late miocene early pliocene reactivation of the main boundary thrust evidence from the seismites in southeastern kumaun himalaya india abstract tectonic history of the himalaya is punctuated by successive development of the faults that run along the boundaries between different lithotectonic terrains the main boundary fault defining the southern limit of the lesser himalayan terrain is tectonically most active a review of published literature reveals that the nature and age of reactivation events on the main boundary fault is one of the poorly understood aspects of the himalayan orogen by systematic outcrop mapping of the seismites this study identifies a late miocene early pliocene reactivation on the main boundary thrust in southeast kumaun himalaya relatively friable and cohesionless neogene sedimentary sequences host abundant soft sediment deformation structures in the vicinity of the main boundary thrust among a large variety of structures deformed cross beds liquefaction pockets slump folds convolute laminations sand dykes mushroom structures fluid escape structures flame and load structures and synsedimentary faults are common the morphological attributes the structural association and the distribution pattern of the soft sediment deformation structures with respect to the main boundary fault strongly suggest their development by seismically triggered liquefaction and fluidization available magnetostratigraphic age data imply that the seismites were developed during a late miocene early pliocene slip on the main boundary thrust the hypocenter of the main seismic event may lie on the main boundary thrust or to the north of the study area on an unknown fault or the basal detachment thrust

core evidence of paleoseismic events in paleogene deposits of the shulu sag in the bohai bay basin east china and their petroleum geologic significance abstract the shulu sag located in the southwestern corner of the jizhong depression bohai bay basin of east china is a ne sw trending elongate cenozoic half graben basin the lowermost part of the third member of the shahejie formation in this basin is characterized by continental rudstone and calcilutite to calcisiltite facies based on core observation and regional geologic analysis seismites are recognized in these lacustrine deposits which include soft sediment deformation structures sedimentary dikes hydraulic shattering diapir structures convolute lamination load flame structures ball and pillow structures loop bedding and subsidence structures synsedimentary faults and seismoturbidites in addition mixed source rudstones consisting of the paleozoic carbonate clasts and in situ calcilutite clasts in the lowermost submember of shahejie 3 appear in the seismites suggesting an earthquake origin a complete representative vertical sequence in the lowermost part of the third member found in well st1h located in the central part of the shulu sag shows from the base to the top underlying undeformed layers synsedimentary faults liquefied carbonate rocks allogenetic seismoturbidites and overlying undeformed layers seismites are widely distributed around this well and there are multiple sets of stacked seismites separated by undeformed sediment the nearby nw trending taijiazhuang fault whose fault growth index is from 1 1 to 1 8 and the nne trending xinhe fault with a fault growth index of 1 3 1 9 may be the source of the instability to create the seismites these deformed sedimentary layers are favorable for the accumulation of oil and gas for example sedimentary dikes can cut through many layers and serve as conduits for fluid migration sedimentary faults and fractures induced by earthquakes can act as oil and gas migration channels or store petroleum products as well seismoturbidites and mixed source rudstones are excellent reservoirs due to their abundant primary or dissolved pores

tectono climatic signatures during late quaternary in the yunam basin baralacha pass upper lahaul valley india derived from multi proxy records abstract this study provides evidence of the monsoon record over the past 25 ka from the kilang sarai palaeolake which is located in nw himalaya in the rain shadow zone of the indian summer monsoon ism the multi proxy study by using geomorphology carbon isotopes mineral magnetism clay mineralogy and elemental chemistry of a 8 m thick laminated lacustrine sediments indicates that the area experienced fluctuating precipitation conditions during the last 25 ka the time period between 12 and 5 ka bp can be regarded as a very wet interval of the last glacial to mid holocene due to a combined effect of ism and westerlies followed by aridity after 5 ka bp tectonic triggers may have caused the development of terraces and closure of lake at the millennial time scale a correlation of precipitation and vegetational changes between our data and other records from similar geographical settings suggests that kilang sarai basin responded to periods of strengthening in precipitation during the last glacial to early holocene

modelling seismites with a digital shaking table abstract soft sediment deformation structures induced by seismically triggered liquefaction and or fluidization seismites have been reproduced with a digital shaking table we have used natural sediments with variable granulometric ranges clay silt and sand and an earthquake simulator that is able to reproduce real tridimensional seismograms acceleration and pore pressure recording allowed us to follow liquefaction and or fluidization processes in unconsolidated sediments during earthquakes different types of seismites were produced by variations in the tested sedimentary column

milankovitch type cycles in the lower carboniferous of nw ireland a short description of the lower carboniferous near sligo nw ireland is given limestones and mark in four measured sections in the glencar limestone were numerically coded as plus and minus one respectively such sequences show good and persistent cyclicity with a basic wave length of 200 cm filtered sections have been adjusted to give each cycle a constant length such records show a much longer cycle in the form of amplitude modulation of the basic cycle the 200 cm cycle is very regular and its approximate duration is around 100 kyr it could therefore be the result of eccentricity variations in the earth s orbit the longer cycle represents approximately 1 1 5 myr and may be equivalent to the yoredale cycles in the northern england

focal depths and fault plane solutions of earthquakes and active tectonics of the himalaya synthetic seismograms were compared with long period body waves for nine earthquakes with epicenters in the himalayan arc to determine depths of foci and to improve fault plane solutions focal depths are shallow 10 20 km inferred slip vectors are locally perpendicular to the mountain range they plunge very gently about 10 deg in the eastern sections of the range and more steeply about 25 deg in western sections assuming india to be a rigid plate the radially oriented slip vectors imply that southern tibet extends at about half the rate of underthrusting in the himalaya and therefore probably at about 5 10 mm yr the shallow depths and gentle dips of the fault planes at least for the events in the eastern half of the range are consistent with coherent underthrusting of the indian plate beneath at least the lesser himalaya the steeper dips of fault planes in the western part of the arc might reflect deformation of the overriding thrust plate or simply a steepening of the main underthrusting zone beneath the greater himalaya

seismically induced soft sediment deformation structures in an active seismogenic setting the plio pleistocene karewa deposits kashmir basin nw himalaya abstract recent uplift in the nw himalaya has exposed more than 1000 m of the plio pleistocene so called karewa deposits in kashmir these deposits mostly consist of horizontal stratified sand silt clay conglomerates and lignite beds the sedimentary succession belongs to the kashmir basin that is located in a seismically active zone the area was previously affected by large earthquakes the observed soft sediment deformation structures ssds are predominantly developed in the sand silt and clay beds and include load and water escape structures intrusive sedimentary bodies convolute bedding disturbed laminites and slump structures deformation mechanism and driving forces of the ssds were seismic shock waves sediment loading and storm events as driver for the ssds are less likely and the proximity of the ssds to faults underlines the seismic origin of these structures syn and post depositional faults and deformation bands developed in the karewa deposits support the interpretation of neotectonic activity and point to an earthquake of magnitude 5 5 that struck the kashmir basin in the plio pleistocene

genesis and diagnostic value of soft sediment deformation structures a review abstract soft sediment deformation structures are recognized as important diagnostic features in the rock record for determination of depositional environments and slope processes the diagnostic value of these structures is reevaluated by analysis of the parameters controlling sediment deformation soft sediment deformation is contemporaneous with deposition and occurs dominantly in course silt to fine sand the high depositional rate low permeability and low shear strength of grains within this sediment range maximize the occurrence of deformation the dominant mechanisms responsible for sediment deformation include 1 liquefaction or fluidization 2 reverse density gradation 3 slumping or slope failure and 4 shear stress in most cases a combination of these mechanisms occurs the processes function in a continuum producing features that are microscopic to megascopic in scale it is shown that the processes and thus the structures are not environment specific the true diagnostic value of the structures may be in defining hydrodynamic conditions and in interpreting paleocurrents and paleoclimatic and paleoseismic events ultimately for the best diagnostic results soft sediment deformation structures should be studied in association with all other available lithologic structural and paleontological information

climatic variations and geomorphology of the indus river valley between nimo and batalik ladakh nw trans himalayas during late quaternary abstract the indus river valley is tectonically unstable exhibiting complex topography landscape relief and varied sedimentation the major geomorphic landforms are alluvial fans debris cones fluvio lacustrine deposits scree and talus cones in the present work a transect between nimo and batalik along the river was studied to consider the geomorphological landform evolution during the quaternary based on the distribution of the sediments along the valley mass movements catastrophic land sliding and tectonic activity transported material from steep slopes to valley bottoms which were responsible for forming lakes preserved as thick piles of fine sediment while the outburst floods redistributed sediment down valley three phases of lake formation are recorded in the 136 km stretch 35 000 26 000 bp lamayuru palaeolake 17 000 13 000 bp rizong palaeolake occupying 35 km of the valley length and 14 000 5000 bp khalsi saspol palaeolake 55 km in length and having the highest lake levels the lake formation is attributed to deglaciation after the last glacial maximum lgm and holocene warming tectonic activity seismites are concentrated only at 10 and 6 ka

soft sediment deformation structures in cambrian siliciclastic and carbonate storm deposits shandong province china differential liquefaction and fluidization triggered by storm wave loading abstract this paper focuses on soft sediment deformation structures ssds in both siliciclastic and carbonate storm deposits of the cambrian mantou and chaomidian formations shandong province china in order to understand their deformation mechanisms and possible triggers siliciclastic ssds e g sand volcanoes and pillows and carbonate ssds e g sedimentary dykes grainstone matrix breccias deformed cross beddings and marlstone matrix breccias occur exclusively in hummocky cross stratified fine sandstone and peloidal grainstone respectively the siliciclastic ssds formed in porous and permeable surface sediment whereas the carbonate ssds formed under shallow burial conditions when early marine cementation prevailed the various deformation structures resulted mainly from differences between siliciclastic and carbonate sediment conditions and resulting deformation mechanisms sand volcanoes formed by upward extrusion of over pressured fluidized sandy sediment whereas sand pillows resulted from upward injection of lower density muddy sediment into overlying liquefied sandy sediment sedimentary dykes and grainstone matrix limestone breccias formed as a result of differential liquefaction and fluidization of heterogeneously cemented carbonate sediment whereas deformed cross beddings and marlstone matrix limestone breccias developed by the thixotropic liquidization and injection of clayey sediment and further disruption of thin peloidal layers sedimentary facies analysis and analysis of the physical processes indicate that the ssds were most likely caused by cyclic loading of storm waves

geometry and origin of large scale deformation structures in some ancient wind blown sand deposits large scale deformational features that disrupt the cross bedded strata of some ancient wind blown dune sand deposits jurassic aztec and navajo sandstones u s a can betraced laterally for at least tens of metres information from four exposures leads to an idealized deformation style characterized by 1 a head portion marked by collapse features 2 a middle portion marked by a thrust ramp or a large recumbent fold and 3 a toe portion marked by a planar shear zone with small recumbent folds drag folds and possibly small horizontal shear faults an hypothesis involving earthquake induced liquefaction and collapse of the dunes is proposed sands liquefied during earthquakes cannot support an unequal surface load resulting in the collapse of surface dunes above the liquefied substrate compensatory lateral squeezing of liquefied sand and buried strata produces the shear zone in the toe portion engineering studies suggest that buried strata underlying interdunal lows where over burden stress is least will be most susceptible to liquefaction other considerations suggest that it will be the steeper lee sides of advancing surface dunes that collapse squeezing liquefied sand forward or downwind i e away from the lee slope of surface dunes if the liquefied condition persists load structures can be formed when unliquefied layers founder into the liquefied substrate

the role of climate and tectonics in aggradation and incision of the indus river in the ladakh himalaya during the late quaternary

structure and shortening of the kangra and dehra dun reentrants sub himalaya india surface geology oil well seismic reflection and magnetostratigraphic data are integrated to evaluate the structural style and the shortening rate at the himalayan front sub himalaya of northwest india the sub himalaya between the main boundary thrust and the himalayan frontal fault is the primary surface expression of shortening between the himalaya and the indian plate at certain locations the himalayan frontal fault is a blind thrust beneath anticlines of siwalik tertiary molasse parallel to the himalayan orogen the main boundary thrust is sinuous so the width of the sub himalaya ranges from 30 to 80 km where the sub himalaya is narrow nahan salient tertiary rocks are exposed in imbricate thrust sheets where the sub himalaya is broad kangra and dehra dun reentrants alluvium fills wide synclinal valleys duns seismic reflection data reveal that surface anticlines form in association with south vergent thrusts that root in a decollement at the base of the tertiary section reflection profiles and well data also indicate that the basement lithology changes northward from precambrian crystalline rocks beneath the indo gangetic plains to precambrian and cambrian metasedimentary rocks beneath the sub himalaya the sub himalayan decollement dips 2 5 northward beneath the kangra reentrant but it is steeper 6 beneath the dehra dun reentrant the kangra and dehra dun reentrants display fault propagation folds having steep limbs in the north and fault propagation and fault bend folds that have gently north dipping limbs in the south a balanced cross section of the kangra reentrant shows that a minimum of 23 km shortening has occurred since 1 9 1 5 ma yielding a shortening rate of 14 2 mm yr shortening has occurred at a rate of 6 16 mm yr across the dehra dun reentrant these data are similar to other published shortening rates and indicate that approximately 25 of the total india eurasia convergence at this longitude is accommodated within the sub himalaya given continued convergence and the presence of overpressured wells in the kangra reentrant the region is likely at risk from moderate and or great earthquakes in the future

sediment deformation in miocene and post miocene strata northeastern brazil evidence for paleoseismicity in a passive margin abstract stratigraphic intervals characterized by varied and complex styles of soft sediment deformation structures are well preserved in miocene and late pleistocene to holocene deposits of a sedimentary basin located in northeastern brazil the miocene strata represented by the barreiras formation record only brittle structures including numerous faults and fractures with straight and high angle dipping planes that are often filled with sands derived from overlying beds folds consisting of broad anticlines and synclines are also present in this unit the late pleistocene to holocene deposits named post barreiras sediments contain an indurated sandy package with a large variety of ductile and brittle deformation structures i e massive sandstones with isolated sand fragments and breccias undulatory strata sand dykes and diapirs sinks and bowls pebbly pockets plunged sediment mixtures fitted sand masses cone shaped cracks fault grading and sedimentary enclaves these features confined to sharp based stratigraphic horizons that progressively grade downward into undisturbed deposits are related to seismic shocks of high surface wave magnitude i e ms 5 or 6 amalgamated seismites suggest that previously formed seismites were affected by subsequent seismic wave propagation seismic waves caused by activity along one or most likely several tectonic structures would have propagated throughout the depositional environment producing laterally extensive seismites the close proximity to earthquake epicenters would have promoted pervasive re sedimentation due to pore overpressure resulting high volumes of massive sandstones and breccia the similarity between deposits with correlatable strata from many other areas along the brazilian coast allows raise the hypothesis that the seismic episodes might have affected sedimentation patterns in a large i e extension of several hundreds of kilometers geographic area thus the modern seismicity recorded along northeastern brazil was recurrent during the quaternary and perhaps also in the pliocene the estimated high magnitude of the seismic events and the great regional extent of the affected area demonstrate that the brazilian coast experienced tectonic stress through the last geological episodes of its evolution which would have favored sediment accumulation and penecontemporaneous re sedimentation this geological context is unexpected in a passive margin inducing to revisit the debate on how active is a passive margin

earthquake induced structures in young sediments abstract soft sediment deformational structures have been identified in several plio quaternary horizons near burdur in southwest turkey these horizons satisfy criteria for correlating such structures with seismic events and it is proposed that the structures were formed by earthquake induced liquefaction the deformational structures are thus interpreted to represent seismic events which occurred up to 2 3 ma ago

reply to comment by p j o brien on the onset of india asia continental collision early steep subduction required by the timing of uhp metamorphism in the western himalaya by mary l leech s singh a k jain simon l klemperer and r m manickavasagam earth planetary science letters 234 2005 83 97

chronology of relict lake deposits in the spiti river nw trans himalaya implications to late pleistocene holocene climate tectonic perturbations abstract the spiti river that drains through the arid trans himalayan region is studied here the relict deposits exposed along the river provide an opportunity to understand the interaction between the phases of intense monsoon and surface processes occurring in the cold and semi arid to arid trans himalayan region based on geomorphological observation the valley is broadly divided into the upper and lower spiti valley the braided channel and the relict fluvio lacustrine deposits rising from the present riverbed characterize the upper valley the deposits in the lower valley occur on the uplifted bedrock strath and where the channel characteristics are mainly of meandering nature conspicuous is the occurrence of significantly thick lacustrine units within the relict sedimentary sequences of spiti throughout the valley the broad sedimentary architecture suggests the formation of these palaeolakes due landslide driven river damming the optically stimulated luminescence osl dating of quartz derived from the bounding units of the lacustrine deposits suggests that the upper valley preserves the phase of deposition around 14 6 ka and in the lower valley around 50 30 ka the review of published palaeoclimatic palaeolake chronology of spiti valley indicates that the lakes were probably formed during the wetter conditions related to marine isotope stage iii and ii the increased precipitation during these phases induced excessive landsliding and formation of dammed lakes along the spiti river the older lacustrine phase being preserved on the uplifted bedrock strath in the lower valley indicates late pleistocene tectonic activity along the kaurick chango normal fault

the onset of india asia continental collision early steep subduction required by the timing of uhp metamorphism in the western himalaya ultrahigh pressure uhp rocks in the nw himalaya are some of the youngest on earth and allow testing of critical questions of uhp formation and exhumation and the timing of the india asia collision initial collision of india with asia is widely cited as being at 55f1 ma based on a paleomagnetically determined slowdown of india s plate velocity and as being at ca 51 ma based on the termination of marine carbonate deposition even relatively small changes in this collision age force large changes in tectonic reconstructions because of the rapid india asia convergence rate of 134 mm a at the time of collision new u pb shrimp dating of zircon shows that indian rocks of the tso morari complex reached uhp depths at 53 3f0 7 ma given the high rate of indian subduction this dating implies that indian continental crust arrived at the asian trench no later than 57f1 ma providing a metamorphic age for comparison with previous paleomagnetic and stratigraphic estimates india s collision with asia may be compared to modern processes in the timor region in which initiation of collision precedes both the slowing of the convergence rate and the termination of marine carbonate deposition the indian uhp rocks must have traveled rapidly along a short hence steep path into the mantle early continental subduction was at a steep angle probably vertical comparable to modern continental subduction in the hindu kush despite evidence for modern day low angle subduction of india beneath tibet oceanic slab break off likely coincided with exhumation of uhp terranes in the western himalaya and led to the initiation of low angle subduction and leucogranite generation d 2005 elsevier b v all rights reserved

deep seismic reflection evidence for continental underthrusting beneath southern tibet the himalaya and adjacent tibetan plateau constituting earth s largest region of elevated topography and anomalously thick crust formed as a consequence of cenozoic collision between india and asia itself considered the archetypal continent continent collision1 3 here we report the first results from an attempt to image the structure of the crust beneath this region using deep seismic reflection profiling our 100 km long profile acquired in the tethyan himalaya shows a mid crustal reflection that prob ably marks the active thrust fault along which the indian plate is underthrusting southern tibet upper crustal reflections with geo metries suggestive of large scale structural imbrication of the upper crust and moho reflections from the base of the double normal thickness crust underlying the region these results lend substantial support to the view that crustal thickening beneath southernmost tibet was accomplished by wholesale underthrusting of indian continental crust beneath the structurally imbricated upper crust comprising the tethyan himalaya

seismotectonics of the himalayan collision zone geometry of the underthrusting indian plate beneath the himalaya fault plane solutions and well determined focal depths of medium sized earthquakes topography and landsat imagery in conjunction with seismicity maps cross sections and available geological information are used to investigate the present tectonics of the himalayan continental collision zone most of the accurately located epicenters of events along the himalayan arc 78 e 95 e that occurred between 1961 and 1981 are concentrated in a narrow zone about 50 km wide lying between the northerly dipping main boundary mbt and main central mct thrusts most of these events are located just south of the mct though the epicenters of the events are in general well located their depths as determined by teleseismic travel time data are very unreliable events with accurately determined depths obtained from identification of surface reflected phases define a simple planar zone from about 10 km and 20 km depth with an apparent dip of about 15 this result is all the more remarkable considering that the events used were located along about an 1800 km length of the himalyan arc except for one all available focal mechanisms of events within this zone indicate shallow 30 north dipping thrusts this shallow north dipping zone apparently defines a part of the detachment that separates the underthrusting indian plate from the lesser himalayan crustal block the spatial extent and the geometry of this interplate thrust zone strongly indicate that the mbt and nearby subsidiary surface and blind thrusts rather than the mct are currently the most active structures of the himalayan arc we suggest that the great himalayan earthquakes m 8 occur along the same detachment surface as defined by the thrust type medium sized events events located to the south of the mbt and beneath the ganges foredeep show normal faulting with t axes perpendicular to the himalayan trend the above results suggest that the indian continental plate is underthrusting the himalayan crustal blocks in a relatively coherent and simple geometry and that this geometry is not much different from that observed along oceanic subduction zones the november 19 1980 earthquake that occurred near the mct near 88 5 e shows a predominantly strike slip focal mechanism one of the nodal planes of this mechanism is transverse to the himalayan structural grain and moreover this plane has a trend similar to that of the recently mapped yadong gulu rift in the tethyan himalaya and in southern tibet just northeast of the earthquake we interpret this predominantly left lateral strike slip mechanism to indicate a possible genetic relationship between transverse structural features in the underthrusting indian plate the kishangang basement fault and the upper himalayan blocks and tibet

north south extension within the convergent himalayan region recent work by burg et al 1984 indicates the presence of east west striking gently north dipping normal faults in the higher himalayas and southern tibet that formed during postcollisional convergence of india and tibet these faults extend for at least 800 km along strike we interpret these normal faults as probable late miocene extensional features with perhaps several tens of kilometres of down to the north displacement a simple elastic model suggests that these normal faults may have formed during gravitational collapse of the miocene topographic front between india and tibet in this interpretation gravitational collapse occurred by southward motion relative to india and tibet of a wedge of crustal rocks bounded above by gently north dipping normal faults and below by thrust faults that probably dip north north south extension produced in this way is probably confined to upper crustal levels only and does not reflect regional extension of the entire lithosphere

limestone pseudoconglomerates in the late cambrian gushan and chaomidian formations shandong province china soft sediment deformation induced by storm wave loading this paper focuses on the formative processes of limestone pseudoconglomerates in the gushan and chaomidian formations late cambrian of the north china platform shandong province china the gushan and chaomidian formations consist mainly of limestone and shale marlstone interlayers wackestone to packstone grainstone and microbialite as well as numerous limestone conglomerates seventy three beds of limestone pseudoconglomerate in the gushan and chaomidian formations were analysed based on clast and matrix compositions internal fabric sedimentary structures and bed geometry these pseudoconglomerates are characterized by oligomictic to polymictic limestone clasts of various shapes i e flat to undulatory disc blade and sheet marlstone and or grainstone matrix and various internal fabrics i e intact thrusted edgewise and disorganized as well as transitional boundaries limestone pseudoconglomerates formed as a result of soft sediment deformation of carbonate and argillaceous interlayers at a shallow burial depth differential early cementation of carbonate and argillaceous sediments provided the requisite conditions for the formation of pseudoconglomerates initial deformation i e burial fragmentation liquefaction and injection and subsequent mobilization and disruption of fragmented clasts are two important processes for the formation of pseudoconglomerates burial fragmentation resulted from mechanical rupture of cohesive carbonate mud whereas subsequent mobilization of fragmented clasts was due to the injection of fluid materials liquefied carbonate sand and water saturated argillaceous mud under increased stress storm wave loading was the most probable deformation mechanism as an external triggering force subsequent re orientation and rounding of clasts were probably prolonged under normal compactional stress eventually disrupted clasts along with matrix materials were transformed into pseudoconglomerates by progressive lithification soft sediment deformation is prevalent in alternate layers of limestone and mud marl stone and or grainstone regardless of their depositional environments

analysis of soft sediment deformation structures in neogene fluvio lacustrine deposits of caybagi formation eastern turkey during the neogene both strike slip and extensional regimes coexisted in eastern turkey and a number of fault bounded basins associated with the east anatolian fault system developed the caybagi formation late miocene early pliocene deposited in one of these basins consists of fluvio lacustrine deposits numerous soft sediment deformation structures are encountered in this formation particularly in conglomerates medium to coarse grained tuffaceous sandstones and claystones folded structures slumps convolute laminations and simple recumbent folds water escape structures intruded sands internal cusps interpenetrative cusps and sand volcanoes and load structures load casts pseudonodules flame structures and pillow structures these structures are produced by liquefaction and or fluidization of the unconsolidated sediments during a seismic shock consequently the existence of seismically induced deformation structures in the caybagi formation and the association with a neogene intraformational unconformity growth faults and reverse faults in the caybagi basin attest to the tectonic activity in this area during the late miocene and early pliocene the east anatolian fault system in particular the uluova fault zone is the most probable seismogenic source earthquakes with a magnitude of over 5 in the richter scale can be postulated

liquefaction and fluidization of lacustrine deposits from lahaul spiti and ladakh himalaya geological evidences of paleoseismicity along active fault zone abstract soft sediment deformational structures are important diagnostic features of paleoseismic studies these seismites result from local vigorous fluidization and hydroplastic deformation formed during liquefaction as a direct consequence of permanent deformation of ground surface due to earthquakes of large magnitude the region of eastern ladakh spiti basin and the upper sutlej river basin record a concentration of earthquakes in a well defined ne trending seismic zone sub parallel to the strike of leo pargil horst and the kaurik chango fault zone soft sediment deformational studies of the fluvial and fluvio lacustrine sequences near sumdo village along sangla valley of himachal pradesh and near saspol village of ladakh indicate that the kaurik chango fault zone is a seismogenic fault causing liquefaction and fluidization as the consequence of earthquake activity in the past thermal luminescence tl date of the deformational structures near the sumdo village constrains the paleoseismic activities of large magnitude between 90 000 years third activity to 26 000 years last geological evidence with a recurrence interval of approximately 10 000 years during the quaternary period

late pleistocene holocene morphosedimentary architecture spiti river arid higher himalaya the spiti river drains the rain shadow zone of western himalaya in the present study the fluvial sedimentary record of spiti valley was studied to understand its responses to tectonics and climate geomorphic changes along the river enable to divide the river into two segments i upper valley with a broad braided channel where relict sedimentary sequences rise 15 50 m high from the riverbed and ii lower valley with a narrow meandering channel that incises into bedrock and here the fluvio lacustrine sediments reside on a bedrock bench located above the riverbed the transition between these geomorphic segments lies along the river between seko nasung and lingti villages within tethyan himalaya lithofacies analyses of the sedimentary sequences show six different lithofacies these can be grouped into three facies associations viz a a glacial outwash b sedimentation in a channel and in an accreting bar under braided conditions and c formation of lake due to channel blockage by landslide activities seventeen optically stimulated luminescence ages derived from ten sections bracketed the phases of river valley aggradation between 14 8 and 50 30 ka these aggradation phases witnessed mass wasting channel damming and lake formation events our record when compared with sw monsoon archives suggests that the aggradation occurred during intensified monsoon phase of mis 3 4 and that proceeded the last glacial maxima thus the study reports monsoon modulated valley aggradation in the nw arid himalaya

earthquakes and deformational structures seismites in holocene sediments from the himalayan andaman arc india soft sediment deformational structures from the himalayan arc caused by episodic earthquake recurrences during the holocene recent are produced by the ongoing tectonic processes these small scale subtle structures occur along some major thrusts in the garhwal himalaya and vary from normal faults in the lower zone to compressional structures in the middle zone along the main central thrust in the tons valley the latter includes isoclinal angular kink and disharmonic folds with discrete displacements along their axial surfaces thrusts with decollement listric and overstep thrusts in duplex style and load slumping the upper zone is marked by very low angle thrusts with left lateral displacement and associated displacement shears d riedel shears r and thrust shears p as well as small scale sporadic kinks three zones reveal changing tectonic character from gravity tectonics in the lower zone to compression in both the middle and upper zones with the maximum principal stress 1 oriented n60 to n110 respectively along the tons thrust post depositional structures include drag along normal fault zone characterized by d r and p shears and conjugate fractures that provide localized orientation of stresses 1 at 75 n60 2 at 12 n280 and 3 at 12 n290 earthquake induced liquefaction and subtle variations in physiomechanical properties of soft sediments have primarily controlled the deformational pattern due to localized tectonic stresses ground and sediment deformations during two earthquakes in the himalayan andaman arc provide additional support for the seismogenic origin of such structures preserved in loose or consolidated sediments

structure and tectonics of the himalaya constraints and implications of geophysical data the himalayan range is a product of continental collision between india and eurasia and for several reasons it is a logical place to examine the physical causes and mechanisms of mountain building the exceptionally high mountains and the great length of the range alone single the himalaya out as a major structural feature the convergence rate between india and eurasia of about 50 mm yr 1 minster jordan 1978 requires rapid rates of slip and the occurrence of four major earthquakes with magnitudes in excess of 8 4 in the last 100 years attests to a high level of seismicity and a rapid rate of active deformation e g richter 1958 seeber armbruster 1981 the exposures of high grade metamorphic rocks in the greater himalaya may suggest large vertical transport of lower crustal rocks e g valdiya 1980a b and the occurrences of young postcollision granites imply recent large perturbations of the temperature structure of the range e g lefort 1981 moreover as sediments derived from the himalaya fill the broad ganga basin south of the range the mountain belt simul taneously seems to override the basin e g g d johnson et al 1979 n m johnson et al 1982 as such the processes occurring now and since the collision began in the early tertiary as well as the present structure of the himalayan belt are probably similar to those at different stages of collision and mountain building in other older orogenic belts such as the appalachians the scottish and scandinavian caledonides the alps and

earthquake induced soft sediment deformation structures in upper jurassic open marine microbialites neuquen basin argentina penecontemporaneous decimetre scale soft sediment deformation structures are reported from the basal part of the upper jurassic lower cretaceous vaca muerta formation in the malargue las lenas area of the back arc neuquen basin mendoza province central andes the deformed interval amarillas bed is only 0 3 to 0 9 m thick but occurs in a wide area larger than 1500 km2 its age determined by ammonite biostratigraphy is early tithonian the soft sediment deformation structures were generated in finely laminated partially consolidated organicrich carbonate microbialites that were deposited in open marine poorly oxygenated settings apparently devoid of any significant slope those structures include boudins of different sizes and complexity a variety of folds normal listric dm scale faults sub horizontal detachment surfaces and other features which are part of several larger scale complex slump structures deformation was dominantly plastic but near to the ductile brittle field transition on the basis of the observed soft deformation structures their geographic distribution their lateral homogeneity and the geodynamic framework of the basin in which it was generated the amarillas bed can be tentatively attributed to a large intermediate depth earthquake that occurred within the plate that subducted beneath the andean continental margin and the neuquen back arc basin

seismic liquefaction features in the kashmir karewas natural seismograms of the paleoearthquakes abstract karewas occur within the seismically active kashmir valley natural seismograms in the form of seismites exist within the karewa sediments seismites were identified and characterized to know their genesis the magnitude of the paleoearthquakes were ranging from 6 0 to 7 4 with paleointensity i o 8 5 lsi values computed for the paleomagnitudes were ranging from 16 to 63 mm pga computed for the paleoearthquakes were ranging from 0 18 g to 0 77 g using cyclic stress method pga computed for the simulated historical and instrumental earthquakes using gmpe were of the order of 1 11 g 0 86 g and 0 83 g fs v s and d r values indicate that the sediments of the source stratum near the paleoliquefaction sites are still liquefiable and have retained their liquefaction potential since early pleistocene fs values of the paleoearthquakes indicate that the geological conditions were appropriate to liquefy sediments as fs 1 and are still susceptible to liquefaction as advocated by the fs values of the simulated historical and instrumental earthquakes empirical relationships that account for the age of soil deposits show significant influence on pga values of the paleoearthquakes and no effect on fs values of the paleoearthquakes as fs 1 however significant influence was observed on fs values of the historical and instrumental earthquakes

soft sediment deformation by kelvin helmholtz instability a case from dead sea earthquakes abstract the standard explanation for soft sediment deformation is associated with overturn of inverted density gradients however in many cases observations do not support this interpretation here we suggest an alternative in which stably stratified layers undergo a shear instability during relative sliding via the kelvin helmholtz instability khi mechanism triggered by earthquake shaking dead sea sediments have long stood out as a classical and photogenic example for recumbent folding of soft sediment these billow like folds are strikingly similar to khi structures and have been convincingly tied to earthquakes our analysis suggests a threshold for ground acceleration increasing with the thickness of the folded layers the maximum thickness of folded layers order of decimeters corresponds to ground accelerations of up to 1 g such an acceleration occurs during large earthquakes recurring in the dead sea

an extensive erosion surface of a strongly deformed limestone bed in the gushan and chaomidian formations late middle cambrian to furongian shandong province china sequence stratigraphic implications abstract in order to understand sequence development and sea level fluctuations during the late middle cambrian to early furongian on the north china epeiric platform the present study focuses on a unique subtle erosion surface of an extensive approx 100 km strongly deformed limestone bed in the uppermost part of the gushan formation shandong province china the gushan formation and the overlying chaomidian formation consist mainly of shales and a variety of carbonates that were deposited in subtidal environments e g deep subtidal shallow subtidal shoreface shoal subtidal microbial flat and restricted platform interior three third order depositional sequences s1 3 are identified each of which comprises a thin transgressive systems tract tst and a relatively thick highstand systems tract hst each sequence is bounded by a drowning unconformity sb1 a subaerial unconformity sb2 or a surface of submarine erosion sb3 the upper sequence boundary sb2 of sequence 1 s1 is represented by a subtle erosion surface of an extensive deformed limestone bed with a wide variety of soft sediment deformation structures e g lime mudstone breccias chaotic wacke packstone laminae and fragments homogenized oolites and clastic dykes and is overlain by small sporadic microbial buildups and an extensive bioclastic grainstone bed the deformed limestone was formed during early diagenesis by differential deformation processes brecciation liquefaction fluidization and injection which were most likely induced by pore water overpressure during the period of rapid sea level fall despite the lack of subaerial exposure features e g paleokarst paleosol etc the characteristics of the erosion surface cutting well lithified sediment below the missing of a significant geological record the prochuangia biozone and the worldwide correlatable positive carbon isotope excursion collectively indicate that the erosion surface developed under conditions of subaerial exposure after contemporaneous marine cementation of the deformed sediment the missing of the prochuangia biozone is most likely due to non deposition at a subaerial hiatal surface the erosion surface was submerged as a result of subsequent rise in sea level where sporadic microbial buildups formed under suitable conditions freshly deposited winnowed shell dominated transgressive lag deposits containing chuangia trilobite fragments brachiopod shells and abundant glauconite grains formed with continued rise in sea level which became in turn overlain by shale dominated facies the unique combination of the subtle erosion surface sensu stricto a subaerial unconformity and the underlying deformed limestone bed provides an important criterion for recognizing the subtle changes in relative sea level on shallow epeiric platforms

fluidization of buried mass wasting deposits in lake sediments and its relevance for paleoseismology results from a reflection seismic study of lakes villarrica and calafquen south central chile abstract a dense grid of very high resolution seismic profiles on lake villarrica provides a quasi 3d view on intercalated lenses of low amplitude reflections which are connected by acoustic wipe out patches and fractures to an underlying voluminous mass wasting deposit the lenses are interpreted as being created by earthquake triggered liquefaction in this buried mass wasting deposit and subsequent sediment fluidization and extrusion at the paleo lake bottom these sediment volcanoes are mapped in detail they have a rather uniform circular geometry and show a linear relationship between apparent width and maximum thickness on a seismic section the largest sediment volcanoes are up to 80 m wide and 1 9 m thick their slope angles designate a syn to post depositional sagging of most sediment volcanoes sediment volcano detection and mapping from nearby lake calafquen further strengthen the revealed geometrical relationships locally some of the sediment fluid escape structures extend to a higher position in the stratigraphy which points to a polyphase escape process associated with multiple multi century spaced strong earthquakes thickness and morphology of the source layer seem to exert a dominant control in the production of sediment fluid extrusions this study shows that reflection seismic profiling allowed recognizing 4 different seismic events in the studied stratigraphic interval which are evidenced by mass wasting deposits and or fluidization features

hydrological evolution during the last 15 kyr in the tso kar lake basin ladakh india derived from geomorphological sedimentological and palynological records abstract the tso kar lake basin in ladakh northwestern himalayas 33 18 n 78 e 4527 m a s l is located close to the modern boundary of effective moisture transport from the indian summer monsoon in order to reconstruct the possible monsoonal impact on the hydrology of the lake basin during the last 15 kyr we studied the geomorphology of the basin and combined the results with multi proxy records from tso kar lake sediments major analyses comprise geochemical data high resolution x ray fluorescence xrf mineral composition xrd aquatic pollen and non pollen palynomorphs npp although the chronological framework based on 41 14c ams dates remains speculative for the lateglacial and late holocene periods our results indicate major hydrological phases linked to regional climate variations and tectonic activity the maximum glacier advance falls within the period between the global lgm and ca 15 kyr bp while the basin remained open and may have drained along the paleo tso kar river tectonic pulses may have triggered terrace development and the closure of the lake the estimated mean vertical displacement rate accounts for 7 9 mm yr considerable summer monsoon moisture supply occurred for the periods around 12 5 kyr bp and between ca 11 5 and 8 6 kyr bp indicated by deposition of more profundal lake facies and the development of aquatic fauna and flora the lake level rise about 11 8 kyr bp was due to intensified glacier melt and summer monsoon effective moisture supply the lake reached its maximum level and extent between 8 5 and 7 kyr bp under warm moist climate conditions permafrost was absent from the basin summer monsoon influence weakened after 8 kyr bp with a short reverse trend at ca 5 6 kyr bp the lake shrank gradually after 7 kyr bp towards its lowest stand at about 4 2 kyr bp with return of permafrost activity subsequent terrace formation was probably amplified by tectonic movement the lake remained at a low level with minor fluctuations the results indicate that the orbitally driven regional climate variability is well reflected in the tso kar basin by hydrological variations considerable summer monsoon moisture seems to have influenced the area only during the early holocene the late quaternary evolution of the tso kar was controlled by the interplay of climate forces local morphodynamics and tectonic impact

crustal structure of the himalayan orogen at 90 east longitude from project indepth deep reflection profiles international deep profiling of tibet and the himalaya indepth deep seismic reflection profiles show that the indian lithosphere is underthrusting the central himalaya along a gently north dipping decollement that is traceable northward beneath the tethyan belt to 28 6 n and to a depth of about 45 km the decollement carries in its hanging wall a near crustal thickness slice of internally deformed indian continental basement and cover represented in outcrop by the greater himalayan belt and structurally overlying tethyan belt geometric relationships suggest that the decollement probably ramps downward beneath the northern tethyan belt to near the base of the crust and that the hanging wall crustal slice was detached from indian mantle lithosphere that presently underlies southern tibet to the north the north himalayan anticlinorium kangmar dome appears to be a large duplex ramp anticline in the hanging wall of the decollement the south tibetan detachment appears to have been imaged in two areas in the wagye la area it appears to follow the tethyan belt greater himalayan belt contact northward in the subsurface and to have been folded over the kangmar dome in the zherger la area it appears to have been active relatively recently as a 30 north dipping normal fault that cuts deeply into the greater himalayan belt allochthon palinspastic reconstruction indicates a minimum of about 326 km of shortening of the indian basement across the himalaya since the initiation of the main central thrust hence indian continental lithosphere largely stripped of its overlying crust can extend northward beneath the tibetan plateau to at least 32 n where earthquake seismological observations show that the properties of the upper mantle change markedly e g mcnamara et al 1995 taken together the seismic reflection and earthquake seismological observations lend support for the view that the indian mantle lid mechanically underplates roughly the southern half of the tibetan plateau the indepth reflection data do not show that indian crust attached to this lithosphere extends north of southernmost tibet kangmar dome nor do they negate this possibility similarly the reflection data do not yield direct evidence for or against lower crustal subduction beneath the himalaya

soft sediment deformation structures in the late quaternary sediments of ladakh evidence for multiple phases of seismic tremors in the north western himalayan region abstract the exposed quaternary sections of ladakh show evidence of seismicity during the late quaternary multiple levels of soft sediment deformation structures seismites are recorded from the quaternary sediments of the spituk leh along indus suture zone isz and the khalsar palaeolakes along shyok suture zone ssz and karakoraum fault kf the studied sections are a part of two major tectonically formed palaeolakes at 35 000 yr bp nine levels of seismites from spituk leh and eight levels from khalsar sections are recorded the deformed sediments comprise of clay silts and sand and are restricted to a single stratigraphic layers bounded by undeformed beds suggesting synsedimentary deformation the various deformational structures identified are simple and complex convolutes pinch and swell bedding microfolds and microfaults flame like structures pseudonodules clay diapirs ball and pillow structures pillar structures sedimentary dykes and mud lenses the release of stress along the isz ssz and kf may have been responsible for inducing seismicity in the area during the late quaternary times which may have caused liquefaction as a direct consequence of permanent deformation of ground surface due to earthquakes of large magnitudes 5 intensity the chronological data suggests release of stresses along isz ssz and kf in the form of earthquakes between 35 000 yr bp to approximately the last glacial maxima lgm as evident form the available chronology

under pressure clastic dykes in glacial settings abstract clastic dykes are widespread in glacial settings and we provide examples from switzerland patagonia iceland and the antarctic ranging in age from tertiary to recent on the basis of these examples we establish the general characteristics of clastic dykes and proceed to establish the direction of propagation on sedimentological grounds micromorphological analysis reveals that sedimentation in the dykes is ruled by pressure gradients and that ordinary sedimentological rules do not apply clastic dykes act like safety valves in the subglacial hydraulic system their development depends on specific subglacial conditions like water volume and pressure the nature of the bed sediments or bedrock and the hydraulic properties of the bed a number of scenarios for clastic dyke development are presented as there is not just one set of conditions under which they form development of clastic dykes affects glaciodynamics like velocity and surging and landform formation like till thickness and bedrock disruption

tectonic versus climate influence on landscape evolution a case study from the upper spiti valley nw himalaya abstract we have undertaken structural geomorphological and morphometric analyses to investigate the role of tectonism and climate in the landscape evolution in the upper spiti valley nw himalayas geomorphometric analyses coupled with field investigations reveal active tectonic deformation in the spiti region the calculated geomorphic indices steepness concavity and hack demonstrate uplift subsidence along the kaurik chango fault whereas transverse topographic index t index reveals basin tilting associated with active faulting near hansa and lingti valley investigation of well dated mane palaeolake sediments also provides evidence of regional tectonic instability four episodes ca 7 8 7 4 6 5 and 6 1 cal ka of neotectonic activity have been identified during the period of the lake s existence we have also compiled data on the regional climate variability and compared it with the age of the mane palaeo landslide our results indicate that the landslide occurred towards the end of the early holocene intensified monsoon phase and is located near an active fault our data on regional tectonic instability and the coincidences of modern and palaeo landslides with zones of active deformation suggest that tectonism is an important factor governing landscape stability in the spiti region

deposition and deformation of fluvial lacustrine sediments of the upper triassic lower jurassic whitmore point member moenave formation northern arizona abstract the stratigraphic section of the upper triassic lower jurassic whitmore point member of the moenave formation at potter canyon arizona comprises c 26 m of gray to black shales and red mudstones interbedded with mainly sheet like siltstones and sandstones these strata represent deposition from suspension and sheetflow processes in shallow perennial meromictic to ephemeral lakes and on dry mudflats of the terminal floodout of the northward flowing moenave stream system the lakes were small as indicated by the lack of shoreline features and limited evidence for deltas changes in base level likely forced by climate change drove the variations between mudflat and perennial lacustrine conditions lenticular sandstones that occur across the outcrop face in the same stratigraphic interval in the lower part of the sequence represent the bedload fill of channels incised into a coarsening upward lacustrine sequence following a fall in base level these sandstones are distinctive for the common presence of over steepened bedding dewatering structures and less commonly folding deformation of these sandstones is interpreted as aseismic due to the lack of features typically associated with seismicity such as fault graded bedding diapirs brecciated fabrics and clastic dikes rapid deposition of the sands on a fluid rich substrate produced a reverse density gradient that destabilized and potentially fluidized the underlying finer grained sediments this destabilization allowed synsedimentary subsidence of most of the channel sands accompanied by longitudinal rotation and or ductile deformation of the sand bodies

soft sediment deformation fluid escape features in a coarse grained pyroclastic surge deposit north central new mexico the puye formation in north central new mexico is a very coarse grained fanglomerate which was deposited on the eastern flank of the jemez caldera pyroclastic deposits occur within the puye in the form of airfall pumice beds and the remnant of at least one pyroclastic surge deposit this pyroclastic surge deposit shows the effects of fluidization and soft sediment deformation in the form of 1 intrusive sedimentary plumes 2 upwardly injected gravelly pipes 3 pocket structures similar to those of postma 1983 and 4 oversteepened and deformed cross stratification fluidization and soft sediment deformation resulted from a combination of the mechanical instability and high possibly pressurized fluid content of the deposit this metastable condition was a consequence of the nature of the flow which deposited the sediment a rapidly depositing high velocity sediment gravity flow the fluids in pyroclastic surges may be either gas or liquid however because of the coarse grain size of the fluidized sediment it is suggested that liquids were responsible for the features described in this paper evidence also suggests that locally fluidization liquefaction and soft sediment deformation took place penecontemporaneously with deposition

aseismic controls on in situ soft sediment deformation processes and products in submarine slope deposits of the karoo basin south africa intervals of soft sediment deformation features including vertical fluid escape and load structures are common and well exposed in permian lower slope deposits of the tanqua depocentre karoo basin the structures mainly comprise elongated flames and load structures associated with ruptured sandstones and structureless siltstones observed over a range of scales the presence of an upper structureless siltstone layer linked to the flames interpreted as a product of the debouching of fine grained material transported through the flame onto the palaeo seabed together with the drag and upward folding of lower sandstone layers is evidence that the flames were formed in situ by upward movement of sediment rich fluids flames are oriented parallel to the deep water palaeoslope in lateral splay deposits between two major slope channel complexes statistical correlation and regression analyses of 180 flame structures from seven stratigraphic intervals suggest a common mechanism for the deformation and indicate the importance of fluidization as a deformation mechanism importantly deformation occurred in an instantaneous and synchronous manner liquefaction and fluidization were triggered by incremental movement of sediment over steeper local gradients that were generated by deposition of a lateral splay on an inherited local north west facing slope seismic activity is not invoked as a trigger mechanism because of the restricted spatial occurrence of these features and the lack of indications of earthquakes during the time of deposition of the deep water succession the driving mechanisms that resulted in the final configuration of the soft sediment deformation structures involved a combination of vertical shear stress caused by fluidization development of an inverse density gradient and a downslope component of force associated with the local slope ground penetrating radar profiles confirm the overall north east orientation of the flame structures and provide a basis for recognition of potential larger scale examples of flames in seismic reflection data sets

seismically induced soft sediment deformation structures seismites around sumdo in the lower spiti valley tethys himalaya abstract soft sediment deformation structures were observed in 120 m thick fluvio lacustrine sediments exposed in the sumdo area in the lower spiti valley tethys himalaya himachal pradesh india these structures vary in their morphology and pattern and occur at eight stratigraphic levels s1 s8 spaced at irregular intervals the deformation structures include over steepened stratification diapiric flame like intrusions of clayey material or complex type recumbent folding of flame like nature pseudonodules large scale soft sediment folding faulting small scale associated with folding and sand dykes these structures are restricted to single stratigraphic layers separated by undeformed beds and can be correlated over a large distance the deformation of the soft sediments is attributed to the combined effects of fluidization liquefaction and shear stress and can be related to past seismic activity in the area recently on 19 january 1975 a major earthquake kinnaur earthquake of magnitude 6 8 caused extensive damage including ground rupturing in the sumdo kaurik area this earthquake has been related to the activation of the kaurik chango fault the deformed layers seismites reported here lie adjacent to this fault zone and can be related with episodic seismicity along this fault it is evident from this study that the kaurik chango fault has been re activated a number of times and that the area suffered at least nine major earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 6 during late pleistocene holocene time including the 1975 kinnaur earthquake

sediment mobilization deposits from episodic subsurface fluid flow a new tool to reveal long term earthquake records subsurface fluid flow can be affected by earthquakes increased spring activity mud volcano eruptions groundwater fluctuations changes in geyser frequency and other forms of altered subsurface fluid flow have been documented during after or even prior to seismic shaking recently discovered giant pockmarks on the bottom of lake neuch tel switzerland are the lake floor expression of subsurface fluid flow they discharge groundwater from the jura mountains karstic aquifers and experience episodically increased subsurface fluid flow documented by subsurface sediment mobilization deposits at the levees of the pockmarks in this study we present the spatio temporal distribution of event deposits from these phases of sediment expulsion and of multiple time correlative mass transport deposits we report five striking instances of concurrent multiple subsurface sediment deposits and multiple mass transport deposits since late glacial times for which we propose past earthquakes as a trigger comparison of this new event catalogue with historic earthquakes and other independent paleoseismic records suggests that initiation of sediment expulsion requires a minimum macroseismic intensity of vii thus our study presents for the first time sedimentary deposits resulting from increased subsurface fluid flow as a paleoseismic proxy

stratigraphy petrography and dispersion of the lower permian syn eruptive deposits in the viar basin spain abstract this paper presents a stratigraphic petrographic and sedimentologic analysis of felsic syn eruptive deposits of the southernmost permian basin in europe viar basin an inner orogenic transtensional half graben located between two major geotectonic zones of the iberian variscan belt sw spain the syn eruptive deposits of the viar basin represent a mappable lithostratigraphic unit that is herein named the los canchales formation this unit forms a wedge shaped body bounded by alluvial fluvial deposits red layers that are in gradational contact the stratigraphic architecture of the los canchales formation is complex with frequent facies changes and interfingering among pyroclastic rocks resedimented volcaniclastic rocks and sedimentary rocks abundant fossil flora is also recorded a wax wane cycle of volcanic activity is recognized during the syn eruptive period two short lived volcanic episodes were recorded including ignimbrites and a possible phreatomagmatic event explosive volcanism generated pyroclastic flow surge and ash fall deposits in cases collapsing the drainage network they also modified the vegetation and created a new depositional setting with four successive sedimentary environments vegetated floodplain ephemeral sandy braidplain palustrine environment and again vegetated floodplain input of pyroclasts followed a nw to se longitudinal axial dispersal pattern

the effect of denmark strait overflow on the atlantic meridional overturning circulation 1 hydraulic constraints on the denmark strait overflow dso are used as a parameterisation to improve the overflow representation in a global climate model the parameterisation increases deep water formation in the nordic seas and strengthens the norwegian atlantic current associated higher northward heat transport leads to a northward shift of the sea ice edge and warming by 2 5 c in the eastern nordic seas despite a small effect on the atlantic meridional overturning circulation amo this emphasises the impact of the dso on climate even though the response in overturning due to the dso representation in this model is less than expected from previous studies using ocean only models in contrast to previous studies almost no stabilising effect of the overflow on the amo is found to freshwater perturbations citation kosters f r h kase a schmittner and p herrmann 2005 the effect of denmark strait overflow on the atlantic meridional overturning circulation

tectonics and structural zonation of southern tibet china the yarlung zangbo suture zone is composed of several thrust sheets with distinct stratigraphies states of deformation and metamorphic grades successive deformations have been produced by persistent north south shortening since obduction of the ophiolites by late cretaceous palaeocene times a possible decoupling of the crust may be associated with the intracontinental thrust system which has formed in the subducted indian plate this article emphasizes the role of shear deformations in the building of a collision belt

dating past earthquakes and related sediments by thermoluminescence methods a review abstract applications of luminescence dating of geological materials have undergone extensive development and refinement since 1986 when mccalpin first attempted to date faults using thermoluminescence tl today luminescence methods offer high potential for dating paleoearthquakes and coseismic and post seismic deformation features over timescales ranging from 102 to 106 a while luminescence approaches generally do not possess the precision obtained by for example 40ar 39ar and 14c methods they offer a useful alternative approach with advantages in terms of age range and scope of material although the application of luminescence dating has in some cases been successfully described a comprehensive study outlining and defining protocols for routine luminescence methods to paleoseismology and neotectonic studies has not been forthcoming this review surveys previous attempts to apply tl techniques to paleoseismology and determination of the age of sediments associated with seismic events however while the use of tl has been a great success the wide application of tl has been hampered by the problem of daylight signal resetting

seismically induced soft sediment deformation structures associated with the magallanes fagnano fault system isla grande de tierra del fuego argentina abstract in this paper evidence of paleoearthquake induced soft sediment deformation structures associated with the magallanes fagnano fault system in the isla grande de tierra del fuego southern argentina has been identified well preserved soft sediment deformation structures were found in a holocene sequence of the udaeta pond these structures were analyzed in terms of their geometrical characteristics deformation mechanism driving force system and possible trigger agent they were also grouped in different morphological types sand dykes convolute lamination load structures and faulted soft sediment deformation features udaeta a small pond in argentina tierra del fuego is considered a quaternary pull apart basin related to the magallanes fagnano fault system the recognition of these seismically induced features is an essential tool for paleoseismic studies since the three main urban centers in the tierra del fuego province of argentina ushuaia rio grande and tolhuin have undergone an explosive growth in recent years the results of this study will hopefully contribute to future analyses of the seismic risk of the region

use of liquefaction induced features for paleoseismic analysis an overview of how seismic liquefaction features can be distinguished from other features and how their regional distribution and properties of source sediment can be used to infer the location and strength of holocene paleo earthquakes abstract liquefaction features can be used in many field settings to estimate the recurrence interval and magnitude of strong earthquakes through much of the holocene these features include dikes craters vented sand sills and laterally spreading landslides the relatively high seismic shaking level required for their formation makes them particularly valuable as records of strong paleo earthquakes this state of the art summary for using liquefaction induced features for paleoseismic interpretation and analysis takes into account both geological and geotechnical engineering perspectives the driving mechanism for formation of the features is primarily the increased pore water pressure associated with liquefaction of sand rich sediment the role of this mechanism is often supplemented greatly by the direct action of seismic shaking at the ground surface which strains and breaks the clay rich cap that lies immediately above the sediment that liquefied discussed in the text are the processes involved in formation of the features as well as their morphology and characteristics in field settings whether liquefaction occurs is controlled mainly by sediment grain size sediment packing depth to the water table and strength and duration of seismic shaking formation of recognizable features in the field generally requires a low permeability cap above the sediment that liquefied field manifestations are controlled largely by the severity of liquefaction and the thickness and properties of the low permeability cap criteria are presented for determining whether observed sediment deformation in the field originated by seismically induced liquefaction these criteria have been developed mainly by observing historic effects of liquefaction in varied field settings the most important criterion is that a seismic liquefaction origin requires widespread regional development of features around a core area where the effects are most severe in addition the features must have a morphology that is consistent with a very sudden application of a large hydraulic force this article discusses case studies in widely separated and different geological settings coastal south carolina the new madrid seismic zone the wabash valley seismic zone and coastal washington state these studies encompass most of the range of settings and the types of liquefaction induced features likely to be encountered anywhere the case studies describe the observed features and the logic for assigning a seismic liquefaction origin to them also discussed are some types of sediment deformations that can be misinterpreted as having a seismic origin two independent methods for estimating prehistoric magnitude are discussed briefly one method is based on determination of the maximum distance from the epicenter over which liquefaction induced effects have formed the other method is based on use of geotechnical engineering techniques at sites of marginal liquefaction in order to bracket the peak accelerations as a function of epicentral distance these accelerations can then be compared with predictions from seismological models