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Evidence for surface rupture associated with the Mw 6.3 L’Aquila earthquake sequence of April 2009 (central Italy)
Author(s) -
Giuliana Alessio,
Laura Alfonsi,
Carlo Alberto Brunori,
F. R. Cinti,
Riccardo Civico,
Luigi Cucci,
Giuliana D’Addezio,
R. De Ritis,
Emanuela Falcucci,
Umberto Fracassi,
Andrea Gasparini,
Stefano Gori,
Arianna Lisi,
S. Mariano,
M. T. Mariucci,
P. Montone,
Rosa Nappi,
D. Pantosti,
A. Patera,
Simona Pierdominici,
M. Pig,
Stefania Pinzi,
Stefano Pucci,
Paola Vannoli,
A. Venuti,
Fabio Villani
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
terra nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.353
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-3121
pISSN - 0954-4879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3121.2009.00915.x
Subject(s) - geology , aftershock , seismology , fault scarp , fault (geology) , surface rupture , seismic hazard , earthquake rupture , slip (aerodynamics) , intraplate earthquake , seismic gap , tectonics , physics , thermodynamics
Terra Nova, 22, 43–51, 2010 Abstract An earthquake of Mw = 6.3 struck L’Aquila town (central Italy) on 6 April 2009 rupturing an ∼18‐km‐long SW‐dipping normal fault. The aftershock area extended for a length of more than 35 km and included major aftershocks on 7 and 9 April and thousands of minor events. Surface faulting occurred along the SW‐dipping Paganica fault with a continuous extent of ∼2.5 km. Ruptures consist of open cracks and vertical dislocations or warps (0.1m maximum throw) with an orientation of N130°–140°. Small triggered slip and shaking effects also took place along nearby synthetic and antithetic normal faults. The observed limited extent and small surface displacement of the Paganica ruptures with respect to the height of the fault scarps and vertical throws of palaeo‐earthquakes along faults in the area put the faulting associated with the L’Aquila earthquake in perspective with respect to the maximum expected magnitude and the regional seismic hazard.