is to shed light on the mechanism with which such a complex rupture occurred, and whether the underlying plate-interface was involved in the rupture. The consequences for seismic hazard of such a distributed, shallow faulting is important to be assessed. We perform a broad seismological analysis, combining regional and teleseismic seismograms, GPS and InSAR, to determine the rupture process of the main shock and moment tensors of 118 aftershocks down to Mw 4.2. The joint interpretation of the main rupture and aftershock sequence allow reconstruction of the geometry, and suggests sequential activation and slip distribution on at least three major active fault domains. We find that the rupture nucleated as a weak strike-slip event along the Humps Fault, which progressively propagated northward onto a shallow reverse fault, where most of the seismic moment was released, before it triggered slip on a second set of strike-slip faults at the northern end of the rupture. The northern and southern strike-slip fault domains have the same orientation but are spatially separated by >15 km. In our model, the low angle splay thrust fault is located above the slab and connects the strike-slip faults kinematically. During the aftershock phase, the entire fault system remained active.

The purpose is geologically to resolve the occurrence timing and the accumulation process of the crustal movement associated with the Kanto Earthquake repeated at the plate boundary along the Sagami Trough. Study site is the coastal lower land along Bishamon Bay which an estuary is formed in south Miura Peninsula. An evidence of four times of Kanto earthquake during approximately 1000 years was identified, and the crustal movement cycle caused by these earthquakes was estimated. (Figure 1). In the low land, the Holocene flights of marine terrace with the low cliff of 1-2m in height were authorized (National Geography Survey, 1981) . In this study, moreover, the lowest terrace was classified in five terraces from the interpretation of the aerial photographs. We named these lower terraces L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 in the old order. The low land is raised for development now. From boring survey, the sediment mixed for abundant shell fragments and gravels in motley was founded below +2m abo...

Oriental es el único sistema montañoso del sector Este de La Española, habiendo adquirido su actual fisonomía a lo largo del Cuaternario. Durante el Plioceno, la región constituyó un archipiélago de pequeñas islas que emergerían de una plataforma arrecifal cuyos restos constituyen la Llanura Costera del Caribe y Los Haitises. La elevación de la cordillera ha sido debida a la acción neotectónica, principalmente en relación con la falla Meridional de Samaná, el conjunto de fallas del borde sur y la falla del Yabón. Los agentes externos también han actuado con intensidad en el modelado regional, predominando los procesos de erosión fluvial y argilización en la cordillera, así como de karstificación en Los Haitises. La superficie de Miches destaca entre los numerosos restos de superficies de erosión, correlacionándose con la superficie superior de Los Haitises.

Combined with eustatic sea-level changes, uplifted Quaternary marine terraces provide insight into the tectonics of coastal areas. Cephalonia Island lies 35 km off the western coast of mainland Greece and 15 km northeast of the Hellenic subduction zone. Late Pleistocene eustatic sea-level oscillations and the long-term tectonic movements are imprinted on the landscape of the southern part of the island, in the form of seven uplifted marine terraces. In the present study we aim to identify and map in detail these terraces, applying Digital Elevation Model analysis, utilizing Geographic Information Systems techniques and extensive fieldwork. The GIS-based analysis combined with field geomorphological observations revealed a sequence of seven marine terraces at the southern part of the main island ranging in elevation between 4 m and 176 m asl. Microscope, petrological and microgeomorphological analyses on two caprock samples suggest strong marine influence during the deposition of the...

This study addresses the coastal terrace staircases of western central Portugal (Cape Mondego to Cape Espichel). Below the culminant marine unit that records the last episode of aggradation before the ongoing stage of incision, several terrace levels are Publicações da Associação Portuguesa de Geomorfólogos, Volume IX 40 identified. The following methodology was used: a) production of geomorphological maps, combining analysis of detailed MDT’s and aerial photos, with field surveys calibrated with GPS; b) stratigraphic and sedimentological study of the sedimentary deposits associated with the marine platforms; c) luminescence dating. On each terrace staircase, the number of platforms and their elevations are different, indicating differential uplift. Quartz OSL provided age estimates up ca. 150 kyr and post-IR IRSL on K-feldspar up to ca. 700 kyr for the marine terraces under study. Using the culminant platform as reference and assuming that it is ca. 3.6 Ma old, uplift rates were es...

During his journey on the Beagle, Darwin observed the uniformity in the elevation of coastal Eastern Patagonia along more than 2000 km. More than one century later, the sequences of Quaternary shorelines of eastern Patagonia have been described and their deposits dated but not yet interpreted in terms of geodynamics. Consequently, we i) mapped the repartition of the Quaternary coastal sequences in Argentinean Patagonia, ii) secured accurate altitudes of shoreline angles associated with erosional morphologies (i.e. marine terraces and notches), iii) took into account previous chrono-stratigraphical interpretations in order to calculate mean uplift rates since~440 ka (MIS 11) and proposed age ranges for the higher and older features (up to~180 m), and iv) focused on the Last Interglacial Maximum terrace (MIS 5e) as the best constrained marine terrace (in terms of age and altitude) in order to use it as a tectonic benchmark to quantify uplift rates along the entire passive margin of Eastern South America. Our results show that the eastern Patagonia uplift is constant through time and twice the uplift of the rest of the South American margin. We suggest that the enhanced uplift along the eastern Patagonian coast that interested Darwin during his journey around South America on the Beagle could originate from the subduction of the Chile ridge and the associated dynamic uplift.

Streams in Cyprus embody different climates from their surroundings due to their slopes on different directions, height differences between the streambed and slopes, air stream within a valley, temperature differences caused by sunshine durations depending on sunrise and sunset locations. Distinction in the geomorphological pattern of valleys and associated climate allowed the formation of various plant communities. While the microclimates formed within valleys assure the survival of some different plant species apart from the general vegetation cover, they also cause different physiological development of some plants. Generally, valleys in Cyprus have positive impacts on vegetation. Primarily due to their characteristics to form lower areas, they have mainly a positive impact through their holding humid weather and allow humid winds towards the interior. Valleys also have a major role in the protection of former natural vegetation of Cyprus. Nowadays, with the impact of global warm...

Mitochondria and plastids are generally uniparentally inherited and have a conserved gene content over hundreds of millions of years, which makes them potentially useful phylogenetic markers. Organelle single gene-based trees have long been the basis for elucidating inter-species relationships that inform taxonomy. More recently, high-throughput genome sequencing has enabled the construction of massive organelle genome databases from diverse eukaryotes, and these have been used to infer species relationships in deep evolutionary time. Here we test the idea that despite their expected utility, conflicting phylogenetic signal may exist in mitochondrial and plastid genomes from the anciently diverged coralline red algae (Rhodophyta). We generated complete organelle genome data from five coralline red algae (Lithothamnion sp., Neogoniolithon spectabile, Renouxia sp., Rhodogorgon sp., and Synarthrophyton chejuensis) for comparative analysis with existing organelle genome data from two ot...

Tectonic deformation produced by the fault rupture of the great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of 26 December 2004 shows zones of uplift and subsidence separated by neutral line (locale of zero vertical displacement) in the Andaman Islands. The ground deformation pattern estimated during May 2005 has been re-constrained on the basis of additional data collected in January 2006. A maximum uplift of 1.5 m to the west of the neutral line is recorded at the west coast of North Andaman near Temple Sound while the westernmost landmass of Middle Andaman exhibits uplift of 1.42 m and 1.3 m at Interview Island and South Reef Island respectively. Areas of subsidence east of the neutral line register 0.70 m and 1.20 m in Chidiatapu and Chatham areas of South Andaman respectively. In either side of the neutral line, signatures of post-seismic adjustment are witnessed at places. As a consequence of post-seismic incremental diurnal rise of tidal water in an otherwise domain of emergence, residual uplift of 0.50 m is estimated in Kalighat Jetty (North Andaman) in comparison to +0.95 m estimated in May 2005. Likewise, diurnal fall in tide level is observed in the submergence domain at Chidiatapu as a likely fallout of post-seismic relaxation. Inferred maximum slip at the trench in North Andaman (~5.3 m) is comparable with that in South Andaman (~4.2 m), both being much less in comparison to 10-15m estimated slip in Sumatra generating catastrophic tsunami waves. Two simple slip dislocation cartoons illustrate 160 km of locked interface of the rupture in North Andaman while in South Andaman it is 100 km from the trench boundary. Geometry of Benioff zone in South Andaman demonstrates marginally higher dip with wider accretionary prism than that in North Andaman.

The 1994 Mw 7.1 Mindoro Earthquake and the 2017 Mw 5.9 Batangas Earthquake Sequence both occurred in offshore southern Batangas and devastated southern Luzon and Mindoro. These earthquakes exhibited NW-striking right-lateral slip in an area presumably defined by a WNW-striking left-lateral fault, therefore implying the existence of previously unmapped offshore faults. High resolution multibeam bathymetry grid and subbottom profiles revealed a conjugate strike-slip fault system under an approximately EW-directed extension. NW-striking right-lateral faults (F1 Faults: Central Mindoro Fault, Aglubang River Fault, and Batangas Bay Fault System) bound the western part of the study area. On the other hand, a series of almost parallel NE-trending left-lateral and normal faults (F2 Faults: Macolod Corridor, North Verde Fault System, Central Verde Fault System, South Verde Fault, and Northeast Mindoro Fault System) approach the F1 faults from the northeast. The distribution of the 1994 and 2...

En esta excursión de perfil de playa, pudimos verificar como iban cambiando las muestras de arena de finas a un poco más de grosor. Empezamos las mediciones en playa norte a distancia de 50 metros de la orilla del mar, utilizando herramientas como teodolito y estadal. En puerto real logramos analizar el sedimento que se encontraba en la orilla del mar ya que es una zona donde el agua de franja continental y laguna de términos convergen por lo tanto existe una cantidad de depósitos sedimentarios. De ahí pasamos a zona costera cerca de isla aguada en las observaciones notamos que la playa se presenta en corma de planicie, ósea no existe mucha variación de altura, presenta la forma como si fuera una rampa de arena y por último llegamos al campamento Tortuguero realizamos el perfil de playa, se tomaron algunas muestras, fotografías y realizamos un recorrido por la zona.

Field mapping and lidar analysis of surface faulting patterns expressed in flights of geologically similar fluvial terraces at the wellknown Branch River and Saxton River sites along the Wairau (Alpine) and Awatere strike-slip faults, South Island, New Zealand, reveal that fault-related deformation patterns expressed in the topography at these sites are markedly less structurally complex along the higherdisplacement (hundreds of kilometers), structurally mature Wairau fault than along the Awatere fault (~13-20 km total slip). These differences, which are generally representative of the surface traces of these faults, provide direct evidence that surface faulting becomes structurally simpler with increasing cumulative fault offset. We also examine the degree to which off-fault deformation (OFD) is expressed in the landscape at the Saxton River site along the less structurally mature Awatere fault. Significantly greater amounts of OFD is discernible as a wide damage zone (~460 m faultperpendicular width) in older (ca. 15 ka), more-displaced (64-74 m) fluvial terraces than in younger (ca. 1-7 ka), less-displaced (<55 m) terraces; no OFD is discernible in the lidar data on the least-displaced (<35 m) terraces. From this, we infer that OFD becomes progressively more geomorphically apparent with accumulating displacement. These observations imply that (1) the processes that accommodate OFD are active during each earthquake, but may not be evident in deposits that have experienced relatively small displacements; (2) structures accommodating OFD will become progressively geomorphically clearer with increasing displacement; (3) geomorphic measurements of overall fault zone width taken in deposits that have experienced small displacements will be underestimates; and (4) fault slip rates based on geomorphic surface offsets will be underestimates for immature faults if based solely on measurements along the high-strain fault core.

We conducted systematic mapping of Holocene marine terraces in eastern Mindanao Island, Philippines for the first time. Raised marine platforms along the 80-km-long coastline of eastern Davao Oriental Province are geomorphic evidence of tectonic deformation resulting from the westward subduction of the Philippine Sea plate along the Philippine trench. Holocene coral platforms consist of up to four terrace steps: T1: 1-5 m, T2: 3-6 m, T3: 6-10 m, and T4: 8-12 m amsl, from the lowest to highest, respectively. Terraces are subhorizontal, exposing cemented coral shingle and eroded coral heads, while terrace risers are 1-3 m high. Radiocarbon ages, 8080-4140 cal yr BP, reveal that erosional surfaces were carved onto the Holocene transgressive reef complex which grew upward until 8000 years ago. The maximum uplift rate is 1.5 mm/yr based on the highest Holocene terrace at <11.4 m amsl. The staircase topography and meter-scale terrace risers infer that at least four large earthquakes have uplifted the coast in the past 8000 years. The deformation pattern of the terraces further suggests that seismic sources are probably located offshore. However, historical earthquakes as large as M W 7.5 along the Philippine trench were not large enough to produce meter-scale coastal uplift, suggesting that much larger earthquakes occurred in the past. A long-term tectonic uplift rate of 1.3 mm/yr was also estimated based on Late Pleistocene terraces.

Plio-Quatemary faulted marine terraces are distinctively recognizable at four levels along Ihe 110 km-Iong coast around the Altos de Talinay, north-central Chile.The authors named them the Talinay 1, 11, 111 and IV terraces in descending order. The Talinay I terrace reaches 675 m in altitude with a 6-8 km wide terrace surface which probably emerged in Ihe Pliocene-ear1y Pleistocene time. The Talinay 111 terrace (30-50 m) and Talinay IV terrace (20-30 m) are tentatively assigned to the oxygen isotope stage 9 and Se, respectively. Height distribution of the paleoshorelines shows that the uplift pattem varied from a rapid updoming in the ear1y Pleistocene to a regional uplift afterthe middle Pleistocene. Most faults trend near1y northsoulh and are dip-slip normal faults, which show progressive deformation of Ihe Talinay terraces I and 11. No fault activity is seen on younger Talinay 111 and IV terraces. Such fault movements, chronologically synchronized with the ear1y Pleistocene updoming of the Altos de Talinay, suggest Ihat the extensional stress field was predominant in the upper crust. The change in tectonic pattem, probably, resulted from Ihe weakening of coupling between Ihe Nazca Plate and South America Plate in Ihe middle Pleistocene.

We performed detailed geological and geomorphological analyses on a well-exposed series of marine terrace deposits located along a coastal area from the city of Taranta to the Bradano River in the northern Gulf of Taranta (southern Italy). Absolute dating was performed by applying amino acid racemisation (AAR) to ostracod shells and isoleucine epimerisation (D-aile/L-Ile) to Glycymeris sp. shells. The combination of field geological surveys, remate sensing, digital terrain model analysis, and absolute dating allowed us to study a large number of stratigraphic sections as well as recognise and map three terrace deposits in the Apulian sector of the Gulf of Taran to that date to MIS 7 .3, MIS 7 .1 and MIS 5. A peculiar feature of the MIS 7 .1 terrace deposit is the presence ofbiohermal and biostromal limestones rich in Cladocora caespitosa, calcareous algae and bryozoans; this feature contrasts with general context of the prevailing siliciclastic deposits. Based on currently available data, we propase two hypotheses regarding the MIS 5 terrace deposit: 1) the MIS 5 terrace formed entirelyduring MIS 5.5; and2) the MIS 5 terrace is a set ofterraces that correlates to MIS 5.5, 5.3 and 5.1, in which the scarps and abrasion platforms have been partially masked by the superimposition of the so-calledgivoni, ridges that are elongated sub-parallel to the coastline. Our data, combined with an extensive critical review of age dates in the literature, allow us to exclude the presence of an emerged marine terrace deposit of MIS 3. We calculate the uplift rates of the MIS 7.3, 7.1, 5.5 and 5.3 palaeoshorelines. In the west sector, the mean uplift rates calculated for the recognised inner edges are MIS 7.3 = 0.65 mm/a, MIS 5.5 = 0.39 mm/a, MIS 5.3 = 0.31 mm/a; in the central sector the rates are MIS 7.3 = 0.485 mm/a, MIS 7.1 = 0.37 mm/a, MIS 5.5 = 0.35 mm/a, MIS 5.3 = 0.26 mm/a; in the east sector the rates are MIS 7.3 = 0.39 mm/a, MIS 5.5 = 0.25 mm/a, MIS 5.3 = 0.21 mm/a. These uplift rates show a uniform decreasing trend in time and space, proceeding from the western to the eastern sector, which allows us to hypothesise a slowing of the uplift phase characterising the foredeep, which began in the middle Pleistocene.

A survey of raised coral reef terraces in locations along the southern coast of Iran was carried out with the aim of assessing regional Late Quaternary tectonic uplift rates influenced by salt doming. Two islands were studied: Kish, where no previous data were available, and Qeshm, where a previous survey had already attributed the lowest step in two sequences of raised marine terraces to the Last Interglacial. Twenty-five ESR and seven Th/U ages were obtained from Kish Island. The results show that this flat, about 32 m high, gently domed island was totally submerged during the last two interglacial periods. Corals ascribed to MIS 5 and MIS 7 have been dated at the same elevations, near the present sea level, and in the uppermost, inner part of the island, giving evidence of a polycyclic origin for the island surface deposits. Following a discussion on the possible position of eustatic peaks during MIS 7, a maximal average uplift rate of 0.2070.02 mm/yr has been deduced from the above data. Furthermore, the survey obtained some new results from Qeshm, where seven ESR ages confirmed the MIS 5 age of the lowest raised marine terrace (that also corresponds to an uplift rate of about 0.2 mm/yr), failing, however, to date older steps, due to significant coral-sample re-crystallisation. In the western part of Qeshm, five new radiocarbon ages of elevated beach material demonstrated the variability of uplift rates even along short distances around an active salt dome.

Marine terraces are geomorphic markers largely used to estimate past sea-level positions and surface deformation rates in studies focused on climate and tectonic processes worldwide. This paper aims to investigate the role of tectonic processes in the late Quaternary evolution of the coastal landscape of the broader Neapolis area by assessing long-term vertical deformation rates. To document and estimate coastal uplift, marine terraces are used in conjunction with Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating and correlation to late Quaternary eustatic sea-level variations. The study area is located in SE Peloponnese in a tectonically active region. Geodynamic processes in the area are related to the active subduction of the African lithosphere beneath the Eurasian plate. A series of 10 well preserved uplifted marine terraces with inner edges ranging in elevation from 8 ± 2 m to 192 ± 2 m above m.s.l. have been documented, indicating a significant coastal uplift of the study area. ...

Although a traditional geological survey of terraced coastal slopes is an essential part of studies aimed to reconstruct relative sea-level changes, the stratigraphic and chronological data so obtained frequently prove inadequate to completely unravel the sometimes very complex history of sea-level fluctuation, especially where erosion has prevailed over deposition and/or deposits are difficult to date. On the basis of our experience we think that much additional information can be gained through geomorphological interpretation of the profiles of those slopes. In order to facilitate such interpretation, a computer simulation model is developed that is able to predict the morphogenic response to a variety of possible relative-sea-level histories. The results can be used to envisage some new interpretation keys for the analysis of real situations and, hopefully, as bases for the conception of general models of coastal slope evolution under the action of a variable sea level. Though preliminary, the results so far obtained permit identification of the geomorphological consequences (in terms of resulting slope profile) of ordered successions of transgressions and regressions of different amplitude, rate, order and style. Moreover they provide interesting insights into the role that different styles of tectonic uplift may play in the phenomenon of multiple terracing of coastal slopes. KEY WORDS Erosional marine terraces Relative-sea-level changes Conceptual numerical model Computer simulation

El proposito fue identificar las caractreristicas fisicoquimicas del material que constituye el deposito tipo playa, para lo cual se desarrollaron tres fases en el proyecto de investigacion: (a)Campo: colecta de  sedimentos superficiales en la berma, mediante una transecta longitudinal y sobre esta, cada 20 metros, transectas trasversales hacia las zonas del vaiven y el rompimiento, para un total de 45 muestra; (b)Laboratorio: analisis fisico (granulometria y morfologia de los granos) y quimico (contenido de CaCO3), y (c) oficina o procedimiento estadistico. El deposito esta constituido por particulas de la talla de las arenas medias a gruesas, moderadamente seleccionadas y leptocurticas, morfologicamente  angulosos, con un porcentaje de CaCO3 que varia segun la posicion. El material, tiene una fuente de origen predominantemente en las rocas metamorficas del Macizo del Avila siendo trasportado hacia su posicion actual por el rio Limon.

The history of alluvial fan and terrace formation within a stretch of the Ouarzazate basin along the southern margin of the Central High Atlas is reconstructed using geomorphological and 10 Be terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) methods. Alluvial fan and terrace incision was controlled partially by a drop in base level during the Pliocene or early Pleistocene as the outlet channel, the Draa river, progressively cut through the Anti-Atlas to the south of the Ouarzazate foreland basin, the drainage of which started to become external after a long period of internal drained conditions. The alluvial fans and terrace surfaces have abandonment ages that date to at least the past four glacial cycles. Their formation was strongly modulated by climate on glacial-interglacial time scales as base level dropped. This demonstrates a strong climatic control on sediment transfer and landscape denudation during the Quaternary and provides a model for understanding sediment transfer in other intracontinental mountain belts. Furthermore, these data show that mean rates of fluvial incision in this region range between 0.3 and 1.0 mm a À1 for the latter part of the Quaternary. This study provides the first comprehensive TCN chronology for the Atlas Mountains, and it illustrates the applicability and limitations of TCN methods.

Upper-plate structures that splay out from the megathrusts are common features along major convergent plate boundaries. However, their earthquake and tsunami hazard potentials have not yet received significant attention. In this study, we identified at least one earthquake event that may have been produced by an upper-plate splay fault offshore western Myanmar, based on U-Th ages of uplifted coral microatolls. This event is likely an earthquake that was documented historically in C.E. 1848, with an estimated magnitude between 6.8 and 7.2 based on regional structural characteristics. Such magnitude is consistent with the observed co-seismic uplift amount of ∼0.5 m. Although these events are smaller in magnitude than events produced by megathrusts, they may produce higher earthquake and tsunami hazards for local coastal communities due to their proximity. Our results also indicate that earthquake events with co-seismic uplift along the coast may not necessarily produce a flight of marine terraces. Therefore, using only records of uplifted marine terraces as megathrust earthquake proxies may overlook the importance of upper-plate splay fault ruptures, and underestimate the overall earthquake frequency for future seismic and tsunami hazards along major subduction zones of the world.

Upper-plate structures that splay out from the megathrusts are common features along major convergent plate boundaries. However, their earthquake and tsunami hazard potentials have not yet received significant attention. In this study, we identified at least one earthquake event that may have been produced by an upper-plate splay fault offshore western Myanmar, based on U-Th ages of uplifted coral microatolls. This event is likely an earthquake that was documented historically in C.E. 1848, with an estimated magnitude between 6.8 and 7.2 based on regional structural characteristics. Such magnitude is consistent with the observed co-seismic uplift amount of ∼0.5 m. Although these events are smaller in magnitude than events produced by megathrusts, they may produce higher earthquake and tsunami hazards for local coastal communities due to their proximity. Our results also indicate that earthquake events with co-seismic uplift along the coast may not necessarily produce a flight of marine terraces. Therefore, using only records of uplifted marine terraces as megathrust earthquake proxies may overlook the importance of upper-plate splay fault ruptures, and underestimate the overall earthquake frequency for future seismic and tsunami hazards along major subduction zones of the world.

During his journey on the Beagle, Darwin observed the uniformity in the elevation of coastal Eastern Patagonia along more than 2000 km. More than one century later, the sequences of Quaternary shorelines of eastern Patagonia have been described and their deposits dated but not yet interpreted in terms of geodynamics. Consequently, we i) mapped the repartition of the Quaternary coastal sequences in Argentinean Patagonia, ii) secured accurate altitudes of shoreline angles associated with erosional morphologies (i.e. marine terraces and notches), iii) took into account previous chrono-stratigraphical interpretations in order to calculate mean uplift rates since~440 ka (MIS 11) and proposed age ranges for the higher and older features (up to~180 m), and iv) focused on the Last Interglacial Maximum terrace (MIS 5e) as the best constrained marine terrace (in terms of age and altitude) in order to use it as a tectonic benchmark to quantify uplift rates along the entire passive margin of Eastern South America. Our results show that the eastern Patagonia uplift is constant through time and twice the uplift of the rest of the South American margin. We suggest that the enhanced uplift along the eastern Patagonian coast that interested Darwin during his journey around South America on the Beagle could originate from the subduction of the Chile ridge and the associated dynamic uplift.

Tectonic deformation produced by the fault rupture of the great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of 26 December 2004 shows zones of uplift and subsidence separated by neutral line (locale of zero vertical displacement) in the Andaman Islands. The ground deformation pattern estimated during May 2005 has been re-constrained on the basis of additional data collected in January 2006. A maximum uplift of 1.5 m to the west of the neutral line is recorded at the west coast of North Andaman near Temple Sound while the westernmost landmass of Middle Andaman exhibits uplift of 1.42 m and 1.3 m at Interview Island and South Reef Island respectively. Areas of subsidence east of the neutral line register 0.70 m and 1.20 m in Chidiatapu and Chatham areas of South Andaman respectively. In either side of the neutral line, signatures of post-seismic adjustment are witnessed at places. As a consequence of post-seismic incremental diurnal rise of tidal water in an otherwise domain of emergence, residual uplift of 0.50 m is estimated in Kalighat Jetty (North Andaman) in comparison to +0.95 m estimated in May 2005. Likewise, diurnal fall in tide level is observed in the submergence domain at Chidiatapu as a likely fallout of post-seismic relaxation. Inferred maximum slip at the trench in North Andaman (~5.3 m) is comparable with that in South Andaman (~4.2 m), both being much less in comparison to 10-15m estimated slip in Sumatra generating catastrophic tsunami waves. Two simple slip dislocation cartoons illustrate 160 km of locked interface of the rupture in North Andaman while in South Andaman it is 100 km from the trench boundary. Geometry of Benioff zone in South Andaman demonstrates marginally higher dip with wider accretionary prism than that in North Andaman.

Uplift of the Palos Verdes peninsula has long been associated with a northwest trending, southwest dipping, reverse fault. Unfortunately, the Palos Verdes Hills fault has no obvious surface displacement and little background seismicity to substantiate its dimension, orientation, or earthquake potential. In this paper we investigate the tectonic style and slip rate of the Palos Verdes Hills fault and the uplift history of the Palos Verdes Hills by analyzing the geometry of 13 marine terraces that encircle the peninsula in a bathtub ring configuration. Elevations of 211 terrace remnants constrain a fault model with 3.0 to 3.7 mm yr-1 of oblique, dextral/reverse slip on a fault dipping 67 ø at 6 to 12 km depth beneath the peninsula. If the rate was constant through time, fault inception would have occurred 2.4-3.0 Ma. We propose that the largest credible earthquakes on the fault have magnitude • and could revisit every 2000 years.

Uranium/Thorium isotopic composition of 165 samples from various mid-late Holocene features, such as in situ Porites microatolls, in situ reef flats, conglomerates and reworked reef blocks, collected from twelve islands in French Polynesia. Recommendations of Dutton et al. (2017) were followed for the presentation of U/Th age data. For each parameter, the first column contains the value and the second column the statistical error. All statistical errors are two standard deviations of the mean (2σ mean). All samples have been corrected for initial 230Th by using a 230Th/232Th activity ratio of 0.66 ± 0.2 (Fietzke et al., 2005). Non-reported data consist of 230Th/232Th ratios which became negative due to background corrections. 238U Concentrations are not corrected for the background.

Several Mesozoic limestone elevations of E-W elongated shape rise up in the central region of the Algarve Barrocal (Portuguese southwestern margin). Tectonic geomorphology suggests that these reliefs correspond to right lateral strike-slip contractional duplexes of a large, NW-SE trending, shear zone, with a pronounced topographic expression, whose southern boundary, located southeast of the Serra de Monchique hill, is defined by the São Marcos-Quarteira Fault Zone.

A spatiotemporal analysis of sedimentation by sites and months of work was carried out in the Pampa El Cabildo Lagoon (LPC), located in the northeastern of the community of Puerto Madero, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mex. in the period from November 2010 to July 2011. The research was carried out in nine sites during eight months of sampling, at the moment temperature, pH, depth and transparency were measured, water and sediment samples were collected to determine total solids, organic matter and texture. Sedimentation was measured with traps. The maximum average of organic matter was 12.98 ± 9.91% at site one, however the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated that there was no significant difference between sites. In November, a maximum average was recorded with 11.58 ± 4.53% (p <0.05); the results of granulometry indicated that it had a homogeneity in the type of sediment, due to the presence of silty-loam soils. The sedimentation rate was higher in the months of May and March with values of 54.13 ± 31.40, 53.72 ± 28.23 kg / m2 / month and in sites six and five 54.26 ± 27.27 and 39.18 ± 25.26 kg / m2 / month, where the ANOVA indicated that there was a significant difference (p <0.05). Siltation of LPC can be considered "high", which is of great importance from the perspective of scientific research, conservation, biodiversity and productive activities.

Evidence of paleoenvironmental changes during the Holocene from the Lower Mahi basin of Western India have been documented. The unpaired S2surface all along the estuarine zone of the Mahi basin has been identified as an uplifted marine terrace. The terraces have preserved in their lithosections fairly distinct horizons of grayish brown clays rich in marine microfauna. The intervening silty-sand horizons are indicative of freshwater origin. The sedimentary structure and faunal assemblage indicate that these units have been deposited in a marginal marine environment. The14C ages obtained on these marine mud horizons show that between 3600 and 1700 bp the sea level was higher than at present. The geomorphic evidence suggests that a late Holocene uplift has played a significant role in lowering the relative sea level to its present position.