Universität zu Köln

Verbeeck, Koen, Wouters, Laurent, Vanneste, Kris, Camelbeeck, Thierry, Vandenberghe, Dimitri, Beerten, Koen, Rogiers, Bart ORCID: 0000-0002-8836-0988, Schiltz, Marco, Burow, Christoph, Mees, Florias, De Grave, Johan and Vandenberghe, Noel (2017). Episodic activity of a dormant fault in tectonically stable Europe: The Rauw fault (NE Belgium). Tectonophysics, 699. S. 146 - 164. AMSTERDAM: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. ISSN 1879-3266

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Abstract

Our knowledge about large earthquakes in stable continental regions comes from studies of faults that generated historical surface rupturing earthquakes or were identified by their recent imprint in the morphology. Here, we evaluate the co-seismic character and movement history of the Rauw fault in Belgium, which lacks geomorphological expression and historical/present seismicity. This 55-km-long normal fault, with known Neogene and possibly Early Pleistocene activity, is the largest offset fault west of the active Roer Valley Graben. Its trace was identified in the shallow subsurface based on high resolution geophysics. All the layers within the Late Pliocene Mol Formation (3.6 to 2.59 Ma) are displaced 7 m vertically, without growth faulting, but deeper deposits show increasing offset. A paleoseismic trench study revealed cryoturbated, but unfaulted, late glacial coversands overlying faulted layers of Mol Formation. In-between those deposits, the fault tip was eroded, along with evidence for individual displacement events. Fragmented clay gouge observed in a micromorphology sample of the main fault evidences co-seismic faulting, as opposed to fault creep. Based on optical and electron spin resonance dating and trench stratigraphy, the 7 m combined displacement is bracketed to have occurred between 2.59 Ma and 45 ka. The regional presence of the Sterksel Formation alluvial terrace deposits, limited to the hanging wall of the Rauw fault, indicates a deflection of the Meuse/Rhine confluence (1.0 to 0.5 Ma) by the fault's activity, suggesting that most of the offset occurred prior to/at this time interval. In the trench, Sterksel Formation is eroded but reworked gravel testifies for its former presence. Hence, the Rauw fault appears as typical of plate interior context, with an episodic seismic activity concentrated between 1.0 and 0.5 Ma or at least between 2.59 Ma to 45 ka, possibly related to activity variations in the adjacent, continuously active Roer Valley Graben. (C) 2017 Elsevier BY. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Verbeeck, Koen UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Wouters, Laurent UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Vanneste, Kris UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Camelbeeck, Thierry UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Vandenberghe, Dimitri UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Beerten, Koen UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Rogiers, Bart UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-8836-0988 UNSPECIFIED Schiltz, Marco UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Burow, Christoph UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Mees, Florias UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED De Grave, Johan UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Vandenberghe, Noel UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-236591
DOI:	10.1016/j.tecto.2017.01.023
Journal or Publication Title:	Tectonophysics
Volume:	699
Page Range:	S. 146 - 164
Date:	2017
Publisher:	ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
Place of Publication:	AMSTERDAM
ISSN:	1879-3266
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language ROER VALLEY GRABEN; LOWER RHINE GRABEN; REGENERATIVE-DOSE PROTOCOL; CONTINENTAL REGIONS; STRESS-FIELD; RIFT SYSTEM; RURRAND FAULT; ERROR LIMITS; EARTHQUAKE; AREA Multiple languages Geochemistry & Geophysics Multiple languages
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/23659