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Rocky Coasts, Paleoseismology of

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Encyclopedia of Earthquake Engineering

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Synonyms

Littoral; Sea level; Shoreline; Subsidence; Uplift

Introduction

Important earthquakes are often accompanied by vertical-land displacements. Therefore in coastal areas they may result in rapid changes of the relative sea level. An essential tool for the study of coastal paleoseismicity is the identification of fossil paleoshorelines, paying special attention to sea-level indicators that are consistent or provide evidence of rapid relative sea-level change.

Here, different types of sea-level indicators that are often used in literature in order to determine changes in fossil shorelines are summarized. Information is also provided regarding four case studies of important earthquakes that occurred in Greece (in AD 365, 1953, and 1956) and in Japan (in 1923).

How Can Fossil Paleoshorelines Be Identified?

Fossil paleoshorelines can be identified and traced from geomorphological, biological, sedimentological, stratigraphical, or archaeological sea-level indicators.

The coastal...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment/National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, 15784, Athens, Greece

    Niki Evelpidou

  2. Laboratoire de Géographie Physique, 16, rue de la Grange Batelière, 75009, Paris, France

    Paolo Pirazzoli

Authors
  1. Niki Evelpidou
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  2. Paolo Pirazzoli
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Niki Evelpidou .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Risk & Uncertainty, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Michael Beer

  2. Institute for Risk and Uncertainty, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Ioannis A. Kougioumtzoglou

  3. Institute for Risk & Uncertainty, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Edoardo Patelli

  4. Institute for Risk & Uncertainty, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Ivan Siu-Kui Au

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Evelpidou, N., Pirazzoli, P. (2013). Rocky Coasts, Paleoseismology of. In: Beer, M., Kougioumtzoglou, I., Patelli, E., Au, IK. (eds) Encyclopedia of Earthquake Engineering. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36197-5_24-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36197-5_24-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-36197-5

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