Physical constraints on speleothem deformations caused by earthquakes, seen from a new perspective: Implications for paleoseismology

Mendecki, Maciej J.; Szczygieł, Jacek

doi:10.1016/j.jsg.2019.06.008

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Analogous to surface rock falls, block impacts can produce high‐frequency waves in the cave, which are quickly attenuated (Dammeier et al., 2011). Due to the geometry of speleothems, high‐frequency events are favorable for speleothem destruction (Bottelin et al., 2020; Mendecki & Szczygieł, 2019). Thus, within the short distance from the block fall (one dozen to hundreds of meters), speleothem failure due to seismic wave propagation is plausible.…”

Section: Discussion—cave Damage Causesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The parameters describing these criteria are the speleothem natural frequency and the corresponding critical horizontal ground acceleration, which depend on elastic properties of the speleothem and the following geometric dimensions: height, H , and diameter, D , measured in situ (Cadorin et al., 2001; Ferranti et al., 2019; Lacave et al., 2000; Mendecki & Szczygieł. 2019; Pace et al., 2020; Szeidovitz et al., 2008). The horizontal ground acceleration is the limit at which speleothems break.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, only places where the destruction is significant have been marked on the plan, that is, localities that can be described as "speleothem cemeteries,” where broken and fallen speleothems cover the entire floor or places where there are at least a few damaged speleothems in one location and are a single but sizable feature. Furthermore, for 50 broken speleothems, we acquired geometric measurements, including length (minimum) and failure plane diameter, to investigate the relationship between speleothem dimensions and the horizontal ground acceleration required to damage speleothems (Ferranti et al., 2019; Gribovszki et al., 2018; Mendecki & Szczygieł, 2019)…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Worldwide, cave damage, especially speleothem breakage, is interpreted or even used as a proof of concept for paleoseismic studies (see the review by Becker et al., 2006). However, modeling and laboratory tests show that speleothems break with great difficulty under ground shaking; in addition, several conditions must be met, such as a significantly elongated speleothem shape (Gilli et al., 1999; Gribovszki et al., 2018) or a short distance from the epicenter (Mendecki & Szczygieł, 2019). These studies and tests are based on an assumption of a prismatic cantilever beam supported at one end (Kong et al., 2008), which can be treated as a simple model of a stalactite or stalagmite.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Damaged Speleothems and Collapsed Karst Chambers Indicate Paleoseismicity of the NE Bohemian Massif (Niedźwiedzia Cave, Poland)

et al. 2021

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A moment magnitude greater than M6.5 is needed to express a fault in topography (McCalpin & Nelson, 1996), and secondary effects such as landslides or liquefaction M > 5 are inevitable (Ambraseys, 1988; Keefer, 1984). Little or nothing remains in the geological record after a lower magnitude event, especially when both the morphology and deposits are remodeled by ice sheets or periglacial processes, as is the case in a majority of the Northern Hemisphere. In a tectonically stable part of Europe, despite the European Cenozoic Rift System (ECRS) crossing eastward from the Carpathians and westward from the North Sea (Špaček et al., 2015; Ziegler, 1992), singular events strong enough to produce fault ruptures have been recorded (e.g., Camelbeeck & Meghraoui, 1998; Štěpančíková et al., 2010, 2019). A prominent example of the tectonic structure of the ECRS is one of the most significant tectonic lines in Central Europe-the Sudetic Marginal Fault (SMF), which is approximately 200 km long. The NW-SE-trending fault bounds the Bohemian Massif to the north, as expressed by the 130-km long morphological step. Historical earthquakes along the SMF were not high intensities (I < 7 on the EMS intensity scale; Guterch, 2015). The minimum moment magnitude of prehistoric earthquakes has been estimated to be M6.3 (Štěpančíková et al., 2010), which theoretically can produce higher intensity earthquakes (I∼8.8 in the epicenter on the MSK intensity scale). According to the earthquake hazard map for Czechia, Poland, and Slovakia (Schenk et al., 2001), the Sudetes region's intensity should not exceed I = 6.5 (MSK). This reveals two issues: (1) earthquakes in the Sudetes region occurred in historic and prehistoric times, and (2) their intensities might not have been strong enough to have produced earthquake effects that were preservable in the geological record, especially since the landscape was remodeled by glacial and periglacial processes. However, cave environments are separated from external erosive factors and often favor preserving traces of past processes and events, after which marks on the surface are obliterated or covered.

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Section: Discussion—cave Damage Causesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Damaged Speleothems and Collapsed Karst Chambers Indicate Paleoseismicity of the NE Bohemian Massif (Niedźwiedzia Cave, Poland)

et al. 2021

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“…Because a speleothem can be considered as a cantilever beam, with height H and diameter D (e.g., Cadorin et al, 2001; Mendecki & Szczygieł, 2019; Figure 5), we performed a numerical modeling to study its behavior during the passage of the seismic waves, based on its natural frequency of vibration. We used a FEM modeling approach taking advantage of the SAP2000 software (http://www.csiamerica.com/products/sap2000), which uses geometric, physical, and mechanical properties to compute the response of speleothems to the ground motion.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Large Paleoearthquake in the Central Apennines, Italy, Recorded by the Collapse of a Cave Speleothem

et al. 2020

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Speleoseismological research carried out in the Central Apennines (Italy) contributed to understanding the behavior of active normal faults that are potentially able to generate M w 6.5-7 earthquakes documented by paleoseismology and by historical and instrumental seismology. Radiometric (U-Th, AMS-14 C, and bulk-14 C) dating of predeformation and postdeformation layers from collapsed speleothems found in Cola Cave indicates that at least three speleoseismic events occurred in the cave during the last~12.5 ka and were ostensibly caused by seismic slip on one or more of the active faults located in the region surrounding the cave. We modeled the collapse of a tall (173 cm high) stalagmite to find a causative association of this event with one among the potential seismogenic sources. We defined the uniform hazard spectrum (UHS) for each seismogenic source at the site, and we used the calculated spectra in a deterministic approach to study the behavior of the speleothem, through a numerical finite element modeling (FEM). Although our analysis suggests the "Liri" fault as the most likely source responsible for the ground shaking recorded in the cave, the "Fucino" fault system, responsible for a M w 7 earthquake in 1915, cannot be excluded as a potential source of speleoseismic damage. Results of this work provide new constraints on the seismotectonic history of this sector of Central Apennines and highlight the performance of integrated speleoseismological, seismic hazard, and numerical studies.

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Co-seismic deformation of the 2017 Mw 6.6 Bodrum–Kos earthquake in speleothems of Korakia Cave (Pserimos, Dodecanese, Greece)

et al. 2022

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Physical constraints on speleothem deformations caused by earthquakes, seen from a new perspective: Implications for paleoseismology

Cited by 12 publications

References 51 publications

Damaged Speleothems and Collapsed Karst Chambers Indicate Paleoseismicity of the NE Bohemian Massif (Niedźwiedzia Cave, Poland)

Damaged Speleothems and Collapsed Karst Chambers Indicate Paleoseismicity of the NE Bohemian Massif (Niedźwiedzia Cave, Poland)

A Large Paleoearthquake in the Central Apennines, Italy, Recorded by the Collapse of a Cave Speleothem

Co-seismic deformation of the 2017 Mw 6.6 Bodrum–Kos earthquake in speleothems of Korakia Cave (Pserimos, Dodecanese, Greece)

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