SE13
Deformation of Continental Regions

Main Organiser
Karim Aoudia, International Centre for Theoretical Physics & University of Trieste
Via E. Weiss, 4 - I34127 Trieste, Italy
aoudia@dst.units.it

Co-Organiser(s)
Vinod Gaur, CSIR Centre for Mathematical Modelling And Computer Simulation - Bangalore
gaur@cmmacs.ernet.in

Zhongliang Wu, China Seismological Bureau
wuzhl@gscas.ac.cn

Brief Description
Deformation of continental regions, unlike that at oceanic plate boundaries, is not confined to narrow bands, but spans a diffused region, hundreds to thousands of kilometers in horizontal extent . It does not therefore lend itself to the simple plate tectonic model of deformation described by the relative rotation of rigid plates, and has led to contending hypotheses: that continental lithospheres possessing different kinds of rheology behave, like the earth's mantle, as continuously deforming solids. Or, that continental deformation is mediated by successive slips along a large number of microplates. The main objective of this session is to bring together researchers in seismology, geodesy, field geology, and other revealing areas of earth sciences to discuss and evaluate quantitatively constrained models of continental deformation over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Modeling of rates and style of continental deformation as indicated by geology, paleoseismology, seismicity, and geodesy (leveling, GPS, InSAR, etc.), and researches on the relation between strain rates averaged over different temporal and spatial scales are encouraged. Contributions may range from the mechanical behavior of individual earthquake faults ( interseismic, coseismic, postseismic, and aseismic ), to viscoelastic modelling of continental deformation . Researches highlighting their implications to quantification of seismic hazard would be especially welcome.