FP6 priority

1.1.6   Sustainable Development, Global Change and Ecosystems

1.6.3

Title of the proposal

Global geodynamic events and their impact on the seismic hazard assessment in the Western Carpathian – Pannonian – Eastern Alpine – Bohemian Massif junction area

Institute

Slovak Academy of Sciences, Geophysical Institute,
Dubravska cesta 9, 842 26 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Contact

Research subject for a potential FP6 project

Seismic activity on the territory of the Western Carpathian – Pannonian – Eastern Alpine – Bohemian Massif junction is closely related to the lithosphere rheology and combined structural pattern within the brittle upper crust. Seismicity is not very high but certainly is not negligible in terms of seismic hazard. The need of seismic hazard analysis is underlined by the fact that one of the most remarkable and important first-order tectonic line is the zone of Pieniny Klippen Belt in the wider surrounding of the Dobra Voda depression coinciding with the Mur-Murz-Leitha tectonic line and with the Pericarpathian fault on the NW margin of the Male Karpaty Mts., respectively. Seismicity, as one of the important environmental hazards, is closely related to the stress release in the lithosphere, often bound to the brittle fault deformation. Therefore prevention of possible catastrophic consequences of earthquakes needs a good seismotectonic model of the investigated area based on, in addition to seismological studies, an integrated geoscience research of the structure and geodynamics of the lithosphere and fault structures by all available means of geological and geophysical (seismic, gravimetric, magnetotelluric, paleomagnetic, geothermal and tidal) methods. The study of the prediction of the lithosphere rheology, the recent movements by means of GPS measurements and neotectonic evolution of the junction is necessary, too. Reconstruction of the geodynamic evolution of the area would be based on integrated structural and petrological studies of exhumation processes of metamorphic core complexes at the Alpine-Carpathian-Pannonian juncture and on the identification and kinematics of principal active and inactive fault structures. Another goal would be unification of nomenclature of tectonic units and structures in the area. The need of the recognition of global geodynamic events and its impact on the seismic hazard assessment in the Western Carpathian – Pannonian – Eastern Alpine – Bohemian Massif junction is supported to the fact that capitals and other important cities, nuclear power plants, large water reservoirs and other important facilities are in operation in this area.

Recent international cooperation of the research team

Geophysical Institute of CAS, Prague, Czech Republic; Vienna University of Technology, Austria ; ELGI Budapest ; Geodetic & Geophysical Research Institute of HAS, Sopron, Hungary; Warszawa University, Poland; Geophysical Institute of PAS, Warszawa, Poland; Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; Geological Survey of Poland (PIG), Warszawa and Krakow, Poland; University of Salzburg, Austria; Universite de Paris-Sud, France; Geological Survey of Hungary (MAFI), Budapest, Hungary

Proposer´s relevant publications related to the research subject

Sefara J., Kovac M., Plasienka D. & Sujan M., 1998: Seismogenic zones in the Eastern Alpine - Western Carpathian - Pannonian junction area. Geol. Carpath., 49, 247–260.
Vozar J. & Santavy J. (Eds.), 1999: Atlas of deep reflection seismic profiles of the Western Carpathians and their interpretation. Geol. Surv. Slov. Rep., Bratislava, 45 pp., 32 plates (monography, electronic form on CD).
Kovac, M., Bielik, M., Hok, J., Kovac, P., Kronome, B., Labak, P., Moczo, P., Plasienka, D., Sefara, J. & Sujan, M. 2002: Seismic activity and neotectonic evolution of the Western Carpathians (Slovakia). Tectonophysics, in press.