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1. Key points

This is the first attempt to apply a computational fluid dynamic modeling-based quantitative “fossil seismograph” to develop a large earthquake record.

The record is calibrated to historic earthquakes, for which the Dead Sea area has a famously long span, and it confirms a clustered earthquake recurrence pattern and a group-fault temporal clustering model.

The record yields much shorter mean recurrence for large (≤ 1.4 kyr vs. 7-11 kyr) and moderate (≤ 500 yr vs. 1600 yr) earthquakes than previously obtained, thus reveals a much higher seismic hazard than previously appreciated on this slow-slipping plate boundary.

This year was truly a roller coaster ride! A large part of the world is still battling Covid-19; meetings, conferences, and workshops are held online, and teaching has also changed a lot. December is usually crowded with deadlines and (virtual) AGU, but I hope you find some time to check out the latest papers on earthquakes, paleoseismology, and active tectonics. We have a great list of papers, this time with exciting news from Italy, New Zealand and the Dead Sea, a lot of historical seismicity studies, and many contributions on Asian tectonics. Stay safe & happy researching!

Currently there are several Special Issues in the making that may be relevant for paleoseismology folk.
Update (2020-11-20): additional SI in Geosciences on morphogenic faulting

Since field work is not possible for many of us right now, it’s possibly a good idea to catch up with the latest literature on paleoseismology, active tectonics, and earthquake geology. This time there are many studies on Central Asian tectonics, but also interesting work on the Mediterranean and the US. Stay safe, enjoy reading, and please let me know if I’ve missed something.

Our colleagues Javier Elez and Jorge L. Giner-Robles invite contributions to a Special Issue in the journal Applied Sciences:

In recent decades, a prominent body of knowledge related to the geology of the earthquakes has provided new insights into seismic phenomena. The study of geology of present earthquakes allows a better understanding of the whole set of natural processes involved. The study of events from the past allows providing more comprehensive data within the temporal range (recurrence periods) of the seismic cycle and therefore completing the seismic catalogues and incorporating long-term data into seismic hazard assessment. The introduction of geological analysis of earthquakes, mainly based on the application of the Environmental Seismic Intensity Scale (ESI-07), also allows the parameterization of environmental earthquake effects and the emergence of multiple modeling procedures to assess intensity, hazard, risk, emergency scenarios, etc., most of them based on the application of GIS technologies.

The objective of this Special Issue on “The Contribution of Geology and Geomatics to Seismic Hazard and Earthquake Engineering” is to provide the latest advances, uses, and case studies related to the multiple applications of geological analysis of earthquakes.

My list of recent papers contains a surprisingly large number of cave studies. Also check out the really interesting contributions on earthquake & fault physics – cool stuff that is worth a read. Of course we also have fascinating studies on regional faults, including one that describes an active fault beneath Ulaanbaatar. Enjoy reading and let me know if I have missed something.

Today’s list is much shorter than that of August, but we have some pretty cool stuff on historical earthquakes, earthquake effects, and surface ruptures. Enjoy reading and stay safe!

Continental strike-slip faults are complex structures on which the deformation is commonly distributed among a number of parallel to subparallel fault strands, making them in places significantly different in behaviour from their oceanic counterparts. Thus, the goal of this issue is to publish a collection of high-quality papers on active tectonics of continental strike-slip faults around the globe using various disciplines, including but not limited to, tectonic geomorphology, palaeoseismology, structural geology, crustal deformation, tectonic geodesy and seismology of continental strike-slip faults.

On 23 June, 2020, a magnitude 7.4 subduction earthquake struck western Mexico and let the earthquake early warning sirens sound in the capital. Reportedly, ten people lost their lives and thousands of houses were damaged in Oaxaca. Our colleagues Magda Velázquez-Bucio, Sabina Porfido, and Alessandro Michetti have put together a report on the Earthquake Environmental Effects of this event in English and Spanish:

The 1980 Irpinia Earthquake with a magnitude of M_w6.9 was one of the strongest and deadliest earthquakes in Italy in the 20th Century. Now, 40 years later, a special issue is dedicated to this event. Guest editors Sabina Porfido, Giuliana Alessio, Germana Gaudiosi, Rosa Nappi, and Alessandro Michetti invited papers for their special issue in Geosciences. Deadline for submission is 30 October, 2020.