Geodetic evidence for passive control of a major Miocene tectonic boundary on the contemporary deformation field of Athens (Greece)

Michael Foumelis Michael Foumelis,Ioannis D Papanikolaou Ioannis D Papanikolaou,Ioannis Fountoulis Ioannis Fountoulis,Dimitrios Papanikolaou Dimitrios Papanikolaou

doi:10.4401/ag-6238

Abstract

<p>A GPS-derived velocity field is presented from a dense geodetic network (~5km distance between stations) established in the broader area of Athens. It shows significant local variations of strain rates across a major inactive tectonic boundary separating metamorphic and non-metamorphic geotectonic units. The southeastern part of Athens plain displays negligible deformation rates, whereas towards the northwestern part higher strain rates are observed, indicating the control of the inactive tectonic boundary on the contemporary deformation field of the region. These findings are in agreement with previous geological observations, however, due to the dense local GPS network it was fatherly possible to localize and quantify the effect of such a major inherited tectonic feature on the deformation pattern of the area.</p>

Highlights

Detailed instrumental observations of the tectonic movements in Athens Basin by geodetic or other methods are absent, a fact attributed mainly to the limited interest of the scientific community over areas exhibiting low deformation rates
The local stress field of the Alpine basement in the broader Athens region is characterized by extension in a NNW-SSE direction
The broader area is essentially a transitional zone between the Corinth Gulf and Beotia to the west, characterized by E-W trending active faults with significant seismic activity and those of southern Attica and Cyclades islands to the east, showing low deformation rates [Mariolakos and Papanikolaou 1987, Papanikolaou and Lozios 1990]

Summary

Introduction

Detailed instrumental observations of the tectonic movements in Athens Basin by geodetic or other methods are absent, a fact attributed mainly to the limited interest of the scientific community over areas exhibiting low deformation rates. The contribution of previous geodetic GPS studies to examine the kinematic field of Attica are only limited to observations obtained from regional networks, that are designed to monitor large-scale deformation rather than local tectonic movements [Clarke et al 1998, Veis et al 2003].

Results

Conclusion