Paleoseismic evidence of the 1715 C.E earthquake on the Purgatorio Fault in Southern Peru: Implications for seismic hazard in subduction zones

• Published in: Tectonophysics 2022-07, Vol.834, p.229355, Article 229355
• Main Authors: Benavente, Carlos, Palomino, Anderson, Wimpenny, Sam, García, Briant, Rosell, Lorena, Aguirre, Enoch, Macharé, José, Rodriguez Padilla, Alba M., Hall, Sarah R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chronology; Earthquakes; Escarpments; Fault lines; Fault scarps; Faults; Forearc crustal earthquakes; Geological faults; Geological hazards; Geomorphology; Historical earthquake; Offshore; Palaeoseismology; Rupturing; Seismic activity; Seismic hazard; Stratigraphy; Subduction; Subduction (geology); Subduction zones
• ISSN: 0040-1951; 1879-3266
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tecto.2022.229355

Active faults in the forearc of southern Peru pose a poorly understood hazard to the region. The Purgatorio Fault is a 60 km-long fault that extends between Moquegua and Tacna that has hosted several scarp-forming earthquakes over the last 6 ka. We present new measurements of the fault scarp geomorphology along the Purgatorio Fault, and use dating of the stratigraphy within a new paleoseismic trench excavated across the fault to establish the chronology of scarp formation. We find that the most recent surface-rupturing earthquake on the Purgatorio Fault occurred sometime between 1630C.E and 1790C.E and had a moment magnitude (Mw) of ~7. We propose that this most recent surface-rupturing earthquake on the Purgatorio Fault was the 1715C.E earthquake recorded in the historical catalogue of the region, which was previously attributed to the megathrust offshore. Our results highlight the importance of establishing a paleoseismic record of onshore faults to differentiate between major megathrust and forearc earthquakes. Given the proximity of these shallow, onshore faults to coastal communities in Peru, the shallow earthquakes they generate may pose a severe, yet often overlooked, seismic hazard. •We map 60 km of fault scarps along the Purgatorio Fault in the Peruvian forearc.•The youngest scarp is 1–3 m high and dates from a Mw 7 earthquake in 1630–1790 CE.•The size and timing of this event correlates with a historical event in 1715 CE.•Forearc earthquakes pose a severe hazard to coastal communities in Peru.