The influence of glacial isostatic adjustment on intraplate seismicity in northeastern Canada ...
Due to changes in the Earth’s climate, the Earth has experienced colder periods, which generated the growth of continental ice sheets at higher latitudes. The build up of an ice sheet induces flexural stresses in the lithosphere and mantle affecting the stability of pre-existing faults. During and a...
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
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Graduate Studies
2013
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/prism/28209 https://prism.ucalgary.ca/handle/11023/652 |
| Summary: | Due to changes in the Earth’s climate, the Earth has experienced colder periods, which generated the growth of continental ice sheets at higher latitudes. The build up of an ice sheet induces flexural stresses in the lithosphere and mantle affecting the stability of pre-existing faults. During and after the end of deglaciation, these faults are activated and the flexural stresses are released as earthquakes. The last ice sheet in North America started to melt 20ka ago, and was gone by 6ka. Here, (re-)activated faults were found, which show vertical fault scarps of up to 100m. As moderate seismicity is observed in North America now, it is of major societal and economic importance to investigate the relationship of this activity to the ongoing rebound. The extended seismological network in northeastern Canada gives us the possibility to analyze local seismicity in more detail than previously possible. Thrust-faulting mechanisms are estimated for five moderate earthquakes that occurred in northern Hudson Bay, ... |
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