Abstract
In this study, we focus on the region between Gorringe Bank and the Horseshoe Fault located in the SW Iberia margin, which is believed to be the site of the great 1755 earthquake. We model ground motions using an extended source located near the Horseshoe scarp to generate synthetic waveforms using a wave propagation code, based on the finite-difference method. We compare the simulated waveforms, for the Algarve Basin and the Lower Tagus Valley Basin (Portugal), using a 3-D velocity model down to the Moho discontinuity with a simple 1-D layered model. The radiated wave field is very sensitive to the velocity model and a small number of source parameters, in particular, the rupture directivity. The rupture directivity, the strike direction and the fault dimensions are critical to the azimuthal distribution of the maximum amplitude oscillations. We show that the use of a stratified 1-D model is inappropriate in SW Iberia, where sources are located in the oceanic domain and receivers in the continental domain. The crustal structure varies dramatically along the ray paths, with large-scale heterogeneities of low or high velocities. Moreover, combined with the geometric limitations inherent to the region, a strong trade-off between several parameters is often observed; this is particularly critical when studying moderate magnitude earthquakes (M < 6), which constitute the bulk of the seismic catalogue in SW Iberia.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abrantes F, Lebreiro S, Rodrigues T, Gil I, Bartels-Jónsdóttir H, Oliveira P, Kissel C, Grimalt JO (2005) Shallow-marine sediment cores record climate variability and earthquake activity off Lisbon (Portugal) for the last 2000 years. Quat Sci Rev 24:2477–2494
Alves TM, Gawthorpe RL, Hunt DW, Monteiro JH (2003) Cenozoic tectonosedimentary evolution of the Western Iberian Margin. Mar Geol 195:75–108
Andeweg B, De Vicente G, Cloetingh S, Giner J, Muñoz Martin A (1999) Local stress fields and intraplate deformation of Iberia: variations in spatial and temporal interplay of regional stress sources. Tectonophysics 305:153–164
Andrade C (1992) Tsunami generated forms in the Algarve barrier islands (south Portugal). Sci Tsunami Hazards 10(1):21–34
Argus DF, Gordon RG, DeMets C, Stein S (1989) Closure of the Africa-Eurasia-North America plate motion circuit and tectonics of the Gloria fault. J Geophys Res 94:5585–5602
Baptista MA, Miranda PMA, Chierici F, Zitellini N (2003) New study of the 1755 earthquake source based on multi-channel seismic survey data and tsunami modeling. Nat Hazards Earth Sci Syst 3:333–340
Baptista MA, Miranda JM, Luis JF (2006) In search of the 31 March 1761 earthquake and tsunami source. Bull Seismol Soc Am 96(2):713–721
Baptista MA, Miranda JM, Lopes FC, Joaquim FL (2007) The source of the 1722 Algarve earthquake: evidence from MCS and tsunami data. J Seismol 11:371–380
Barkan US, Brink T, Lin J (2009) Far field tsunami simulations of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake: implications for tsunami hazard to US East Coast and the Caribbean. Mar Geol 264(2009):109–122
Ben-Menahem A (1961) Radiation of seismic surface waves from finite moving sources. Bull Seismol Soc Am 51:401–435
Bezzeghoud M, Borges JF, Caldeira B (2005) The 2004 and 2005 Sumatra earthquakes. Implications for the Lisbon earthquake. In: 250th anniversary of the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake. International conference, 1–4 November 2005, Lisbon, Portugal, pp 592–598
Bezzeghoud M, Borges JF, Caldeira B, Buforn E, Udias A (2008) Seismic activity in the Azores Region in the context of the western part of the Eurasia-Nubia plate boundary. In: International seminar on seismic risk and rehabilitation on the 10th anniversary of the July 9 1998 Azores Earthquake, Horta-Azores, 9–13 July, pp 27–31
Bird P (2003) An updated digital model of plate boundaries. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 4(3):1027. doi:10.1029/2001GC000252, ftp://element.ess.ucla.edu/PB2002/
Borges JF, Fitas AJS, Bezzeghoud M, Teves-Costa P (2001) Seismotectonics of Portugal and its adjacent Atlantic area. Tectonophysics 337:373–387
Borges JF, Bezzeghoud M, Buforn E, Pro C, Fitas A (2007) The 1980, 1997 and 1998 Azores earthquakes and its seismotectonic implications. Tectonophysics 435:37–54
Borges JF, M Bezzeghoud, B Caldeira, E Buforn (2008) Recent seismic activity in the Azores region. In: International seminar on seismic risk and rehabilitation on the 10th anniversary of the July 9 1998 Azores Earthquake, Horta-Azores, 9–13 July, pp 33–37
Brune JN (1970) Tectonic stress and spectra of seismic shear waves. J Geophys Res 75:4997–5009
Buforn E, Udías A, Colombás MA (1988) Seismicity, source mechanisms and seismotectonics of the Azores-Gibraltar plate boundary. Tectonophysics 152:89–118
Buforn E, Bezzeghoud M, Udías A, Pro C (2004) Seismic sources on the Iberia-African plate boundary and their tectonic implications. Pure Appl Geophys 161
Buforn E, Udías A, Martín Dávila J (2007) Source mechanism of the February 12, 2007, San Vicente Cape earthquake Mw = 5.9, Orfeus Newsletter, 7, No. 2
Caldeira B, Bezzeghoud M, Borges JF (2009) DIRDOP: a directivity approach to determining the seismic rupture velocity vector. J Seismol, in open access. doi:10.1007/s10950-009-9183-x
Calvert A, Sandvol E, Seber D, Barazangi M, Roecker S, Mourabit T, Vidal F, Alguacil G, Jabour N (2000) Geodynamic evolution of the lithosphere and upper mantle beneath the Alboŕan region of the western Mediterranean: constraints from travel time tomography. J Geophys Res 105:10871–10898
Carrilho F, Teves-Costa P, Morais I, Pagarete J, Dias R (2004) Geoalgar Project—first results on seismicity and fault-plane solutions. Pure Appl Geophys 161(3):589–606
Chen WP, Grimison N (1989) Earthquakes associated with diffuse zones of deformation in the oceanic lithosphere: some examples. Tectonophysics 166:133–150
Chester DK, Chester OK (2010) The impact of eighteenth century earthquakes on the Algarve region, southern Portugal. Geogr J 176(4):350–370. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4959.2010.00367.x2
Dawson AG, Hindson R, Andrade C, Freitas C, Parish R, Bateman M (1995) Tsunami sedimentation associated with the Lisbon earthquake of 1 November AD 1755: Boca do Rio, Algarve, Portugal. Holocene 5(2):209–215
DeMets C, Gordon RG, Argus DF, Stein S (1994) Effect of recent revisions to the geomagnetic reversal time scale and estimates of current plate motions. Geophys Res Lett 21:2191–2194
Fadil A, Vernant P, McClusky S, Reilinger R, Gomez F, Ben Sari D, Mourabit T, Feigl K, Barazangi M (2006) Active tectonics of the western Mediterranean: geodetic evidence for rollback of a delaminated subcontinental lithospheric slab beneath the Rif Mountains, Morocco. Geology 34(7):529–532
Gràcia E, Dañobeitia J, Vergés J, Bartolomé R, Córdoba D (2003) Crustal architecture and tectonic evolution of the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Iberian margin) at the convergence of the Eurasian and African plates. Tectonics 22(4):1033. doi:10.1029/2001TC901045
Grandin R, Borges JF, Bezzeghoud M, Caldeira B, Carrilho F (2007a) Simulations of strong ground motion in SW Iberia for the 1969 February 28 (MS = 8.0) and the 1755 November 1 (M ~ 8.5) earthquakes—I. Velocity model. Geophys J Int 171(3):1144–1161
Grandin R, Borges JF, Bezzeghoud M, Caldeira B, Carrilho F (2007b) Simulations of strong ground motion in SW Iberia for the 1969 February 28 (MS = 8.0) and the 1755 November 1 (M ~ 8.5) earthquakes—II. Strong ground motion simulations. Geophys J Int 171(2):807–822
Gutscher MA, Malod J, Rehault JP, Contrucci I, Klingelhoefer F, Mendes-Victor L, Spackman W (2002) Evidence for active subduction beneath Gibraltar. Geology 30:1071–1074
Gutscher M-A, Baptista MA, Miranda JM (2006) The Gibraltar Arc seismogenic zone. Part 2: constraints on a shallow east dipping fault plane source for the 1755 Lisbon earthquake provided by tsunami modeling and seismic intensity. Tectonophysics 426(1–2):153–166
Hartzell S et al (2006) Modeling and validation of a 3D velocity structure for the Santa ClaraValley, California, for seismic-wave simulations. Bull Seismol Soc Am 96(5):1851–1881
Jiménez-Munt I, Fernàndez M, Torne M, Bird P (2001) The transition from linear to diffuse plate boundary in the Azores-Gibraltar region: results from a thin-sheet model. Earth Planet Sci Lett 192:175–189
Johnston A (1996) Seismic moment assessment of earthquakes in stable continental regions—III. New Madrid 1811–1812, Charleston 1886 and Lisbon 1755. Geophys J Int 126:314–344
Kagawa T, Zhao B, Miyakoshi K, Irikura K (2004) Modeling of 3D basin structures for seismic wave simulations based on available information on the target area: case study of the Osaka Basin, Japan. Bull Seismol Soc Am 94:1353–1368
Larsen SC, Schultz CA (1995) ELAS3D, 2D/3D elastic finite- difference wave propagation code, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, UCRLMA-121792, 18 p
Larsen S, Antolik M, Dreger D, Stidham C, Schultz C, Lomax A, Romanowicz B (1997) 3D models of seismic wave propagation; simulating scenario earthquakes along the Hayward Fault. Seismol Res Lett 68(2):328
Levret A (1991) The effects of the November 1st, 1755 “Lisbon” earthquake in Morocco. Tectonophysics 193:83–94
LNEC (1986) A Sismicidade Histórica e a Revisão do Catálogo Sísmico. Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC)
Lynnes CS, Ruff LJ (1985) Source process and tectonic implications of the great 1975 North Atlantic earthquake. Geophys J R Astron Soc 82:497–510
Machado F (1966) Contribuição para o estudo do terremoto do terramoto de 1 de Novembro de 1755, Rev. Fac. Ciências, Lisboa, C14, 19–31
Madariaga R (1976) Dynamics of an expanding circular fault. Bull Seismol Soc Am 66(3):639–666
Madariaga R, Vigny Ch, Lancieri M, Ruiz S, Métois M, Socquet A, Fuenzalida A, Buforn E, Campos J (2010) The Mw = 8.8 Maule earthquake in Chile: a preliminary view. In: Silva AM, Reis AH, Fitas A, Figueiredo J, Caldeira B, Bezzeghoud M (eds) Jornadas de Física por ocasião da jubilação do Professor Rui Namorado Rosa. Universidade de Évora, Évora, pp 275–290. ISBN 978-989-95091-2-2
Mai PM, Spudich P, Boatwright J (2005) Hypocenter locations in finite-source rupture models. Bull Seismol Soc Am 95(3):965–980
Martínez-Solares JM, Lopez A, Mezcua J (1979) Isoseismal map of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake obtained from Spanish data. Tectonophysics 53:301–313
Matias LM (1996) A sismologia experimental na modelação da estrutura da crusta em Portugal continental, Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Lisbon, 398 pp.
McClusky S, Reilinger R, Mahmoud S, Ben Sari D, Tealeb A (2003) GPS constraints on Africa (Nubia) and Arabia plate motions. Geophys J Int 155:126–138
McGuire JJ, Zhao L, Jordan TH (2002) Predominance of unilateral rupture for a global catalog of earthquakes. Bull Seismol Soc Am 92:3309–3317
Mendes-Victor L, Baptista MA, Miranda JM, Miranda PMA (1999) Can hydrodynamic modelling of tsunami contribute to seismic risk assessment? Phys Chem Earth 24:139–144
Moreira VS (1982) Sismotectónica de Portugal Continental e Região Atlântica adjacente. INMG, Lisboa (in Portuguese)
Moreira VS (1984) Sismicidade histórica de Portugal Continental, Revista do Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia e Geofísica, Lisbon, (in Portuguese)
Moreira VS (1985) Seismotectonics of Portugal and its adjacent area in the Atlantic. Tectonophysics 11:85–96
Olsen KB, Archuleta RJ (1996) Site response in the Los Angeles Basin from 3-D simulations of ground motion. SRL 67(2):49
Pereira de Sousa FL (1919) O terremoto do 1◦ de Novembro de 1755 em Portugal e um estudo demográfico (Serviços Geológicos de Portugal), vol I–IV (in Portuguese)
Pitarka A, Graves R, Sommerville P (2004) Validation of a 3D velocity model of the Puget Sound region based on modeling ground motion from the 28 February 2001 Nisqually earthquake. Bull Seismol Soc Am 94(5):1670–1689
Reid HF (1914) The Lisbon earthquake of November 1, 1755. Bull Seismol Soc Am 4(2):53–80
Ribeiro A (2002) Soft plate and impact tectonics, Springer, 324 p
Ribeiro A, Cabral J, Baptista R, Matias L (1996) Stress pattern in Portugal mainland and the adjacent Atlantic region, West Iberia. Tectonics 15:641–659
Scheffers A, Kelletat D (2005) Tsunami relics on the coastal landscape west of Lisbon, Portugal. Sci Tsunami Hazards 23(1):3–16
Somerville PG (2003) Magnitude scaling of the near fault rupture directivity pulse. Phys Earth Planet Int 137:201–207
Stich D, Ammon CJ, Morales J (2003) Moment tensor solutions for small and moderate earthquakes in the Ibero-Maghreb region. J Geophys Res 108:2148
Terrinha PAG (1998) Structural geology and tectonic evolution of the Algarve basin, South Portugal. PhD thesis, Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, London, 423 pp
Terrinha P, Pinheiro LM, Henriet J-P, Matias L, Ivanov MK, Monteiro JH, Akhmetzhanov A, Volkonskaya A, Cunha T, Shaskin P, Rovere M (2003) Tsunamigenic-seismogenic structures, neotectonics, sedimentary processes and slope instability on the southwest Portuguese Margin. Mar Geol 195:55–73
Teves-Costa P, Borges JF, Rio I, Ribeiro R, Marreiros C (1999) Source parameters of old earthquakes: semi-automatic digitalization of analog records and seismic moment assessment. Nat Hazards 19:205–220
Thiebot E, Gutscher M-A (2006) The Gibraltar Arc seismogenic zone (part 1): constraints on a shallow east dipping fault plane source for the 1755 Lisbon earthquake provided by seismic data, gravity and thermal modeling. Tectonophys Sp Vol “Nat Lab Seismogenic Faults” 427:135–152. doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2006.02.024
Udias A, Buforn E (1994) Seismotectonics of the Mediterranean region. Adv Geophys 36:121–209
Udías A, López Arroyo A, Mézcua J (1976) Seismotectonics of the Azores–Alboran region. Tectonophysics 31:259–289
Vilanova SP (2003) Sismicidade e Perigosidade Sísmica do Vale Inferior do Tejo. Ph.D. thesis, University of Lisbon, 259 pp
Watson DF (1982) Automatic contouring of raw data, computers and geosciences. Pergamon Press Ltd., 1, 8, 97–101
Wilson JT (1966) Did the Atlantic close and then re-open? Nature 211:676–681
Zitellini N et al (2001) Source of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami investigated. EOS Trans Am Geophys U 82:285
Zitellini N, Gràcia E, Matias L, Terrinha P, Abreu MA, DeAlteriis G, Henriet JP, Dañobeitia JJ, Masson DG, Mulder T, Ramella R, Somoza L, Diez S (2009) The quest for the Africa–Eurasia plate boundary west of the Strait of Gibraltar. Earth Planet Sci Lett 280:13–50
Acknowledgments
This work has been developed with the support of the ‘Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)’ (Science and Technology Foundation) of the ‘Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e do Ensino Superior (MCTES)’, through the projects Topo-Med (TOPOEUROPE/0001/2007), SISMOD/LISMOT (PTDC/CTE-GIN/82704/2006) and WILAS (PTDC/CTE-GIX/097946/2008). The authors acknowledge helpful reviews of anonymous reviewers.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bezzeghoud, M., Borges, J.F. & Caldeira, B. Ground motion simulations of the SW Iberia margin: rupture directivity and earth structure effects. Nat Hazards 69, 1229–1245 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-011-9925-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-011-9925-2