Ε5201 - SEISMOLOGY OF GREECE - PLATE TECTONICS

INSTRUCTORS

COURSE KEY ELEMENTS

COURSE CONTENT:

Seismicity of the Greek area - seismic zones - distribution of elastic stress in the Greek area. Historical review of the theories of evolution of the Earth, modern theory of lithospheric plates, creation and evolution of oceans and continents. Relation of the structure of the Earth's interior to the observed structures. Global tectonics and earthquakes, types of lithospheric plate margins. Earthquakes and active deformation within lithospheric plates. Strong global earthquakes. Lithospheric plate tectonics in the Eastern Mediterranean. Seismic activity in Greece, historical earthquakes, seismic zones and spatial distribution of elastic stress. Important earthquakes of the instrumental period in Greece and their seismotectonic characteristics.  

A. Lectures

• INTRODUCTION
• HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
• HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEORY OF LITHOSPHERIC PLATES
• THE LITHOSPHERE PLATES AND THEIR MOVEMENT
• BOUNDARIES (MARGINS) OF PLATES
• FORCES IN THE PLATES
• THE EARTH'S INTERIOR
• GEODYNAMIC EVOLUTION OF THE EARTH
• PALEOMAGMATISM & CONTINENTAL DRIFT - GLOBAL TECTONICS
• ISLAND ARCS – THE AREA OF GREECE
• PROBLEMS ARISING – EFFECTS ON HUMANS
• GREEK AREA & LITHOSPHERE PLATES
• EARTHQUAKES IN GREECE AND LITHOSPHERIC PLATES
• WHAT ARE THE CAUSES FOR THE SEISMIC ACTIVITY IN GREECE
• THE EARTHQUAKES IN GREECE – WHERE AND WHY?
• SEISMOTECTONIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GREEΚ EARTHQUAKES

THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED:

• How did the Theory of Plate Tectonics affect the current shape of the earth?
• How is the theory of Plate Tectonics related to earthquakes?
• Why does Greece have earthquakes?
• What types of earthquakes does Greece have, where and why?

B.  Practical and Laboratory Exercises:

• PART A: Exercises on tectonic plate margins
• PART B: Tectonic Plate Velocity Calculation Exercises
• PART C: Exercises on seismicity characteristics of the Greek area
• PART D: Exercises on seismotectonic characteristics of earthquakes in the Greek area - Applications of Snell's law, calculation of critical angle, reflection angle, refraction angle, radial parameter for P, SV and SH waves

LEARNING ACTIVITIES - TEACHING METHODS:

PLANNED LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

ASSESSMENT METHODS AND CRITERIA

The student evaluation includes:

I. LECTURES (50%)

• Oral examination with essay development (for the characterization of seismicity and seismotectonic characteristics, type and characteristics of plate motion with emphasis on the Greek area)

II. PRACTICE EXERCISES (50%)

• Individual reports (for the characterization of seismicity and seismotectonic characteristics, type and characteristics of plate motion with emphasis on the Greek area)
• Presentation of individual essay

The evaluation criteria of the course and the participation rates are described in the student handbook.

RECOMMENDED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books:

• Delibasis N.D. Introduction to Plate Tectonics [Code EUDOXUS: 11257] (in Greek)

Chapters in Books

• Papazachos Κ., G.F. Karakaisis, P.M. Chatzidimitriou. Introduction to seismology. [Code EUDOXUS: 11254], in Greek
• Stein S. & M. Wysession, 2003. An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes, and Earth Structure. Blackwell Publishing, 492pp.
• Cox, A., and Hart, R.B. (1986) Plate tectonics: How it works. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Palo Alto, 416 p.
• Lay, T. and Wallace, T. (1995) Modern Global Seismology. Academic Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA, 521 p.
• Moores, E.M., Twiss, R.J., 2014. Tectonics. Waveland Press, 415 p.
• Scholz, C.H., 2019. The Mechanics of Earthquakes and Faulting. Cambridge University Press, 512 p.

Articles

• Armijo, R., Meyer, B., Hubert, A., Barka, A., 1999. Westward propagation of the North Anatolian fault into the northern Aegean: Timing and kinematics. Geology 27, 267. doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0267:WPOTNA>2.3.CO;2
• Bird, P. (2003), An updated digital model of plate boundaries, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 4, 1027, doi:10.1029/2001GC000252, 3.
• Bird P., Yan Y. Kagan; Plate-Tectonic Analysis of Shallow Seismicity: Apparent Boundary Width, Beta, Corner Magnitude, Coupled Lithosphere Thickness, and Coupling in Seven Tectonic Settings. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America; 94 (6): 2380–2399. doi: doi.org/10.1785/0120030107
• Briole, P., Ganas, A., Elias, P., Dimitrov, D., 2021. The GPS velocity field of the Aegean. New observations, contribution of the earthquakes, crustal blocks model. Geophys. J. Int. 226, 468–492. doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggab089
• Chapple, W.M., Tullis, T.E., 1977. Evaluation of the forces that drive the plates. J. Geophys. Res. 82, 1967–1984. doi.org/10.1029/JB082i014p01967
• Floyd M.A., H. Billiris D. Paradissis G. Veis A. Avallone P. Briole S. McClusky J.‐M. Nocquet K. Palamartchouk B. Parsons P. C. England, A new velocity field for Greece: Implications for the kinematics and dynamics of the Aegean, Journal of Geophysical research Solid Earth, Volume115, IssueB10, October 2010.
• Forsyth, D., Uyeda, S., 1975. On the Relative Importance of the Driving Forces of Plate Motion. Geophys. J. Int. 43, 163–200. doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.1975.tb00631.x
• Frank, F.C., 1968. Curvature of island arcs. Nature 220, 363. doi.org/10.1038/220363a0
• Frisch, W., Meschede, M., Blakey, R., 2022. Hot spots, in: Plate Tectonics. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp. 75–90. doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-76504-2_6
• Heidbach, O., Tingay, M., Barth, A., Reinecker, J., Kurfeß, D., Müller, B., 2010. Global crustal stress pattern based on the World Stress Map database release 2008. Tectonophysics 482, 3–15. doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2009.07.023
• Jackson J., Dan McKenzie; The relationship between plate motions and seismic moment tensors, and the rates of active deformation in the Mediterranean and Middle East, Geophysical Journal International, Volume 93, Issue 1, 1 April 1988, Pages 45–73, doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.1988.tb01387.x
• Jackson J. Active Tectonics of the Aegean Region, Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 1994 22:1, 239-271
• Jolivet, L., Faccenna, C., Huet, B., Labrousse, L., Le Pourhiet, L., Lacombe, O., Lecomte, E., Burov, E., Denèle, Y., Brun, J.-P., Philippon, M., Paul, A., Salaün, G., Karabulut, H., Piromallo, C., Monié, P., Gueydan, F., Okay, A.I., Oberhänsli, R., Pourteau, A., Augier, R., Gadenne, L., Driussi, O., 2013. Aegean tectonics: Strain localisation, slab tearing and trench retreat. Tectonophysics 597–598, 1–33. doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2012.06.011
• Kahle H.G., M. Cocard, Y. Peter, A. Geiger, R.Reilinger, S. McClusky, R. King, A. Barka, G. Veis. The GPS strain rate field in the Aegean Sea and western Anatolia. Geophysical Research letters, Volume26, Issue16, 15 August 1999, Pages 2513-2516.
• Le Pichon, X., Kreemer, C., 2010. The Miocene-to-Present Kinematic Evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East and Its Implications for Dynamics. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 38, 323–351. doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-040809-152419
• McClusky S., S. Balassanian, A. Barka, C. Demir, S. Ergintav, I. Georgiev, O. Gurkan, M. Hamburger, K. Hurst, H. Kahle, K. Kastens, G. Kekelidze, R. King, V. Kotzev, O. Lenk, S. Mahmoud, A. Mishin, M. Nadariya, A. Ouzounis, D. Paradissis, Y. Peter, M. Prilepin, R. Reilinger, I. Sanli , H. Seeger, A. Tealeb, M. N. Toksöz, G. Veis. Global Positioning System constraints on plate kinematics and dynamics in the eastern Mediterranean and Caucasus. Journal of Geophysical research Solid Earth, Volume105, IssueB3, 10 March 2000, Pages 5695-5719
• Mckenzie, D.P., Morgan, W.J., 1969. Evolution of Triple Junctions. Nature 224, 125–133. doi.org/10.1038/224125a0
• Makropoulos K., G. Kaviris and V. Kouskouna, 2012. An updated and extended earthquake catalogue for Greece and adjacent areas since 1900. Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 12, 1425-1430.
• Papadimitriou P., G. Kaviris and K. Makropoulos, 2006. The Mw=6.3 2003 Lefkada Earthquake (Greece) and induced transfer changes. Tectonophysics, 423, 73-82.
• Papazachos, B.C., Papadimitriou, E.E., Kiratzi, A.A., Papazachos, C.B., Louvari, E.K., 1998. Fault plane solutions in the Aegean Sea and the surrounding area and their tectonic implication. Boll. Geofis. Teor. Appl. 39, 199–218.
• Reilinger R., S. McClusky, D. Paradissis, S. Ergintav, P. Vernant, Geodetic constraints on the tectonic evolution of the Aegean region and strain accumulation along the Hellenic subduction zone, Tectonophysics, Volume 488, Issues 1–4, 5 June 2010, Pages 22-30, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2009.05.027.
• Stein S. and E. Klosko. Earthquake Mechanisms and Plate Tectonics, International Handbook of Earthquake & Engineering Seismology, WHK. Lee, H. Kanamori, P.C. Jennings, C. Kisslinger (Eds), Elsevier Science Academic Press, Part A, 69-80.
• Uyeda S. Continental Drift, Sea-floor Spreading, and Plate/Plume Tectonics. International Handbook of Earthquake & Engineering Seismology, WHK. Lee, H. Kanamori, P.C. Jennings, C. Kisslinger (Eds), Elsevier Science Academic Press, Part A, 51-68.
• Wilson, J.T., 1963. a Possible Origin of the Hawaiian Islands. Can. J. Phys. 41, 863–870. doi.org/10.1139/p63-094
• Wilson, M., 1993. Plate-moving mechanisms: Constraints and controversies. J. Geol. Soc. London. 150, 923–926. doi.org/10.1144/gsjgs.150.5.0923
• Zoback, M. Lou, 1992. First- and second-order patterns of stress in the lithosphere: The World Stress Map Project. J. Geophys. Res. 97, 11703–11728. doi.org/10.1029/92JB00132

Related Scientific Journals:

• Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, SSA Journals
• Geophysical Journal International, Oxford University Press
• Journal of Geophysical Research, AGU Publications
• Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Journal, Elsevier
• Tectonophysics, Journal, Elsevier
• Annals of Geophysics, INGV
• Seismological Research Letters, SSA Journals

¹ V.S.: Visitor Students (e.g. ERASMUS)