Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Relevance of Afar seismicity and volcanism to the mechanics of accreting plate boundaries

Abstract

The seismicity, the horizontal and vertical ground displacements, and the geometry of active faults and fissures during the seismic and volcanic events of November 1978 in Southern Afar are consistent with an accentuation of the pre-existing topography of the Ghoubbet–Asal rift. The zone of sizeable permanent deformation is restricted to several hundred square kilometres. Elastic rebound models seem to explain the observations. The events occurred in the vicinity of the suggested location of the tip of a lithospheric crack which may have been responsible for the progressive opening of the western Gulf of Aden.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Allard, P., Tazieff, H. & Dajlevic, D. Nature 279, 30 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Lépine, J. C., Ruegg, J. C. & Anis, A. M. 7è Réun. ann. Sci. Terre Lyon, 293 (abstr.) (1979).

  3. Lépine, J. C. & Ruegg, J. C. (in preparation).

  4. Lépine, J. C., Richard, O., Ruegg, J. C., Treuil, M. & Varet, J. C. r. hebd. Séanc. Acad. Sci., Paris D283, 9 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Tapponnier, P. & Varet, J. C. r. hebd. Séanc. Acad. Sci., Paris D274, 209 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Courtillot, V., Tapponnier, P. & Varet, J. Tectonophysics 24, 317 (1974).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Courtillot, V. & Le Mouël, J. L. IPGP Observations magnétiques, Paris, 39p (Paris 1978).

  8. Courtillot, V., Galdéano, A. & Le Mouël, J. L. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. (submitted).

  9. Lépine, J. C. & Ruegg, J. C. Bull Soc. Géol. Fr. 18, 841 (1976); C. r. hebd. Séanc. Acad. Sci., Paris D277, 33 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. IGN Rep. Implantation d' un Réseau Géodésique pour la Mesure Directe de l' Expansion d' un Rift Océanique, (Institut Géographique National, Paris, 1973).

  11. Kasser, M., Lépine, J. C., Ruegg, J. C. & Tarantola, A. 7è Réun. ann. Sci. Terre Lyon, 266 (abstr.) (1979).

  12. Kasser, M., Lépine, J. C. & Ruegg, J. C. C. r. hebd. Séanc. Acad. Sci., Paris D288, 469 (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Ruegg, J. C., Lépine, J. C. & Kasser, M. Geophys. Res. Lett. (in the press).

  14. Tarantola, A., Ruegg, J. C. & Lépine, J. C. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. (in the press).

  15. Le Dain, A. Y., Robineau, B. & Tapponnier, P. Bull. Soc. geol. Fr. (submitted).

  16. Robineau, B., Le Dain, A. Y. & Tapponnier, P. 7è Réun. ann. Sci. Terre Lyon, 404 (abstr.) (1979).

  17. Courtillot, V. Phys. Earth, planet. Int. (in the press).

  18. Barberi, F. & Varet, J. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 88, 1251 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Björnsson, A., Johnsen, G., Sigurdsson, S., Thorbergsson, G. & Tryggvason, E. J. geophys. Res. 84, 3029 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Björnsson, A., Saemundsson, K., Einarsson, P., Tryggvason, E. & Grönvold, K. Nature 266, 318 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. Tapponnier, P. & Francheteau, J. J. geophys. Res. 83, 3955 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Bayer, R., Courtillot, V., Daignières, M. & Tapponnier, P. C. r. hebd. Séanc. Acad. Sci., Paris D276, 2765 (1973).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Daignières, M., Courtillot, V., Bayer, R. & Tapponnier, P. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 26, 222 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Needham, H. D. et al. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 28, 439 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Le Pichon, X. & Francheteau, J. Tectonophysics 46, 369 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. Girdler, R. W. & Styles, P. Nature 271, 615 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. Minster, J. B. & Jordan, T. H. J. geophys. Res. 83, 5331 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Reid, H. F. Bull. Dep. Geol. Univ. Calif. 6, 413 (1911).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Mansinha, L. & Smylie, D. E. Bull. seis. Soc. Am. 61, 1433 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Savage, J. C. & Hastie, L. M. Bull. seis. Soc. Am. 59, 1937 (1969).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Savage, J. C., Lisowski, M., Prescott, W. H. & Church, J. P. J. Geophys. Res. 82, 1667 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Abdallah, A., Courtillot, V., Kasser, M. et al. Relevance of Afar seismicity and volcanism to the mechanics of accreting plate boundaries. Nature 282, 17–23 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/282017a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/282017a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing