Strain precursors for the june 2000 earthquakes, South Iceland : a study of crustal deformation 1984-1995

• Main Author: Lindman, Mattias
• Format: Bachelor Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2001
• Subjects: Technology; Geophysics; Crustal deformation; Iceland; South Iceland; Seismic Zone; Earthquakes; Earthquake Prediction; Strain; Precursors; Teknik
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-42197

Two large earthquakes took place in the south Iceland lowland in June 2000, both with magnitudes 6.6. Serious injuries did not occur as a result of the earthquakes but several houses were severely damaged. The earthquakes took place in an area called the south Iceland seismic zone representing a transform plate boundary between the Eurasian and the North American lithospheric plates. Within this zone of high seismicity several destructive earthquakes have taken place since the settlement of Iceland in the ninth century. A long term forecast from 1985 stated high probability of a destructive earthquake sequence before 2010. There is a relationship between earthquake occurence and deformation of the earth’s crust. A study has been made of the crustal deformation in the south Iceland seismic zone between 1984 and 1995 in order to search for possible precursors for the June 2000 earthquakes. Large and anomalous strain signals were identified slightly west of the fault that ruptured the June 17th 2000. These strains are interpreted as preseismic precursors for the earthquake that occurred the 17th of June 2000. Regarding precursors for the June 21st earthquake no conclusions could be drawn, due to spurious data. The deformation measured in south Iceland between 1984 and 1995 can be considered to represent the preseismic phase of the crustal deformation cycle in south Iceland. The coseismic phase of deformation in the two earthquakes is known through the work of other authors. For future work it is recommended to build up knowledge on the postseismic and interseismic phases of the crustal deformation cycle through continued monitoring of crustal deformation in south Iceland. It is also recommended to keep an eye on the areas where anomalous deformation was identified in this work. These areas could be locations for future earthquakes in south Iceland. Validerat; 20101217 (root)