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15 - Lateglacial and Postglacial Faulting in Denmark

from Part IV - Glacially Triggered Faulting at the Edge and in the Periphery of the Fennoscandian Shield

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2021

By
Peter B. E. Sandersen ,
Søren Gregersen  and
Peter H. Voss
Edited by
Holger Steffen ,
Odleiv Olesen  and
Raimo Sutinen
Holger Steffen
Affiliation:
Lantmäteriet, Sweden
Odleiv Olesen
Affiliation:
Geological Survey of Norway
Raimo Sutinen
Affiliation:
Geological Survey of Finland
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Summary

The Danish area is divided by the Fennoscandian Border Zone into a north-eastern part, which is generally tectonically stable with low seismicity marginally related to well-known fault zones, and close to no seismicity in the south-western non-shield part. Stress measurements show that lithospheric plate motion is generally responsible for the modern stress pattern. However, stress changes induced by the weight-relief from the ice sheets during the Pleistocene appears to have created tectonic instability with maximum intensity at the time of deglaciation. The Danish area is generally covered by thick successions of unconsolidated sediments, and therefore it is often difficult to observe unambiguous examples of glacially induced faults. Nevertheless, a number of examples indicate that faults in major fault zones appear to have experienced short periods of reactivation in Lateglacial and early postglacial times. In this chapter, we present an updated map of the historic earthquakes in the Danish area, selected examples of Quaternary deformation of the terrain and near-surface sediments, and suggestions for intensified future monitoring, investigations and research.

Keywords

DenmarkEarthquakeNeotectonicsLand UpliftLateglacialSorgenfrei–Tornquist ZoneRingkøbing–Fyn HighTopographic AnalysisOutwash PlainCarlsberg Fault
Type
Chapter
Information
Glacially-Triggered Faulting , pp. 263 - 282
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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