Rift fault activity and interaction at high resolution using geophysical and drilling data analysis from Greece and East Africa

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Active continental rifts and the faults that control their deformation are the source of earthquakes and create some of our most important sediment sinks. Corinth (Greece) and East Africa (e.g., Tanganyika) are two of the most active, rapdily extending continental rift zones on Earth, globally recognised for their significance in the initiation of the process of new ocean basin formation1,2. This project will integrate marine seismic and earthquake data, with new ocean drilling core and log data sampling rift sediments (Corinth rift: ocean drilling completed 20172) and field and earthquake data to study how faults grow, overlap and interact in active rift systems3. It is rare to be able to study how individual faults interact at the temporal and spatial scale relevant to a few earthquake cycles in an active and high-rate tectonic system, but these new combined datasets of fault displacement history, age and slip rate will provide a very high resolution record of fault activity. Fault control on sediment accumulation and fault development and activity are important for hydrocarbon systems. Active rift zones also generate damaging earthquakes and, in some cases, tsunamis: therefore fault slip change through time and fault interaction are important for hazard analysis.