Geology, Published Online on 9 May 2013 As Doi:10.1130/G34298.1
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Geology, published online on 9 May 2013 as doi:10.1130/G34298.1 Geology Can turbidites be used to reconstruct a paleoearthquake record for the central Sumatran margin? Esther J. Sumner, Marina I. Siti, Lisa C. McNeill, Peter J. Talling, Timothy J. Henstock, Russell B. Wynn, Yusuf S. Djajadihardja and Haryadi Permana Geology published online 9 May 2013; doi: 10.1130/G34298.1 Email alerting services click www.gsapubs.org/cgi/alerts to receive free e-mail alerts when new articles cite this article Subscribe click www.gsapubs.org/subscriptions/ to subscribe to Geology Permission request click http://www.geosociety.org/pubs/copyrt.htm#gsa to contact GSA Copyright not claimed on content prepared wholly by U.S. government employees within scope of their employment. Individual scientists are hereby granted permission, without fees or further requests to GSA, to use a single figure, a single table, and/or a brief paragraph of text in subsequent works and to make unlimited copies of items in GSA's journals for noncommercial use in classrooms to further education and science. This file may not be posted to any Web site, but authors may post the abstracts only of their articles on their own or their organization's Web site providing the posting includes a reference to the article's full citation. GSA provides this and other forums for the presentation of diverse opinions and positions by scientists worldwide, regardless of their race, citizenship, gender, religion, or political viewpoint. Opinions presented in this publication do not reflect official positions of the Society. Notes Advance online articles have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication but have not yet appeared in the paper journal (edited, typeset versions may be posted when available prior to final publication). Advance online articles are citable and establish publication priority; they are indexed by GeoRef from initial publication. Citations to Advance online articles must include the digital object identifier (DOIs) and date of initial publication. © Geological Society of America Geology, published online on 9 May 2013 as doi:10.1130/G34298.1 Can turbidites be used to reconstruct a paleoearthquake record for the central Sumatran margin? Esther J. Sumner1*, Marina I. Siti1, Lisa C. McNeill1, Peter J. Talling2, Timothy J. Henstock1, Russell B. Wynn2, Yusuf S. Djajadihardja3, and Haryadi Permana4 1Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire SO14 3ZH, UK 2National Oceanography Centre Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire SO14 3ZH, UK 3Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), Jakarta, Indonesia 4Research Center for Geotechnology, Indonesia Institute for Sciences, Bandung 40135, West Java, Indonesia ABSTRACT a good place to test this assumption, as it expe- Turbidite paleoseismology aims to use submarine gravity fl ow deposits (turbidites) as prox- rienced two very large earthquakes in 2004 ies for large earthquakes, a critical assumption being that large earthquakes generate turbid- (Mw 9.1) and 2005 (Mw 8.7) and has a good inde- ity currents synchronously over a wide area. We test whether all large earthquakes gener- pendent record of large magnitude earthquakes ate synchronous turbidites, and if not, investigate where large earthquakes fail to do this. over the past 200 yr (Figs. 1 and 2). The Sumatran margin has a well-characterized earthquake record spanning the past 200 yr, We examined sediment cores from the Suma- including the large-magnitude earthquakes in 2004 (Mw 9.1) and 2005 (Mw 8.7). Sediment tran margin to investigate whether recent major cores collected from the central Sumatran margin in 2009 reveal that surprisingly few turbi- earthquakes (in 2004 and 2005) and previous dites were emplaced in the past 100–150 yr, and those that were deposited are not widespread. earthquakes in 1797, 1861, 1907, and 1935 Importantly, slope basin deposits preserve no evidence of turbidites that correlate with the (Fig. 1) generated synchronous widespread tur- earthquakes in 2004 and 2005, although recent fl ow deposits are seen in the trench. Adja- bidites. We also consider: What predisposes dif- cent slope basins and adjacent pairs of slope basin and trench sites commonly have different ferent margins to being more or less suitable for sedimentary records, and cannot be correlated. These core sites from the central Sumatran turbidite paleoseismology (Table 2)? margin do not support the assumption that all large earthquakes generate the widespread synchronous turbidites necessary for reconstructing an accurate paleoearthquake record. Regional Setting The Sumatran margin results from subduc- INTRODUCTION Turbidites caused by earthquakes are inferred tion of the Indian-Australian plates beneath the Paleoseismic records that extend back beyond through evidence of synchronous triggering Sunda plate. The subduction zone is divided into historical records are essential for understanding of multiple turbidity currents over a wide geo- structural segments that commonly defi ne the and modeling subduction earthquake processes graphic area. Synchronous triggering is often earthquake rupture length and hence magnitude over multiple earthquake cycles. These records established by counting the number of turbidites (Fig. 1). Within the study area, the accretionary can lead to improved hazard assessment and before and after a channel confl uence (Table 1; prism comprises elongate trench-parallel slope help mitigate tragedies of the scale experienced Goldfi nger, 2011). Along the central Sumatran basins that are generally poorly connected. No around the Indian Ocean in 2004. Turbidites margin this test is not possible due to the lack canyons extend across the entire accretionary (deposits of submarine sediment gravity fl ows) of through-going channel systems. Instead, prism and most Sumatran terrestrial sediment is are increasingly being used worldwide to recon- synchronous triggering can be identifi ed by the trapped within the forearc basin (Fig. 1). struct records of major earthquakes on active presence of turbidites of similar age within mul- margins (Table DR1 in the GSA Data Reposi- tiple independent slope basins (Table 1; Gràcià METHODS tory1). Turbidite paleoseismology can provide et al., 2010), and between adjacent slope and greater spatial and temporal coverage than other trench locations. Coring Rationale paleoseismological methods, such as coseismi- Turbidite paleoseismology is underpinned by Piston cores and multicores were collected on cally submerged supratidal marsh records (e.g., the assumption that large earthquakes generate the RV Sonne in February 2009. To minimize Nelson et al., 1995) and uplifted or subsided widespread turbidites. The Sumatran margin is the risk of direct terrestrial input, cores were coastal corals (e.g., Zachariasen et al., 1999). To apply turbidite paleoseismology, it is nec- essary to be able to recognize turbidites caused TABLE 1. METHODS FOR RECOGNIZING EARTHQUAKE-TRIGGERED TURBIDITES by earthquakes rather than other triggers such How do you know if a turbidite records Comment as storms, river discharge, and slope failure due earthquake triggering? to sediment loading (Piper and Normark, 2009). 1. Confl uence test: Same number of turbidites on Number of turbidites can vary with height above Turbidites caused by storms and river discharge upstream and downstream sides of confl uence channel fl oor, as fl ow thickness is variable are, as much as possible, avoided by coring in indicates synchronous widespread triggering deep water away from direct terrestrial inputs. (Goldfi nger et al., 2003) 2. Synchronous deposition of turbidites in Uncertainties in dating “synchronous” turbidites multiple basins indicates widespread slope failure *E-mail: [email protected]. (e.g., this study; Gràcià et al., 2010) 1GSA Data Repository item 2013212, supplemen- 3. Turbidite volume is much larger than that Deposit volume rarely precisely known; fl ows may tal methods, Tables DR1–DR4 (locations and data), expected for other trigger mechanisms such as incorporate sediment river fl oods (e.g., Talling et al., 2007) and Figures DR1–DR4 (Pb profi les and seafl oor 4. Earthquake timing is independently known, as Need to date turbidite precisely, and/or core seafl oor bathymetery), is available online at www.geosociety observed, or through reliable historical records (e.g., soon after event; most reliable .org/pubs/ft2013.htm, or on request from editing@ 2004 and 2005; Sumatra earthquakes, this study) geosociety.org or Documents Secretary, GSA, P.O. Box 9140, Boulder, CO 80301, USA. Note: Only method 4 could also test whether some large earthquakes fail to produce a widespread turbidite. GEOLOGY, July 2013; v. 41; no. 7; p. 1–4; Data Repository item 2013212 | doi:10.1130/G34298.1 | Published online XX Month 2013 GEOLOGY© 2013 Geological | July Society2013 | ofwww.gsapubs.org America. For permission to copy, contact Copyright Permissions, GSA, or [email protected]. 1 Geology, published online on 9 May 2013 as doi:10.1130/G34298.1 96° E 98° E (normal and ungraded) as well as outsized grains 2004 2002 2002 and mud clasts. Mw 9.1 Mw 7.3 Simeulue B Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C 2004 Sumatra dating was used to date sediments containing Simeuluem 1907 suffi cient planktonic foraminifera (Globigeri- noides ruber and G. sacculifer) (Table DR3). 1861 6PC6 Nias Sediment age was also constrained using excess 4MC 5MC5 2005 210Pb, and sedimentation rates were calculated 2005 2MC MwMw87 8.7 1935 2° N using a constant sedimentation rate model (see 1PC 1907 1861 supplementary methods in the Data Repository, Mw 7.8 Mw~8.5 Trench Batu Is. and Table DR4). 1797 RESULTS 1000 Nias Simeulue Region 2000 The two slope basin cores (4MC, 5MC) con- 8PC tain no evidence for a turbidite associated with 3000 7MC the 2004 and 2005 earthquakes (Fig. 2). There Bathymetry 4000 are no turbidites in the past ~3000 yr within core 9MC 5MC. The uppermost 3 cm of 4MC comprises 5000 m 10PC hemipelagite: if the underlying turbidite were 1935 emplaced in 2004 or 2005 we would expect to 100 km Mw 7.7 0° see no hemipelagite above it.