Tectonic Setting and Spatiotemporal Earthquake Distribution in Northern Nubia and Iberia
The spatiotemporal distribution of major earthquakes in the study area (1600–2024) is analyzed to tentatively recognize the possible connections with the short-term (from decades to centuries) evolution of the ongoing tectonic processes. This study suggests that during the period considered, seismic...
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/2/49 |
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| author | Enzo Mantovani Marcello Viti Caterina Tamburelli Daniele Babbucci Massimo Baglione Vittorio D’Intinosante |
| author_facet | Enzo Mantovani Marcello Viti Caterina Tamburelli Daniele Babbucci Massimo Baglione Vittorio D’Intinosante |
| author_sort | Enzo Mantovani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The spatiotemporal distribution of major earthquakes in the study area (1600–2024) is analyzed to tentatively recognize the possible connections with the short-term (from decades to centuries) evolution of the ongoing tectonic processes. This study suggests that during the period considered, seismic activity has been predominantly related to the shortening processes accommodating the convergence of northwestern Nubia with the Iberian and Moroccan plates that mainly involve the westward escape of the Alboran wedge and the NNE-ward escape of the Iberian block. This deformation pattern is inferred from the seismic activity in the North Atlantic domain, the Rif and Betics belts, the western Iberian fault system (onshore and offshore), the Transmoroccan fault system and the Pyrenean thrust front. Seismic activity in the Tell is mainly driven by the Nubia–Eurasia convergence, even though it can be also influenced by the major westward displacements of the Anatolian–Aegean–Adriatic–Pelagian system. This hypothesis could explain the marked increase in seismic activity that occurred in the Tell in the last decades, when that zone may have been affected by the perturbation triggered by the large post-1939 westward displacement of Anatolia. The pieces of evidence and the arguments reported in this study might provide insights into the possible spatial distribution of major earthquakes in the next decades. |
| first_indexed | 2025-03-14T15:05:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0e0e7a12507245369d765ca44a1556da |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-03-14T15:05:29Z |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-0e0e7a12507245369d765ca44a1556da2025-02-25T13:30:15ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632025-02-011524910.3390/geosciences15020049Tectonic Setting and Spatiotemporal Earthquake Distribution in Northern Nubia and IberiaEnzo Mantovani0Marcello Viti1Caterina Tamburelli2Daniele Babbucci3Massimo Baglione4Vittorio D’Intinosante5Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente, Università di Siena, 53100 Siena, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente, Università di Siena, 53100 Siena, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente, Università di Siena, 53100 Siena, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente, Università di Siena, 53100 Siena, ItalyRegione Toscana, Settore Prevenzione Sismica, 50129 Firenze, ItalyRegione Toscana, Settore Prevenzione Sismica, 50129 Firenze, ItalyThe spatiotemporal distribution of major earthquakes in the study area (1600–2024) is analyzed to tentatively recognize the possible connections with the short-term (from decades to centuries) evolution of the ongoing tectonic processes. This study suggests that during the period considered, seismic activity has been predominantly related to the shortening processes accommodating the convergence of northwestern Nubia with the Iberian and Moroccan plates that mainly involve the westward escape of the Alboran wedge and the NNE-ward escape of the Iberian block. This deformation pattern is inferred from the seismic activity in the North Atlantic domain, the Rif and Betics belts, the western Iberian fault system (onshore and offshore), the Transmoroccan fault system and the Pyrenean thrust front. Seismic activity in the Tell is mainly driven by the Nubia–Eurasia convergence, even though it can be also influenced by the major westward displacements of the Anatolian–Aegean–Adriatic–Pelagian system. This hypothesis could explain the marked increase in seismic activity that occurred in the Tell in the last decades, when that zone may have been affected by the perturbation triggered by the large post-1939 westward displacement of Anatolia. The pieces of evidence and the arguments reported in this study might provide insights into the possible spatial distribution of major earthquakes in the next decades.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/2/49geodynamicstectonicsseismicityNubia–Iberia |
| spellingShingle | Enzo Mantovani Marcello Viti Caterina Tamburelli Daniele Babbucci Massimo Baglione Vittorio D’Intinosante Tectonic Setting and Spatiotemporal Earthquake Distribution in Northern Nubia and Iberia Geosciences geodynamics tectonics seismicity Nubia–Iberia |
| title | Tectonic Setting and Spatiotemporal Earthquake Distribution in Northern Nubia and Iberia |
| title_full | Tectonic Setting and Spatiotemporal Earthquake Distribution in Northern Nubia and Iberia |
| title_fullStr | Tectonic Setting and Spatiotemporal Earthquake Distribution in Northern Nubia and Iberia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tectonic Setting and Spatiotemporal Earthquake Distribution in Northern Nubia and Iberia |
| title_short | Tectonic Setting and Spatiotemporal Earthquake Distribution in Northern Nubia and Iberia |
| title_sort | tectonic setting and spatiotemporal earthquake distribution in northern nubia and iberia |
| topic | geodynamics tectonics seismicity Nubia–Iberia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/2/49 |
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