HR: 0800h
AN: T11A-0348 [Abstracts]
TI: Frequent turbidite depositions in the Holocene along the Kuril trench, northwestern Pacific:
implications for paleoseismic activities
AU: * Noda, A
EM: a.noda@aist.go.jp
AF: Institute of Geology and Geoinformation, Geological Survey of Japan/AIST, Central 7, Higashi 1-1-1,
Tsukuba, Iba 305-8567
Japan
AU: Furukawa, R
EM: furukawa-r@aist.go.jp
AF: Institute of Geology and Geoinformation, Geological Survey of Japan/AIST, Central 7, Higashi 1-1-1,
Tsukuba, Iba 305-8567
Japan
AU: Uchida, J
EM: utty@es.sci.kumamoto-u.ac.jp
AF: Department of Environmental Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University,
Kurokami 2-39-1, Kumamoto, Kum 860-8555
Japan
AU: Tsujino, T
EM: t-tsujino@aist.go.jp
AF: Institute of Geology and Geoinformation, Geological Survey of Japan/AIST, Central 7, Higashi 1-1-1,
Tsukuba, Iba 305-8567
Japan
AU: Satake, K
EM: kenji.satake@aist.go.jp
AF: Active Fault Research Center, Geological Survey of Japan/AIST, Central 7, Higashi 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Iba
305-8567
Japan
AU: Okamura, Y
EM: okamura-y@aist.go.jp
AF: Active Fault Research Center, Geological Survey of Japan/AIST, Central 7, Higashi 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Iba
305-8567
Japan
AU: Ikehara, K
EM: k-ikehara@aist.go.jp
AF: Institute of Geology and Geoinformation, Geological Survey of Japan/AIST, Central 7, Higashi 1-1-1,
Tsukuba, Iba 305-8567
Japan
AU: Arai, K
EM: ko-arai@aist.go.jp
AF: Institute of Geology and Geoinformation, Geological Survey of Japan/AIST, Central 7, Higashi 1-1-1,
Tsukuba, Iba 305-8567
Japan
AU: Sasaki, T
EM: tmsasaki@mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp
AF: Department of Geosystem engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Hongo
7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tok 113-0033
Japan
AB:
Over 30 turbidite layers during the Holocene are identified in total of 20 gravity and piston core samples along the
southwestern Kuril trench, off the Pacific coast of Hokkaido, northern Japan. With a help of tephra layers in the cores, the
recurrence intervals of turbidite depositions are estimated to be several decades. Large (> M8) earthquakes, recurring
every 50--100 years along the Kuril trench, are the most likely triggering mechanism for generating turbidity currents.
Because the Hokkaido's written history is limited in the last two centuries, the large earthquakes before the 19th century
are not well known. Therefore, sedimentological analysis of submarine core samples allows us to estimate the earthquake
recurrence in a longer time period and the result will be used for a long-term forecast of large earthquakes along the Kuril
Trench.
The cores were obtained from the water depths between 2000 and 3600 m. Sampling sites were off Nemuro to the east (submarine
fan on a flat belt along the trench), bottom of the Kushiro Submarine Canyon, and off Tokachi to the west (small sedimentary
basins). Almost all the turbidites are very fine-grained to fine-grained, and intercalated with olive black diatomaceous
mud. Several tuffs from known eruption constrain the depositional ages in the cores.
Cores from off Nemuro contain zero to two sand layers above volcanic ashes of the 17th century. This indicates that fewer
turbidite depositions have occurred than large earthquakes deduced from the historical records. Samples from the bottom of
the Kushiro Submarine Canyon also include turbidites and the tephras. Four to five turbidites above the tephra suggest that
the earthquakes recurrence interval is 57--85 years off Kushiro, which are similar to the historical ones. Off Tokachi area,
although many turbidites are included in the cores, absence of tephras makes it difficult to estimate the recurrence
intervals of the turbidite depositions. There is no turbidite deposited by the 2003 Tokachi-oki earthquake on the surface of
the cores, off Tokachi.
DE: 3040 Plate tectonics (8150, 8155, 8157, 8158)
DE: 4564 Tsunamis and storm surges
DE: 7221 Paleoseismology (8036)
DE: 7223 Earthquake interaction, forecasting, and prediction (1217, 1242)
DE: 7230 Seismicity and tectonics (1207, 1217, 1240, 1242)
SC: Tectonophysics [T]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005