Recent fault tectonics and their relations to the seismicity of East Germany

Abstract

The prominent features of the map of recent vertical crustal movements of East Germany are NW-SE striking faults which divide the whole country into tilted blocks. Some of the faults are known from geological mapping, others, especially in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg are known only from geophysical investigations or are unknown except for geodetic evidence. The recent mobility of all faults was proved by typical geodetic indications. There are almost no conformities with morphologic structures. The movements along these faults are aseismic and creeping. The difference in the velocity of movement between the blocks on either side of the fault is not more than 0.18 mm/yr, and the direction of movement changes after short periods of time (not geological periods). In some cases, the continuation of faults show no recent mobility in the above described sense, but along the fault planes the epicentres of small earthquakes can be found, especially in southwest Saxony (Vogtland). That seems to be an explanation for areas of very low seismicity and for the relationship between recent crustal movements along faults and the seismic activity along faults.