Fault2SHA Eastern Betics Shear Zone Lab

A 500 km long complex fault-system in a convergent plate margin (SE Spain)

The Eastern Betics is one of the most seismically active areas of the western Mediterranean. One of its major fault systems (the Eastern Betics Shear Zone, EBSZ) extends along near 500 km, including onshore and offshore areas.


Tectonic Frame of the EBSZ: Eastern Betic Shear Zone: BSF: Bajo Segura Fault; CAF: Carrascoy Fault; LTF: Los Tollos Fault; AMF: Alhama de Murcia Fault; PF: Palomares Fault; CF: Carboneras Fault; SMF: San Miguel de Salinas Fault; CRF: Crevillente Fault; MF: Las Moreras Fault; and ACFZ: Alpujarras Corridor Fault Zone. The year of the main historical earthquakes are displayed.

After the III Fault2SHA meeting in 2017 (Barcelonnette, France), a group of scientists working in the area decided to set up a collaborative network to share and discuss raw data, interpretations and ways to introduce geological data into SHA. We are still working on it!

Core members: María Ortuño, Julián García-Mayordomo, José Antonio Álvarez-Gómez, Juan Miguel Insua-Arévalo and Hector Perea.

Members: Octavi Gómez, Raimon Pallàs, Yolanda de Pro Díaz, Cesar Ranero, Iván Martín Rojas, Eulalia Masana, Álvaro González, Giorgi Khazaradze, Laura Gómez de la Peña, Jorge Gaspar, Raquel Martín, Josechu Martínez Díaz, Jorge Alonso Henar, Paula Herrero Barbero, José M. Azañón, Alejandra Staller, Emilio Rodríguez-Escudero, Carolina Canora, Lucía Lozano, Marisol Monterrubio, Otilio Rojas, Josep de la Puente, Mar Tápia, Marc Ollé, Júlia Molins Vigatà, Jose Luis Sánchez-Roldán, Pouye Yazdi, Iván Medina Cascales, Roberto López, Natalia Zamora, Juan Portela, Sara Martínez Loriente, Ariadna Canari Bordoy and Elena Pascual Sanchez.

Key Questions

  • What controls the connection (interaction) among the different faults and fault-sections in the EBSZ system?
  • Which faults/sections are currently the most hazardous?
  • How the geological and geodetical input data should be organized and delivered for seismic hazard calculations?

Specific Aims 

  • Improving the paleoseismological knowledge of the EBSZ faults by either gathering new data or improving the existing ones.
  • Estimating slip rate variability in space and time from both paleoseismological and geodetic studies of complete fault-transects and improved dating methods (U-Th, racemization, OSL, cosmogenics, radiocarbon).
  • Incorporating offshore and onshore fault data.
  • Revealing the deep geometry and behaviour of the main faults of the system using geophysical, geodetic and modelling techniques.
  • Improving kinematic fault constraints by using structural analysis and modelling (numerical and analogue).
  • Proposing practical approaches for the improvement of fault-hazard consideration in probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) and for the application of seismorresistant provisions.
  • Linking onshore seismic hazard analysis with offshore tsunami hazard analysis.
  • Improving of data systematization in active fault databases, application to QAFI (Quaternary Active Faults database of Iberia).

Some Recent Publications

  • Characterization of the shallow subsurface structure across the frontal strands of the Carrascoy Fault System (SE Iberian Peninsula) using P-wave tomography and MASW models. Handoyo, I. DeFelipe, R. Martín-Banda, J. García-Mayordomo, D. Martí, J.J. Martínez-Díaz, J.M. Insua-Arévalo, T. Teixidó, J. Alcalde, I. Palomeras, and R. Carbonell, Geologica Acta, 2022; vol.21.
  • Slip Rate variation during the last ~210 ka on a slow fault in a transpressive regime: The Carrascoy Fault (Eastern Betic Shear Zone, SE Spain)Martín-Banda, R., Insua-Arévalo, J.M. and García-Mayordomo, J. Frontiers in Earth Science, 716. 2021.
  • Physics-based earthquake simulations in slow-moving faults: a case study from the Eastern Betic Shear Zone (SE Iberian Peninsula).Herrero-Barbero, P., Álvarez-Gómez, J.A., Williams, C., Villamor, P., Insua-Arévalo, J.M., Alonso-Henar, J., Martı́nez-Dı́az, J.J. Journal of Geophysical Research – Solid Earth,126(5), e2020JB021133.2021
  • Relocation of seismicity in the Guadalentín Tectonic Valley, Eastern Betics Shear Zone (SE Iberia). Sánchez-Roldán,  J.L., Martínez-Díaz, J.J., Cantavella, J.V., Álvarez-Gómez, J.A., Morales, J. Seismological Research Letters, 92(5), 3046-3064, 2021
  • Fault system-based probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of a moderate seismicity region: the Eastern Betics Shear Zone (SE Spain). Gómez-Novell, O., García-Mayordomo, J., Ortuño, M., Masana,E., Chartier, T. (2020). Frontiers in Earth Science doi: 10.3389/feart.2020.579398
  • Modelling earthquake rupture rates in fault systems for seismic hazard assessment: the Eastern Betics Shear Zone. Gómez-Novell, O., Chartier, T., García-Mayordomo, J., Ortuño, M., Masana, E., Insua-Arévalo, J.M., Scotti, O. (2020). Engineering Geology, 105452. doi: 10.1016/j.enggeo.2019.105452.
  • Neogene basin inversion and recent slip rate distribution of the northern termination of the Alhama de Murcia Fault (Eastern Betic Shear Zone, SE Spain).Herrero‐Barbero, P., Álvarez‐Gómez, J. A., Martínez‐Díaz, J. J., & Klimowitz, J. (2020).  Tectonics, 39(7), e2019TC005750.
  • Geological evidences of surface rupture related to a seventeenth century destructive earthquake in Betic Cordillera (SE Spain): constraining the seismic hazard of the Alhama de Murcia fault. Martínez-Díaz, J.J., Alonso-Henar, J., Insua-Arévalo, J.M., Canora, C., García-Mayordomo, J., Rodríguez-Escudero, E., Álvarez-Gómez, J.A., Ferrater, M., Ortuño, M. and Masana, E. Journal of Iberian Geology, 45(1):73-86, 2019, doi: 10.1007/s41513-018-0082-2
  • First evidence of paleoearthquakes along the Carboneras fault zone (SE iberian Peninsula): Los trances site. Eulàlia Masana, X Moreno, Enric Gràcia, R Pallàs, M Ortuño, R López, Octavi Gómez-Novell, P Ruano, H Perea, P Stepancikova, Giorgi Khazaradze. Geologica Acta, 461-476. 2018. DOI: 10.1344/GeologicaActa2018.16.4.8
  • Active fault databases: building a bridge between earthquake geologists and seismic hazard practitioners, the case of the QAFI v.3 database García-Mayordomo J., Martín-Banda R., Insua-Arévalo J.M., Álvarez-Gómez, J.A., Martínez-Díaz, J.J. and Cabral, J.Natural Hazards and Earth Science Systems, 17: 1447-1459, 2017, doi: 10.5194/nhess-17-1447-2017. 
  • New insights on the seismogenic potential of the Eastern Betic Shear Zone (SE Iberia): Quaternary activity and paleoseismicity of the SW segment of the Carrascoy Fault Zone. R. Martín-Banda, J. García-Mayordomo, J.M. Insua-Arévalo, Á.E. Salazar, E. Rodríguez-Escudero, J.A. Álvarez-Gómez, A. Medialdea and M.J. Herrero. Tectonics, 35: 55-75, 2016, doi:10.1002/2015TC003997. 
  • Paleoseismological evidence of Holocene activity of the Los Tollos Fault (Murcia, SE Spain): A lately formed Quaternary tectonic feature of the Eastern Betic Shear Zone. Insua-Arévalo, J.M., García-Mayordomo, J., Salazar, A.E., Rodríguez-Escudero, E., Martín-Banda, R., Álvarez-Gómez, J.A., Canora, C., Martínez-Díaz, J.J. (2015)  Journal of Iberian Geology, 41(3): 333-350, 2015. doi: 10.5209/rev_JIGE.2015.v41.n3.49948

Doctoral Thesis

  • Structure, seismicity and active faults in the Alboran Sea through high-resolution technologies. Ariadna Canari (ongoing). Universitat de Barcelona.
  • Palomares Fault: Geomorphological exploration and mapping, microtopographic analysis and classical trenching survey, Molins, J. (ongoing). Universitat de Barcelona.
  • Morphotectonic and kinematic analysis of relay zones in active strike-slip fault and applications to seismic hazard and risk, de Pro Díaz, Y. (ongoing) Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
  • 3D relocation of seismicity in the Eastern Betics Shear Zone, Sánchez-Roldán, J.L. (ongoing), Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
  • Integration of paleoseismic data into seismic hazard assessments at the Eastern Betics Shear Zone (SE Spain), Gómez-Novell, O., 2021, Universitat de Barcelona.
  • 3D modeling of the structure, kinematics and seismogenic behavior of the Eastern Betic Fault System. Application to seismic hazard, Herrero-Barbero, P., 2022, Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
  • Segmentation and Recent Evolution of the Sierra de Carrascoy Fault System: implications for its seismogenic potential, Raquel Martín Banda, 2020, Universidad Complutense de Madrid 

Software 

Álvarez-Gómez, J. A. (2019). FMC—Earthquake focal mechanisms data management, cluster and classification. SoftwareX, 9, 299-307.

  • AC-DCFS – Automatic computation of Coulomb Failure Stress changes after relevant earthquakes

Alvarez-Gómez, J. A., & García-Mayordomo, J. (2017). AC-DCFS: a toolchain implementation to Automatically Compute Coulomb Failure Stress changes after relevant earthquakes. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 19, 16000.

Current Projects

  • PALEOSTRIKE: Coseismic rupture characterization of the 2016 Al-Idrissi earthquake, Alboran Sea (Ref.: OT7012). Principal Researcher: Sara Martínez-Loriente  (Instituto de Ciencias del Mar-CSIC).
  • TALMUR: Active Tectonics in the coast of the Murcia Region (PID2021-127967NB-I00). Principal Researcher: Iván Martín Rojas  (Universidad de Alicante).
  • THREAT: Tsunamigenic sources in the south of the Iberian Peninsula (PID2021-128513OA-I00). Principal Researcher: Sara Martínez-Loriente  (Instituto de Ciencias del Mar-CSIC).
  • SHaKER: Seismic Hazard Knowledge for Earthquake Resilience (PID2021-124155NB-C31). Principal Researchers: José A. Álvarez Gómez and José J. Martínez Díaz. Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
  • NSOURCES: New approaches to earthquake source characterization and their effective integration into fault-based seismic hazard models. Case studies in areas of low-to-intermediate activity of eastern Iberia (PID2020-119772RB-I00). Principal Researchers:  Raimon Pallàs and Eulàlia Masana. Univ. of Barcelona
  • STRENGTH: Structure, seismicity and growth of active faults in the Alboran Sea through very-high resolution technologies and related hazard (PID2019-104668RB-I00). Principal Researchers: Dr. Eulàlia Gràcia (Instituto de Ciencias del Mar-CSIC) and Dr. Hector Perea (Instituto de Ciencias del Mar-CSIC).

Past Projects

  • UNrIDDLE: Unveiling the deep structure and recent deformation history on long strike-slip faults: From geological data to seismic hazard (Project 2018-T1/AMB-11039).“Atracción de Talento – Modalidad 1”. Funding agency: Comunidad de Madrid. Principal Researcher: Dr. Hector Perea. Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
  • SEAQUAKE: Unveiling the coseismic rupture of an active submarine fault in the Alboran Sea. The 2016 Al-Idrissi earthquake (No 824077). “Eurofleets+ Programme”. Principal Researcher: Sara Martínez-Loriente  (Instituto de Ciencias del Mar-CSIC).
  • QUAKE STEP: Monitoring, kinematic analysis and seismogenic characterization in relay zones of transcurrent fault systems (CGL2017-83931-C3-1-P). Funding agency: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Principal Researchers: Drs. José A. Álvarez Gómez y José J. Martínez Díaz. Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
  • GeoActiva: Geodetic monitoring and kinematic modeling of active fault systems (CGL2017-83931-C3-3-P). Principal Researcher: Dr. Alejandra Staller Vázquez. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
  • INTERGEO: Analysis and monitoring of the seismogenic behaviour in intersegment region of strike-slip active faults (cgl2013-47412.c2-1-p). Principal Researcher: Dr. José J. Martínez Díaz. Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
  • SISMOGEN: TRANSFERING GEOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE TO SEISMIC RISK ANALYSIS IN IBERIA: SEISMOGENIC SOURCE DATABASE AND EXPLORATION OF PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS. Principal Researcher: Dr. Julián García Mayordomo. IGME.
  • FASEGEO: SEISMOGENIC CHARACTERISATION OF THE MAJOR ACTIVE FAULTS IN SOUTH-EASTERN SPAIN USING GEOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES. Principal Researcher: Dr. Julián García Mayordomo. IGME.

Working meetings and workshops of the group

  • 2022-June-July (Alicante). Workshop on fault modelling in PSHA. Summary.
  • 2022-January (Madrid). 2nd Workshop on Geological Data and Seismic Hazards in the Eastern Betic Shear Zone. Summary.
  • 2017-November (Madrid). Workshop on Geological Data and Seismic Hazards in the Eastern Betic Shear Zone (Kick-off meeting of the working group). Summary.