Application of swath bathymetry to active

tectonic problems:
Case study of the Gulf of Corinth,
central Greece
Lisa McNeill
C. Cotterill1, T. Henstock1, J. Bull1, A. Stefatos2, S. Hicks1,
R. Collier3, G. Papatheoderou2, G. Ferentinos2
1Southampton

Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, UK

2University of Patras, Greece
3School of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, UK

INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVES

Gulf of Corinth:
- Region of earthquake activity
- Continental plate is rifting or breaking apart
- The early stages of forming a new ocean basin
This study:
- Detailed marine geophysical survey of offshore active
faults which generate earthquakes and allow extension
to occur
- Determine future earthquake sources
- Constrain how the rift deforms - better understand
models of rifting and how they evolve through time

PLATE TECTONICS OF E. MEDITERRANEAN

CORINTH RIFT, CENTRAL GREECE

Eastern Eliki fault,

Western Gulf of Corinth
- one side of the fault
uplifts and one subsides

1981 extensional fault earthquake

rupture in Eastern Gulf of Corinth

1861
earthquake,
Eliki Fault

Data Acquisition
Reson 8160 50 kHz Seabat multibeam sonar
150 swath across track, 126 beams
DGPS-fed motion sensor (military grade Inertial
Measurement Unit, IMU) for calculation of sonar
position/orientation
CSP2200 Sparker and CSP300P Boomer seismic system:
60-channel hydrophone
Applied Acoustics catamaran-based source
Boomer, multi-channel streamer and multi-beam equipment:
part of high resolution geophysics consortium grant
Cardiff, Imperial (London), Southampton universities, UK

JULY 2003 WESTERN CORINTH RIFT SURVEY

800m

50 kHz Reson 8160 swath bathymetry

Sparker seismic profiles across and long rift
Boomer seismic profiles of Aigion fault tip - pseudo 3D

Multibeam Setup

Courtesy of Tim Le Bas, SOC

8160 sonar and the MV Vassilios G

Boomer/sparker
seismic sources

Custom 60 channel x1m

streamer, Geometrics
recording system

Deployment of the multi-channel

streamer for seismic data
acquisition

8160 SWATH BATHYMETRY

northern
sub-basin

fault-controlled
axial
basement
channel
ridge

landslide
scar

submarine
canyons
CGF
AF

DF

Perspective view to west, showing fault controlled ridges and the

Canyon-channel systems transporting river sediments into the gulf basin

 Basin sediments tilt towards the north - controlled by S-dipping faults

(S Eratini and Sub-channel on northern margin)
Half-graben geometry tilted to north at this location
Multiple active faults offshore and onshore - distributed deformation

INTERPRETATION
sub-basin
1
2
3

4 MAJOR FAULTS ACROSS RIFT ACCOMMODATE EXTENSION

(NEF-North Eratini; SEF-South Eratini; SCF-Sub-channel; AF-Aigion
CGF-Cape Gyftissa; WEF-Western Eliki; EEF-Eastern Eliki; DF-Derveni)

Using variations in sea level

through time
As amount of ice on the earth varies, sea level changes in elevation
This changes systematically as we pass from a glacial to a
non-glacial period
The coastal shoreline we see today is also produced during a glacial
period when sea level was up to 120 m lower
These shorelines are then displaced by active faults - their present
depth tells us how fast the fault moves

NORTHERN SUB-BASIN, SPARKER LINE 11

NORTHERN SUB-BASIN, SPARKER LINE 11

NORTHERN SUB-BASIN, SPARKER LINE 10

~130 ka
shoreline

NORTHERN SUB-BASIN, SPARKER LINE 10

SHORELINE SUBSIDENCE BY N ERATINI FAULT

Shorelines were originally at 60-70 m below current sea level
They are now significantly deeper due to subsidence by the N Eratini
fault

Age (ka)
11-13
~130
~240
~340
~430?

Depth (m)
90-95
160-170
200-230
260-300
320-350

Subsidence rate
1.5 - 3.0 mm/yr
0.7 - 0.9 mm/yr
0.5 - 0.7 mm/yr
0.6 - 0.7 mm/yr
0.6 - 0.7 mm/yr

We compare these rates with other faults in the gulf

Suggests this fault moves at ~ 3-6 mm per year
Together the 4 major faults take up extension across the rift which
totals ~ 10-15 mm per year

Why is it important?
Earthquake and tsunami hazards
to local populations
Understanding tectonic processes
in continental rifts - how do they
evolve to eventually produce new
ocean basins?

AIGION FAULT
A detailed study of the end of one young fault
to see how it grows with successive earthquakes
Pseudo 3D multi-channel Boomer seismic
survey of the fault tip plus 8160 multi-beam
Lines spaced 25-100 m apart
3D interpretation of data
2 km

Pantosti et al, unpublished

Aigion fault
8160 multi-beam data
- 1.5 m grid cell

2 km

Multi-channel boomer seismic data - example

N

Section across tip of extensional normal fault - Aigion fault

CONCLUSIONS
Major active faults are identified offshore as well as onshore
Multi-beam data constrain their surface geometry and indicate
recent activity (displacing young sediments on seafloor)
Sub-surface seismic data provide cross sections of faults
systems and allow low-stand shorelines to be identified constrain rate of displacement on faults
Multi-beam data resolve sediment transport systems and
indicate how they are affected by active fault systems
Combined datasets:
Resolve the geometry of the rift system in space and time
Constrain models of the evolution of rift systems
Indicate active faults with the potential to generate damaging
earthquakes and tsunamis (very common in the historic and
archaeological record)
Understand how faults grow and interact in space and time with
sequential earthquakes

Aora cruise, Outer

Hebrides
Le Bas et al
SOC, University Marine Biological Station, Scotland,
Scottish Natural Heritage,
Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Queens University Belfast
Dept Agriculture and Rural Development, Belfast

OBJECTIVES
Marine habitat mapping
Reconnaissance survey for future
sampling and camera tows

8101 multi-beam

8101 backscatter

Detail of multi-beam and backscatter

500 m

Archaen age bedrock dominates

bathymetric highs

Evidence of SW-NE current directions

Sand and gravel waves