Similarities between recent seismic activity and paleoseismites during the late miocene in the external Betic Chain (Spain): relationship by ‘b’ value and the fractal dimension

Abstract

A paleoseismic data set derived from the relationship between the thickness of seismites, ‘mixed layers’ in lacustrine Miocene deposits and the magnitude of the earthquakes is presented. The relationship between both parameters was calibrated by the threshold of fluidification limits in the interval of magnitude 5 and 5.5. The mixed layers (deformational sediment structures due to seismic activity) were observed in varved sediments from three Neogene lacustrine basins near Hellín (Albacete, Spain), El Cenajo, Elche de la Sierra and Híjar, and are interpreted as liquefaction features due to seismic phenomena. These paleoseismic structures were dated (relative values) by measurements of cyclic annual sedimentation in the varved sediments. From these observations, we are able to establish a recurrence interval of 130 years with events for magnitude bigger than or equal to four. Both paleoseismicity and instrumental seismicity data sets obey the Gutenberg–Richter law and the ‘b’ value is close to 0.86. The fractal dimension (dimension of capacity) of spatial distribution of potentially active faults (faults oriented according to the stress tensor regime in the area) was measured by the box-counting technique (D0 = 1.73). According to the Aki empirical relation (D0 = 2b ) for the instrumental seismicity and paleoseismic data sets in the area, the fractal dimension is close to 1.72. The similar value of the fractal dimension obtained by both techniques shows homogeneous seismic dynamics during the studied time interval. Moreover, the better stablished ‘b’ value of the paleoseismic data sets (0.86) compared with the ‘b’ value for the incomplete historic seismicity (<0.5) in the area increases the seismic series beyond the historic seismic record.