Seismic Hazards Implications of Uplifted Pleistocene Coral Terraces in the Gulf of Aqaba

Abstract The Gulf of Aqaba transform plate boundary is a source of destructive teleseismic earthquakes. Seismicity is concentrated in the central sub-basin and decreases to both the north and south. Although principally a strike-slip plate boundary, the faulted margins of the Gulf display largely di...

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Autores principales:	W. Bosworth, P. Montagna, E. Pons-Branchu, N. Rasul, M. Taviani
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2017
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/e5d88c42eed84c8982bb1a300d6a57c3
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:e5d88c42eed84c8982bb1a300d6a57c32021-12-02T11:52:31ZSeismic Hazards Implications of Uplifted Pleistocene Coral Terraces in the Gulf of Aqaba10.1038/s41598-017-00074-22045-2322https://doaj.org/article/e5d88c42eed84c8982bb1a300d6a57c32017-02-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-00074-2https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract The Gulf of Aqaba transform plate boundary is a source of destructive teleseismic earthquakes. Seismicity is concentrated in the central sub-basin and decreases to both the north and south. Although principally a strike-slip plate boundary, the faulted margins of the Gulf display largely dip-slip extensional movement and accompanying footwall uplift. We have constrained rates of this uplift by measurements of elevated Pleistocene coral terraces. In particular the terrace that formed during the last interglacial (~125 ka) is found discontinuously along the length of the Gulf at elevations of 3 to 26 m. Global sea level was ~7 m higher than today at 125 ka indicating net maximum tectonic uplift of ~19 m with an average rate of ~0.015 cm/yr. Uplift has been greatest adjacent to the central sub-basin and like the seismicity decreases to the north and south. We suggest that the present pattern of a seismically active central region linked to more aseismic areas in the north and south has therefore persisted for at least the past 125 kyr. Consequently the potential for future destructive earthquakes in the central Gulf is greater than in the sub-basins to the north and south.W. BosworthP. MontagnaE. Pons-BranchuN. RasulM. TavianiNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2017)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q W. Bosworth P. Montagna E. Pons-Branchu N. Rasul M. Taviani Seismic Hazards Implications of Uplifted Pleistocene Coral Terraces in the Gulf of Aqaba
description	Abstract The Gulf of Aqaba transform plate boundary is a source of destructive teleseismic earthquakes. Seismicity is concentrated in the central sub-basin and decreases to both the north and south. Although principally a strike-slip plate boundary, the faulted margins of the Gulf display largely dip-slip extensional movement and accompanying footwall uplift. We have constrained rates of this uplift by measurements of elevated Pleistocene coral terraces. In particular the terrace that formed during the last interglacial (~125 ka) is found discontinuously along the length of the Gulf at elevations of 3 to 26 m. Global sea level was ~7 m higher than today at 125 ka indicating net maximum tectonic uplift of ~19 m with an average rate of ~0.015 cm/yr. Uplift has been greatest adjacent to the central sub-basin and like the seismicity decreases to the north and south. We suggest that the present pattern of a seismically active central region linked to more aseismic areas in the north and south has therefore persisted for at least the past 125 kyr. Consequently the potential for future destructive earthquakes in the central Gulf is greater than in the sub-basins to the north and south.
format	article
author	W. Bosworth P. Montagna E. Pons-Branchu N. Rasul M. Taviani
author_facet	W. Bosworth P. Montagna E. Pons-Branchu N. Rasul M. Taviani
author_sort	W. Bosworth
title	Seismic Hazards Implications of Uplifted Pleistocene Coral Terraces in the Gulf of Aqaba
title_short	Seismic Hazards Implications of Uplifted Pleistocene Coral Terraces in the Gulf of Aqaba
title_full	Seismic Hazards Implications of Uplifted Pleistocene Coral Terraces in the Gulf of Aqaba
title_fullStr	Seismic Hazards Implications of Uplifted Pleistocene Coral Terraces in the Gulf of Aqaba
title_full_unstemmed	Seismic Hazards Implications of Uplifted Pleistocene Coral Terraces in the Gulf of Aqaba
title_sort	seismic hazards implications of uplifted pleistocene coral terraces in the gulf of aqaba
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2017
url	https://doaj.org/article/e5d88c42eed84c8982bb1a300d6a57c3
work_keys_str_mv	AT wbosworth seismichazardsimplicationsofupliftedpleistocenecoralterracesinthegulfofaqaba AT pmontagna seismichazardsimplicationsofupliftedpleistocenecoralterracesinthegulfofaqaba AT eponsbranchu seismichazardsimplicationsofupliftedpleistocenecoralterracesinthegulfofaqaba AT nrasul seismichazardsimplicationsofupliftedpleistocenecoralterracesinthegulfofaqaba AT mtaviani seismichazardsimplicationsofupliftedpleistocenecoralterracesinthegulfofaqaba
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Seismic Hazards Implications of Uplifted Pleistocene Coral Terraces in the Gulf of Aqaba

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