| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | December 14, 2021 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 11, 2023 |
| Award Number: | 2201418 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Joseph Carlin
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | December 15, 2021 |
| End Date: | November 30, 2023 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $19,081.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $22,897.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2023 = $3,816.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
8622 DISCOVERY WAY # 116 LA JOLLA CA US 92093-1500 (858)534-1293 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
8602 La Jolla Shores Dr LA JOLLA CA US 92093-0210 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): | Marine Geology and Geophysics |
| Primary Program Source: |
01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
|
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
Two earthquakes, M7.0 and M7.2, ruptured sections of the transform fault along Haiti?s southern peninsula in 2010 and 2021. During this project a marine survey in Jamaican waters offshore the recent earthquakes will be conducted to investigate the tectonic and sedimentary effects of these and previous earthquakes in the same region. Sediment cores and high-resolution sub-bottom mapping will image active faults and sample earthquake-triggered sediment deposits. The overarching goal of the project is to compare the new images and samples with pre-existing data collected by the French in 2012 and by collaborators from Jamaica. Results of the project will help improve understanding of fault movement and the character of earthquake-generated sediment deposits and provide insight into the complexities of this plate boundary and the associated hazards. Some key evidence, such as sediment suspended in abyssal water and isotopes that date the remobilized sediments, are short-lived. Other records can be obliterated by erosion. Because of this, the project is time sensitive. Graduate and undergraduate students will be trained during the project.
Continental transform boundaries cross heavily populated regions, and as in the M7.0 2010 and M7.2 2021 Haiti earthquakes, ruptures along these boundaries can cause catastrophic damage and loss of life. Transform boundaries can accommodate only modest changes in relative motion, even slightly oblique motion can make them transpressional or transtensional. These boundaries can evolve into complex, often poorly constrained, systems of faults. The Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault (EPGF) is the main strand of a sinistral E-W transform along the southern boundary of the Gonave microplate. The eastern EPGF traces a prominent ridge that forms the 250 km long southern peninsula of Haiti and is rooted on a belt of thrust faulting. The 2010 M7.0 & 2021 M7.2 sequences ruptured the eastern and western segments of this ridge, respectively. Both sequences feature mainshocks that were nearly transcurrent, and thrust after-shocks primarily to the north and west. Such coupling between distinct faults repeated in two earthquake sequences along the same boundary strongly suggests that these faults form a single strain-partitioned, transpressional fault system. The results of the study will constrain whether this system extends to the Jamaica Passage, whether it generates similar large earthquakes in the submarine part of the boundary now loaded by recent earthquakes in Haiti, and the fidelity of the sedimentary record for EPGF earthquakes.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Earthquake ruptures along continental transform boundaries can cause devastating loss of life and damage to infrastructure. For the first time, we provide evidence of large earthquakes along the submerged segment of the Enriquillo-Plantain-Garden Fault Zone in the Jamaica Passage, Northern Caribbean plate boundary. The Enriquillo-Plantain-Garden Fault Zone (EPGFZ) has ruptured in two devastating earthquakes along the Haiti southern peninsula: the Mw7.0, 2010 Haiti and the Mw7.2, 2021 Nippes earthquakes causing great loss of life and damage to infrastructure. In Jamaica, the 1692 Port Royal and 1907 Great Kingston earthquakes caused widespread damage from liquefaction, fires and loss of live. But, there is no information about ruptures of the EPGFZ along the Jamaica Passage between Haiti and Jamaica. To address these hazards, an NSF Rapid Response survey was conducted to map the EPGFZ in the Jamaica Passage and offshore Kingston. The survey took place January 2022 aboard the R/V Pelican. We collected >50 high-resolution seismic profiles and 47 gravity cores. Based on the core lithology, physical properties and geochemistry, we identified event deposits that can be linked to earthquake ruptures.
The science of submarine paleoseismology has focused on the submerged portions of transform boundaries where it is feasible to recognize event deposits from earthquakes, constrain their ages, sources and size of the ruptures. For the first time, we provide evidence of seismic activity along the entire submerged EPGFZ plate boundary in the Jamaica Passage. Based on a robust radiocarbon chronology we documented recurrence interval of 100-500 years. Large-scale ruptures of the plate boundary occurred in 3 and 4 basins at 900-1100, 1900-2100 and 3900-4200 cal yrs BP, suggesting sequential and clustering earthquake patterns. The EPGFZ plate boundary shares characteristics of clustering as other transform boundaries. This information provides critical understanding for assessing the seismic hazard. These findings have global application since the EPGFZ plate boundary shares characteristics of clustering as other transform boundaries where clustering and sequential earthquakes appear to be common. Submarine paleoseismology along the north Caribbean transform plate boundary is feasible and can greatly expand our knowledge of the earthquake potential in this region.
Last Modified: 03/04/2024
Modified by: Vanshan D Wright
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
