Abstract
The longest records of earthquake activity1 may be preserved near the edges of carbonate platforms where reefs have bordered active faults. Because the carbonate sediments build up almost to low tide level, because their character and lithification are very sensitive to deviations from that datum, and because they commonly lithify soon after deposition2, strata can precisely record changes in lithospheric flexure3, which in turn record the buildup and release of elastic strain energy during stick–slip faulting. The approximate stratigraphy is predictable for a given history of faulting. Comparison of predictions with observations leads to an explanation for some of the hemicyclic sedimentary sequences common4–6 on carbonate platforms. These records are important for characterizing the seismicity of Atlantic-type continental margins in general. After rifting, faults evidently remain active7, but major earthquakes are so rare that their recurrence times cannot be established from direct observations.
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Cisne, J. Earthquakes recorded stratigraphically on carbonate platforms. Nature 323, 320–322 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/323320a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/323320a0
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