Speleoseismology: A critical perspective

Becker, Arnfried; Davenport, Colin; Eichenberger, Urs; Gilli, Eric; Jeannin, Pierre‐Yves; Lacave, Corinne

doi:10.1007/s10950-006-9017-z

Cited by 84 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…In this kind of study, the correlation of speleoseismological data with independent geological data collected outside the cave may represent the key to constrain the results (Becker et al, 2005(Becker et al, , 2006. In our case, the dating of the seismothem analyzed in the Cavallone Cave finds very strong correlations with other independent phenomena that occurred in surrounding areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

“…From a general point of view, therefore, the Cavallone Cave is lacking intact long and thin speleothems. This raises questions because long and thin concretions are the first to be destroyed during an earthquake and it is generally accepted in the literature that soda straw damages are reliable indicators of coseismic shacking (e.g., Lacave et al, 2004;Becker et al, 2006). Moreover, ceiling collapses are widespread and corroborated by the presence of piles of collapsed materials in many points along the conduit.…”

Section: Speleoseismological Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following some pioneering studies at the beginning of the 1990s (see Becker et al, 2006, for a review), many works have focused on the significance of cave damages and their possible correlations with active tectonics and, in particular, with the effects of seismic shaking. This evidence includes broken speleothems and fallen stalactites (e.g., Postpischl et al, 1991;Ferranti et al, 1997;Lemeille et al, 1999;Delaby, 2001;Kagan et al, 2005;Šebela, 2008;Panno et al, 2009;Bábek et al, 2015;Méjean et al, 2015), blocks and ceiling collapses (e.g., Gilli, 1999;Pérez-López et al, 2009), deformed cave sediments and fault displacements (e.g., Gilli et al, 2010;Bábek et al, 2015), and speleothem growth anomalies (e.g., Forti et al, 1981;Forti and Postpischl, 1984;Akgöz and Eren, 2015;Rajendran et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Di Domenica and A. Pizzi: Defining a mid-Holocene earthquake event; Delaby, 2001) have been increasingly recognized in many caves worldwide, allowing researchers to discover past earthquakes (see Becker et al, 2006, for a review). On the other hand, robust evidence and correlations of specific paleoearthquakes in caves with other independent paleoseismic records are very rare in the literature (Becker et al, 2005).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to the uncertainties affecting this method of analysis, it is fundamental to combine speleoseismological data with independent paleoseismic records in other geological archives outside caves, such as liquefaction evidence within lake and flood-plain deposits, locations of rock falls and coseismic fault displacements (Becker et al, 2005(Becker et al, , 2006.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Defining a mid-Holocene earthquake through speleoseismological and independent data: implications for the outer Central Apennines (Italy) seismotectonic framework

Domenica

Pizzi

2017

Solid Earth

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Abstract. A speleoseismological study has been conducted in the Cavallone Cave, located in the easternmost carbonate sector of the Central Apennines (Maiella Massif), in a seismically active region interposed between the post-orogenic extensional domain, to the west, and the contractional one, to the east. The occurrence of active "silent normal faults", to the west, close to blind thrusts, to the east, raises critical questions about the seismic hazard for this transitional zone. Large collapses of cave ceilings, fractures, broken speleothems with new re-growing stalagmites on their top, preferential orientation of fallen stalagmites and the absence of thin and long concretions have been observed in many portions of the karst conduit. This may indicate that the cave suffered sudden deformation events likely linked to the occurrence of past strong earthquakes. Radiocarbon dating and, above all, the robust correspondence with other coeval on-fault and off-fault geological data collected in surrounding areas outside the cave, provide important constraints for the individuation of a mid-Holocene paleoearthquake around 4.6-4.8 kyr BP. On the basis of the available paleoseismological data, possible seismogenic sources can be identified with the Sulmona normal fault and other active normal fault segments along its southern prosecution, which recorded synchronous strong paleoevents. Although the correlation between speleotectonic observations and quantitative modeling is disputed, studies on possible effects of earthquake on karstic landforms and features, when corroborated by independent data collected outside caves, can provide a useful contribution in discovering past earthquakes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Section: Speleoseismological Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%