Pattern of vertical motion across time-scales and convergence styles (OCT yo-yo)

• Applicant: Dr. Violeta Paz Veliz Borel
• Subject Area: Geology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 560303458

The DEFORM Priority Program focuses on the tectonic transition between continental collision in the Dinarides and oceanic crust subduction in the Hellenides, with the Kefalonia Transform Fault accommodating the strain contrast between these two convergence styles. This proposal aims to constrain the pattern of vertical movement over short (< 50 ka), intermediate (> 50 ka), and long (> 1 Ma) time-scales along the Hellenides-Dinarides. We will achieve this by analyzing marine terraces and facies changes in Neogene-Quaternary marine-origin sequences at three key localities, which constrain vertical movement across these different time-scales. Our comprehensive approach, which includes the use of a combination of radiocarbon dating, cosmogenic nuclide analysis, and Strontium (87Sr/86Sr) dating techniques for robust age control, is critical for understanding the variability in vertical motions across time, space, and convergence styles, identifying the mechanisms driving deformation, and informing future modeling efforts. Our analysis is in great alignment with Theme 2 of DEFORM, which focuses on active faults and plate boundaries. However, the deliverables of this project will provide precise input parameters for both geodynamic and seismic/tsunami hazard modeling, which will play a central role in the second stage of DEFORM. Specifically, the short-term results (< 50 ka) will serve as a critical input for Theme 3 (particularly Activity fields B and E), which relate to seismic and tsunami hazard modeling. Meanwhile, the intermediate- and long-term outputs (spanning hundreds of thousands to millions of years) will provide essential parameters for geodynamic models in Theme 1.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 2497: Plate Deformation and Geohazards: The Eastern Margin of the Adriatic Plate (DEFORM)
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Pieter van der Beek