Tectonic geomorphology and paleoseismology of the Septentrional fault system, Dominican Republic

Mann, Paul; Prentice, Carol S.; Burr, George S.; Peña, Luis R.; Taylor, Frederick W.

doi:10.1130/0-8137-2326-4.63

Cited by 39 publications

(49 citation statements)

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“…The eastern North American‐Caribbean plate boundary near the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico is a complex transition zone between subduction, dominant to the east, and a transform boundary, dominant to the west [ Mann et al , 1990, 1998, 2002] (Figure 1). The Septentrional fault, an important strike‐slip fault associated with the transform boundary in the northeastern Caribbean region, traverses the Cibao Valley in the northern Dominican Republic.…”

Section: Tectonic Setting and Previous Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Map showing tectonic setting of Hispaniola. Large arrows show motion relative to a fixed Caribbean plate (modified from Mann et al [1998]). Teeth are on overriding plate.…”

Section: Tectonic Setting and Previous Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In previous studies we located and mapped Quaternary traces of the SFZ in Hispaniola [ Mann et al , 1998] and determined that the most recent earthquake to rupture the ground surface along this fault in north central Dominican Republic occurred more than 730 years ago [ Prentice et al , 1993]. Prentice et al [1993] assumed a minimum slip rate of ∼5 mm/yr to suggest that energy equivalent to a minimum of 3.5 m of slip is now available to be released in a large earthquake across this fault.…”

Section: Tectonic Setting and Previous Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Slip rate and earthquake recurrence along the central Septentrional fault, North American–Caribbean plate boundary, Dominican Republic

Prentice

Mann

Peña³

et al. 2003

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] The Septentrional fault zone (SFZ) is the major North American-Caribbean, strikeslip, plate boundary fault at the longitude of eastern Hispaniola. The SFZ traverses the densely populated Cibao Valley of the Dominican Republic, forming a prominent scarp in alluvium. Our studies at four sites along the central SFZ are aimed at quantifying the late Quaternary behavior of this structure to better understand the seismic hazard it represents for the northeastern Caribbean. Our investigations of excavations at sites near Rio Cenovi show that the most recent ground-rupturing earthquake along this fault in the north central Dominican Republic occurred between A.D. 1040 and A.D. 1230, and involved a minimum of $4 m of left-lateral slip and 2.3 m of normal dip slip at that site. Our studies of offset stream terraces at two locations, Rio Juan Lopez and Rio Licey, provide late Holocene slip rate estimates of 6-9 mm/yr and a maximum of 11-12 mm/yr, respectively, across the Septentrional fault. Combining these results gives a best estimate of 6-12 mm/yr for the slip rate across the SFZ. Three excavations, two near Tenares and one at the Rio Licey site, yielded evidence for the occurrence of earlier prehistoric earthquakes. Dates of strata associated with the penultimate event suggest that it occurred post-A.D. 30, giving a recurrence interval of 800-1200 years. These studies indicate that the SFZ has likely accumulated elastic strain sufficient to generate a major earthquake during the more than 800 years since it last slipped and should be considered likely to produce a destructive future earthquake.INDEX TERMS: 7221 Seismology: Paleoseismology;

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Section: Tectonic Setting and Previous Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Map showing tectonic setting of Hispaniola. Large arrows show motion relative to a fixed Caribbean plate (modified from Mann et al [1998]). Teeth are on overriding plate.…”

Section: Tectonic Setting and Previous Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Tectonic Setting and Previous Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Slip rate and earthquake recurrence along the central Septentrional fault, North American–Caribbean plate boundary, Dominican Republic

Prentice

Mann

Peña³

et al. 2003

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…The North Anatolian fault system (Barka, 1992;Parsons et al, 2000;Pondard et al, 2007;Rockwell et al, 2009), the Eastern California shear zone (Rockwell et al, 2000;Dolan et al, 2007;Ganev et al, 2010), and Hispaniola (Dolan and Wald, 1998;Mann et al, 1998) provide three examples of this stress-enhanced failure process. In contrast, historic sequences of progressive fault rupture are not well documented for strike-slip boundaries in the circum-Pacifi c region, probably due in part to the short period of written history (e.g., mostly since the early nineteenth century in California and New Zealand).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Timing of late Holocene paleoearthquakes on the Hurunui segment of the Hope fault: Implications for plate boundary strain release through South Island, New Zealand

Langridge

Almond

Duncan

2013

Geological Society of America Bulletin

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The Hurunui segment of the dextral-slip Hope fault extends for ~42 km between the Hope and Hurunui River catchments and westward to Harper Pass at the Main Divide of South Island. We conducted paleo seismic, soil, and landscape dating studies in the upper Hurunui valley to determine the timing of past earthquake ruptures along this geometric fault segment. On a late Holo cene alluvial surface at Matagouri Flat, a young channel system is displaced dextrally by ~4.5 ± 0.6 m, which is attributed to the most recent faulting event. A trench and soil pits excavated nearby yield evidence for the timing of the last two surface-faulting events. These events, dated from a combination of radiocarbon dates, relative soil, tree, and historical constraints, modifi ed within an OxCal analysis, occurred at ca. A.D. 1655-1835 and 1425-1625. The occurrence of two rupture events during the last ~600 yr is consistent with previous estimates stating a short recurrence interval for the Hurunui segment. The most recent faulting event in our trenches predates the historic 1888 North Canterbury (Amuri) earthquake, which ruptured the Hope River segment to the east. A comparison of the record from the Hurunui segment with paleoseismic records from other segments along the Hope fault zone indicates evidence for two or three rupture events within the last 700-900 yr. Within the age resolution of the current dates, the data suggest that along-strike rupture occurred along the majority of the Hope fault zone between 120 and 360 yr ago (i. e., A.D. 1650-1888), and may all postdate the most recent rupture of the Alpine fault in ca. A.D. 1717. In addition, the timings of penultimate faulting events along the Hurunui, Hope River, and Conway segments and the Hanmer fault all fall in the range ~400-700 yr ago. These preliminary observations indicate that rupture of segments of the Hope fault, and indeed the Alpine fault, could occur as clusters that are years to decades apart. Rupture of the major plate boundary faults in the northern South Island may therefore occur in sequences that are enhanced, or even retarded, by stress triggering and fault interactions.

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“…The Oriente fault is predominantly a left-lateral strike-slip structure west of Cuba, but south of Cuba folding and thrust faulting play a major role in deformation along the fault zone (CALAIS and MERCIER DE LÉ PINAY, 1991;CALAIS et al, 1998). Further east in Hispaniola, the Septentrional fault, a splay of the Oriente fault zone, is associated with strike-slip faulting (PRENTICE et al, 1993;MANN et al, 1998). Historic seismicity within northern Hispaniola, including the 1946 great earthquake, has been recently studied by RUSSO and VILLASEÑ OR (1995;1997) and DOLAN and WALD (1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Faulting Processes of Historic (1917–1962) M≥ 6.0 Earthquakes Along the North-central Caribbean Margin

Dusen

Doser

2000

Pure appl. geophys.

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The plate boundary along the north-central Caribbean margin is geologically complex. Our understanding of this complexity is hampered by the fact that plate motions are relatively slow (1 to 2 cm/yr), so that recent seismicity often does not provide a complete picture of tectonic deformation. Studies of the faulting processes of instrumentally recorded earthquakes occurring prior to 1962 thus provide important information regarding the nature and rate of seismic deformation within the region, and are essential for a comprehensive assessment of seismic hazard. We have conducted body waveform modeling studies of eight earthquakes which occurred along the north-central Caribbean plate margin, extending from southeastern Cuba to the Swan Island fracture zone (75 to 83°W). None of these earthquakes has been previously studied and several occurred in regions where no recent (post-1962) seismicity has been recorded. The plate margin in the western portion of our study area is characterized by a transform fault-spreading center system. In the central and eastern portions of our study area the plate margin is a complex, diffuse region of deformation that couples transform motion in the Cayman trough to subduction along the Lesser Antilles arc. Our results show that the western portion of the study area has only experienced large strike-slip earthquakes. Off southeastern Cuba two earthquakes appear to have occurred on high angle, northward dipping, reverse faults with south to southeastward directed slip vectors. An earthquake in northern Jamaica in 1957 shows pure strike-slip faulting, most likely along an east-west trending fault. Finally, an unusual sequence of events located in the Pedro Bank region 70 km southwest of Jamaica has a mainshock with a reverse-oblique mechanism, suggesting continuity of the plate interface stress field well south of the northern Caribbean margin.

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Tectonic geomorphology and paleoseismology of the Septentrional fault system, Dominican Republic

Cited by 39 publications

References 0 publications

Slip rate and earthquake recurrence along the central Septentrional fault, North American–Caribbean plate boundary, Dominican Republic

Slip rate and earthquake recurrence along the central Septentrional fault, North American–Caribbean plate boundary, Dominican Republic

Timing of late Holocene paleoearthquakes on the Hurunui segment of the Hope fault: Implications for plate boundary strain release through South Island, New Zealand

Faulting Processes of Historic (1917–1962) M≥ 6.0 Earthquakes Along the North-central Caribbean Margin

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