Collaborative Research: Crustal Deformation and Earthquake Behavior in the Lebanese Restraining Bend of the Dead Sea Fault System (Lebanon and SW Syria)

合作研究：死海断层系统黎巴嫩约束弯曲处的地壳变形和地震行为（黎巴嫩和叙利亚西南部）

• 批准号: 0439807
• 负责人: Robert Reilinger
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-03-01 至 2009-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0439807&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Crustal; Deformation; Earthquake

Scientists from the University of Missouri and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in collaboration with scientists from Lebanon and Syria are investigating the active tectonics and earthquake behavior of a 200-km-long restraining bend along the Dead Sea fault system in Lebanon and southwestern Syria. The Dead Sea fault system ranks among the large, continental transform systems of the world and comprises a key element in the plate tectonic framework of the eastern Mediterranean region. Thus, in addition to elucidating the regional tectonic and geodynamic processes, this research is addressing scientific questions relevant to other continental transforms worldwide. The team is investigating the: (1) earthquake cycle along a large strike-slip fault, including earthquake interactions between adjacent structures (e.g., stress loading), and how this relates to crustal rheology; (2) strain partitioning and uplift within a large restraining bend, and its relationship to internal deformation of the Arabian plate; and (3) oblique plate motions and predicted along-strike variations in slip rate of the central and northern Dead Sea fault system. To address these problems, the team is conducting: (1) neotectonic field studies to assess detailed kinematics and fault slip rates within the restraining bend; (2) paleoseismic investigations to assess possible fault segmentation and to construct robust earthquake histories, (3) tectonic geodesy, using GPS and InSAR, in the far-field and near-field to determine short term rates of fault slip and kinematics in three-dimensions, and (4) geophysical modeling of fault mechanics from geodetic and geological data, the earthquake cycle using geological/geodetic data and paleoseismology, and large plate motions of the Sinai and Arabia plates. These studies are taking advantage of a lengthy, well documented, and relatively complete historical record of large earthquakes (approximately magnitude 6.5) that spans more than two millennia. Such historical records are unavailable for nearly all other plate boundaries in the world and are helping to bridge the critical gap between geologic and geodetic assessments of strain in the region.

来自密苏里大学和麻省理工学院的科学家与黎巴嫩和叙利亚的科学家合作，正在研究黎巴嫩和叙利亚西南部死海断层系统沿线一个200公里长的限制性弯道的活动构造和地震行为。死海断裂系统是世界上最大的大陆转换系统之一，是东地中海地区板块构造框架中的关键要素。因此，除了阐明区域构造和地球动力学过程外，这项研究还解决了与世界范围内其他大陆变化有关的科学问题。该小组正在调查：(1)沿大型走滑断层的地震旋回，包括相邻结构之间的地震相互作用(例如，应力载荷)，及其与地壳流变学的关系；(2)大型约束弯曲内的应变分配和隆起，及其与阿拉伯板块内部变形的关系；(3)板块倾斜运动和死海断裂系统中部和北部沿走向滑动速率的预测变化。为解决这些问题，工作组正在进行：(1)新构造实地研究，以评估约束弯曲内的详细运动学和断层滑动速率；(2)古地震调查，以评估可能的断层分段并建立稳健的地震历史；(3)利用全球定位系统和干涉合成孔径雷达，在远场和近场进行构造大地测量，以确定断层滑动的短期速率和三维运动学；以及(4)根据大地测量和地质数据建立断层力学的地球物理模型，利用地质/大地测量数据和古地震学建立地震旋回，以及西奈和阿拉伯板块的大板块运动。这些研究利用了跨越两千多年的冗长、有充分记录和相对完整的大地震(约6.5级)的历史记录。世界上几乎所有其他板块边界都没有这样的历史记录，这有助于弥合对该地区应变的地质和大地测量评估之间的关键差距。