Alboran Sea Tectonics Show Rising Tsunami Risk and a Major Fault System

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A recent study in the western Mediterranean highlights the possibility of larger tsunamis than previously expected, driven by the ongoing collision of the European and African plates in the Alboran Sea. This stretch of coast along the Spanish Mediterranean faces heightened seismic and tsunami risk as new data illuminate the fault system responsible for substantial deformation in the region.

In a collaboration led by the Institute of Marine Sciences at the Spanish National Research Council in Barcelona and the Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies, researchers pinpointed the boundary between the European and African tectonic plates within the Alboran region. The findings map how this boundary could generate powerful earthquakes with the potential to trigger dangerous tsunamis along western Mediterranean coastlines.

Published in Nature Communications, the study provides a first look at the complex geometry of an active fault network and traces how these faults have shifted over the past five million years. The work shows that this fault system absorbs essentially all deformation from the continued plate convergence in the area, making it a dominant source of energy dissipation in the region.

The team notes that high quality data allowed a deep view into the faults’ structure and the deformation they accumulate, establishing this system as one of the most significant in the Iberian Peninsula in terms of long term energy storage and release. The research emphasizes the importance of understanding these subsurface features to better quantify regional hazard and improve preparedness for coastal communities.

Although the Alboran Sea subsoil has been studied since the 1970s, earlier data lacked the precision needed to fully understand regional tectonics. Modern methods used in this study enabled a detailed characterization of a 300 kilometer long network of active faults, now regarded as the most important in terms of deformation accumulation in the Iberian Peninsula.

Researchers note that aboard the Spanish oceanographic vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa, the latest data collection techniques were deployed to observe the structures described here for the first time. Processing methods were developed to reveal these newly identified features, according to a participating ICM CSIC researcher and ICREA professor who contributed to the work.

The study explains how the region previously had limited clarity on the exact plate boundary where European and African plates interact. This clarity is essential for reassessing seismic and tsunami exposure for coastal communities in western Mediterranean countries.

In parallel work from the same research team, conducted with GEOMAR in Germany and INGV in Italy, the tsunami generating potential of this boundary is assessed. The findings suggest a higher threat than earlier estimates reflected. Earlier studies often underestimated risk due to gaps in data about major faults, influencing readiness and mitigation planning across coastal zones.

Gómez de la Peña summarizes the significance as the first comprehensive assessment of seismic and tsunami potential for these major faults. This knowledge, largely unavailable until now, warrants deeper evaluation in future studies to refine hazard models and response strategies for coastal regions.

Selected reference work is Nature Communications from 2022. The article discusses methods and data supporting the conclusions and offers a detailed account of the fault network and its implications for regional hazard assessment. Notes on data transparency accompany the study to support ongoing research and replication by the broader scientific community.

Endnotes summarize the research and acknowledge ongoing collaboration across European institutions, with a forward view on integrating multidisciplinary data to improve regional hazard modeling and understanding of tectonics in the area.

End of article remarks indicate continued collaboration among European research centers and the value of combining diverse datasets to enhance hazard assessments and planning for coastal communities.

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