HR: 10:50h
AN: T12B-03 INVITED [Abstracts]
TI: Cascadia Great Earthquake Recurrence: Correlation Evidence for Repeated Margin Wide Rupture
AU: * Goldfinger, C
EM: gold@coas.oregonstate.edu
AF: Oregon State University
College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
Active Tectonics, Ocean Admin Bldg 104, Corvallis, OR 97331
United States
AU: Nelson, H
EM: odp@ugr.es
AF: Inst Andaluz de Ciencias De La Tierra, CSIC/Univ De Granada Fac De Ciencias, Campus de Fuentenueva S/n
18002, Granada, S/n 18002
Spain
AU: Morey-Ross, A
EM: morey@coas.oregonstate.edu
AF: Oregon State University
College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
Active Tectonics, Ocean Admin Bldg 104, Corvallis, OR 97331
United States
AU: Johnson, J E
EM: jjohnson@mbari.org
AF: Oregon State University
College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
Active Tectonics, Ocean Admin Bldg 104, Corvallis, OR 97331
United States
AB:
We are now testing correlation between turbidite event records at widely separated sites in Cascadia with radiocarbon ages
and physical properties of the core sediments. We focus here on physical property correlations between sites to test for
connections between sites independent of radiocarbon ages. Gamma density, magnetic susceptibility, and P-wave velocity data
were routinely collected for all cores at a 2 cm interval. We find that a good stratigraphic correlation can be made between
Juan de Fuca Channel (JDF, a tributary of Cascadia Channel) and Cascadia Channel based on individual event signatures, and
upon the sequence of unique signatures through the Holocene record of 18 events. 16 individual event density-magnetic
signatures between JDF and Cascadia Channel have correlation coefficients of 0.6-0.9, with two scores (0.16 and 0.32) for
events with similar, but out of phase characteristics. Non correlated events have lower coefficients in most cases. The
event sequence includes a mix of many unique signatures and some events that are similar to others. The unique sequence of
these signatures limits the possibility of miscorrelation because rarely do similar events occur adjacent in time. These
correlations further support the temporal correlation to great earthquake records in Willapa Bay (this session), as well as
extend the record to ~ 9800 years.
We find that many events can be correlated in this way between JDF, Cascadia, Hydrate Ridge (central Oregon margin), and
Rogue (southern Oregon margin) core sites. The signatures vary more between sites that are not directly connected, but many
robust features are preserved, including in many cases, the relative volume of the turbidite, and the number of coarse pulses
in the turbidite. These features allow direct correlation between sites independent of other methods.
That we are able to correlate physical property "wiggle" plots along channel systems is intriguing, given the expected
chaotic nature of deposition controlled by turbid flow. However, the inter-site correlations between turbidite channels that
are not connected, implies that the deposition process is influenced by more than long distance transport of event
characteristics. We suggest that such correlation implies that something of the earthquake shaking signal may be contained
in these records. While not all sites can be correlated on the basis of physical properties, we find that key events in the
event sequence have characteristics observable at most if not all sites. Events T6, T8, and T16 are large triplets at all
sites, T4 and T9 are single events, T10, T12 are small events at all sites, and T11 is a massive doublet event at all sites.
These observations strengthen the correlation, and thus the inference of earthquake origin for these events. The
correlations further support the un-segmented nature of most Cascadia ruptures, since direct correlation effectively
eliminates this option. Currently, not all events can be correlated margin wide, leaving open the possibility of several
segmented ruptures.
Strengthened correlations further support a repeating pattern of Great Earthquakes in Cascadia. The pattern appears to
have repeated at least four times, with the most recent AD 1700 event being the third of three events following a long
interval between events T4 and T5.
DE: 7221 Paleoseismology
DE: 7223 Seismic hazard assessment and prediction
DE: 3022 Marine sediments--processes and transport
DE: 3030 Micropaleontology
SC: Tectonophysics [T]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting