This study investigates the main active faults located within the southwestern Valencia Trough, an offshore region east of the Spanish coast. Utilizing subsurface data, we identify and characterize the 3D geometry of several of these faults for the first time. Given that active faults pose a significant natural hazard due to their potential to generate earthquakes, we also assess the seismic potential of the faults within the southwestern Valencia Trough.

We investigated the dynamic behavior of a rock arch to understand how fractures influence its stability. Using geophones, we measured its modes of vibration and used numerical modeling to replicate them. We found that higher-order resonance modes are the most sensitive to fractures, indicating their potential as early indicators of structural damage. Therefore, monitoring these higher-order modes could provide a more accurate tool to assess the structural integrity of natural rock landforms.

We investigated prehistoric earthquakes produced by the Galera Fault (southern Spain) over the last 24 000 years. From this analysis, we deduced the basic parameters that allow for the characterization of the seismic hazard of this fault. Furthermore, we discuss how the Galera Fault is prone to producing seismic crises. We also propose that one of these crises could have been responsible for the abandonment of Bronze Age human settlements located near the fault.

This study provides insights into the causes and effects of the largest landslide and related damming that occurred on the emerged Earth surface. Understanding the hazard conditions is important for refining risk mitigation strategies for extreme landslide scenarios. We mapped and dated lacustrine and fluvial terrace sediments constraining the evolutionary model of the valley, thus providing the basis for future studies on the possible seismic trigger for such an extreme case study.

For assessing landslides, it is of particular interest to delineate their volume. For example, numerical models, as well as GIS procedures, rely on exact delineations to characterize hazard potentials. This work presents parameters describing the dimensions and shapes of landslides. Via stable relations among each other and their relations to initial rupture volumes of landslides, it becomes possible to deduce parameters from each other and to infer volume estimates from given parameters.