HR: 1340h
AN: S43C-1020    [Abstracts]
TI: Identification of Quaternary Faults in Southwest Western Australia Using DEM-based Hill Shading
AU: Clark, D
EM: dan.clark@ga.gov.au
AF: Geoscience Australia, PO Box 378, Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia
AU: * Collins, C D
EM: clive.collins@ga.gov.au
AF: Geoscience Australia, PO Box 378, Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia
AB: In Australia, the extreme infrequency of large earthquake events means that the historic record of seismicity is poorly suited to the task of assessing seismic hazard. Paleoseismological investigations provide the only viable avenue to obtain constraints on the recurrence intervals of large and damaging earthquakes. However, the prehistoric record is compromised by difficulties related to finding direct evidence for large earthquakes (e.g. fault scarps), which may be subtle or relatively short-lived in the landscape. In recent times, high resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) have emerged as an important tool for defining and mapping of areas of probable elevated earthquake hazard. An examination of selected Shuttle Radar Tomography Mission (SRTM) 3 second DEM tiles and a 10 m resolution Department of Land Administration DEM has resulted in the identification of seven previously unrecognised fault scarps of probably Quaternary age in the southwest of Western Australia (SWWA). This doubles the number of Quaternary scarps known from SWWA, and is an important advance in defining areas prone to large earthquakes. The new features range in length from ~15 km to over 45 km, and from ~1.5 m to 7.5 m in height. As might be expected given the prevailing E-W regional compressive stress direction, the scarps are dominantly north-trending. However, most scarps are also arranged within a broad ESE-trending belt. This belt aligns with oceanic transform faults to the west of Australia relating to the break up with India. Of the fourteen scarps only two have been the subject of detailed palaeoseismic investigation to determine recurrence for large events. Ongoing research seeks to characterise seismicity on these scarps and further explore their large-scale relationship to each other, and to the architecture of the Australian plate. This work has the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of the drivers behind seismicity in intraplate Australia, and hence improve estimates of seismic hazard.
DE: 7221 Paleoseismology
DE: 7223 Seismic hazard assessment and prediction
DE: 7230 Seismicity and seismotectonics
DE: 8107 Continental neotectonics
SC: Seismology [S]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting