Lichenometric age measured on rock-falls related to historic seismicity affecting Lorca and its surroundings (Murcia, SE Spain)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21701/bolgeomin.123.4.005Keywords:
earthquake, lichenometry, Lorca, rock-fallAbstract
During the earthquake at Lorca (Murcia, SE Spain) in 2011 (5.2 Mw, 4km depth) several rock-falls occurred, mobilizing an estimated volume of close to 2,000 m3. All these rock-falls took place within the Estancias and La Tercia mountain ranges, the topography of which is composed of Tortonian calcarenitic sandstones with steep scarps more than 30 m in height. We have conducted a lichenometric study to obtain the age of the ancient rock-falls within the Las Estancias Range. We have assumed an annual growth rate of 0.24 mm for lichen species classified as calcicolous and related to warm climatic conditions. Our aim was to corroborate the hypothesis that seismic events triggered these massive rock-falls. The city of Lorca had experienced two nearfield historic earthquakes (1674 EMS VIII and 1818 EMS VI) and one far-field tremor during the great Lisbon earthquake in 1755 (EMS VI). Results obtained here indicate that the earthquakes of 1674 and 2011 were quite similar, except that the 1674 one mobilised a greater quantity and twenty times the volume of blocks mobilised during the 2011 earthquake. Therefore, we conclude that the size of the earthquake of 1674 was possibly between 6.0 < M < 6.8, assuming similar focal and seismotectonic conditions to those of the instrumentally measured earthquake of 2011.
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