Deformation Analysis in the Morón de la Frontera - Puebla de Cazalla Sector of the Betic Cordillera (S Spain) using PSI
Ruiz-Armenteros, A.M.1; Sousa, J.J.2; Ruiz-Constán, A.3; Hanssen, R.4; Gil-Cruz, A.J.1; Galindo-Zaldívar, J.5; Sanz de Galdeano, C.6; Perski, Z.7; Caro-Cuenca, M.8
1University of Jaén, SPAIN; 2University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, PORTUGAL; 3Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, SPAIN; 4Delft University of Technology, NETHERLANDS; 5University of Granada, SPAIN; 6CSIC-University of Granada, SPAIN; 7Polish Geologial Institute, POLAND; 8TNO, NETHERLANDS
The Betic Cordillera is a region of great interest for recent tectonic studies due to its location in the Gibraltar Arc, a key area for understanding the evolution of the westernmost Mediterranean in the framework of Eurasian-African plate interaction. Geological and geophysical research efforts have been previously combined to determine the geometry of the recent tectonic structures that deform the Betic Cordillera NW mountain front, in the Morón de la Frontera-Puebla de Cazalla sector. Analysis of the earthquake focal mechanisms provides information about the present day stress in the area and its relation to the surface deformations related to the main tectonic structures. There is a regional NW-SE maximum compressional stress field nearby the mountain front related to earthquake thrust fault focal mechanisms that evidence the activity of the northwesternmost mountain front in contrast to other sectors of the arched Betic Cordillera, owing to its favourable orientation with respect to the present-day convergence of the Eurasian-African plates. Although the area constitutes the best suitable zone to determine the interaction of seismicity and relief development associated to the front of the Betics, the present-day surface deformation has not been established up to now. This paper investigates the applicability of satellite radar interferometry using ERS SAR and Envisat ASAR datasets to help to constraint the geological hazard of the region.