Articles | Volume 26, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-2203-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-2203-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
12 May 2026
Research article |
| 12 May 2026
| 12 May 2026
Influence of salt-related mechanical layering on the seismic potential of active faults: Insights from the southwestern Valencia Trough (W Mediterranean)
Dpto. de Ciencias de la Tierra y del Medio Ambiente, Universidad de Alicante, Campus San Vicente s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
Adrià Ramos
Departament de Botànica i Geologia, Universitat de València, 46010 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
Dpto. de Ciencias de la Tierra y del Medio Ambiente, Universidad de Alicante, Campus San Vicente s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
Menno De Ruig
Lithologic, 2582 LD The Hague, the Netherlands
Iván Medina-Cascales
Dpto. de Ciencias de la Tierra y del Medio Ambiente, Universidad de Alicante, Campus San Vicente s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
Eva Santamaría-Pérez
Dpto. de Ciencias de la Tierra y del Medio Ambiente, Universidad de Alicante, Campus San Vicente s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
Pedro Alfaro
Dpto. de Ciencias de la Tierra y del Medio Ambiente, Universidad de Alicante, Campus San Vicente s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
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Short summary
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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.
Ivan Martin-Rojas, Ivan Medina-Cascales, Francisco Juan García-Tortosa, Maria Oliva Rodríguez-Ariza, Fernando Molina González, Juan Antonio Cámara Serrano, and Pedro Alfaro
Solid Earth, 15, 837–860, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-837-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-837-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
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.
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Short summary
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 owing to their potential to generate earthquakes, we also assess the seismic potential of the faults within the southwestern Valencia Trough.
This study investigates the main active faults located within the southwestern Valencia Trough,...
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