Seismic Potential of the Main Active Faults in the Granada Basin (Southern Spain)

Abstract

The main active faults of the Granada Basin are located in its central-eastern sector, where the most important tectonic activity is concentrated, uplifting its eastern part and sinking the western border. Several parameters related to the seismic potentiality of these active, or in some cases probably active, faults in this basin are used for the first time. Many of these faults can generate earthquakes with magnitudes larger than 6.0 MW, although this is not the general case. The fault situated to the N of Sierra Tejeda, probably the one responsible for the big earthquake of 25/12/1884, stands out, because it could generate an earthquake with magnitude 6.9 MW. Although at present all the data needed are not fully known, we consider that the final results show, as a whole, the average expected return periods of the faults in the Granada Basin.