Levelling Profiles and a GPS Network to Monitor the Active Folding and Faulting Deformation in the Campo de Dalias (Betic Cordillera, Southeastern Spain)

• Main Authors: Carlos Marín-Lechado, Jesús Galindo-Zaldívar, Antonio José Gil, María Jesús Borque, María Clara de Lacy, Antonio Pedrera, Angel Carlos López-Garrido, Pedro Alfaro, Francisco García-Tortosa, Maria Isabel Ramos, Gracia Rodríguez-Caderot, José Rodríguez-Fernández, Ana Ruiz-Constán, Carlos Sanz de Galdeano-Equiza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2010-04-01
• Series: Sensors
• Subjects: seismogenic faults; large folds; active tectonics; precise levelling; GPS; western Mediterranean
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/10/4/3504/

The Campo de Dalias is an area with relevant seismicity associated to the active tectonic deformations of the southern boundary of the Betic Cordillera. A non-permanent GPS network was installed to monitor, for the first time, the fault- and fold-related activity. In addition, two high precision levelling profiles were measured twice over a one-year period across the Balanegra Fault, one of the most active faults recognized in the area. The absence of significant movement of the main fault surface suggests seismogenic behaviour. The possible recurrence interval may be between 100 and 300 y. The repetitive GPS and high precision levelling monitoring of the fault surface during a long time period may help us to determine future fault behaviour with regard to the existence (or not) of a creep component, the accumulation of elastic deformation before faulting, and implications of the fold-fault relationship.