RT journal article
T1 Recent Macaronesian kinematics from GNSS ground displacement analysis
A1 Barbero Guerrero, Ignacio
A1 Torrecillas, Cristina
A1 Páez Jiménez, Raúl
A1 Prates, Gonçalo
A1 Berrocoso Domínguez, Manuel
A2 Estadística e Investigación Operativa
A2 Matemáticas
K1 Continuous GNSS time series
K1 Canary Islands
K1 cluster analysis
K1 strain rate analysis
K1 isostatic adjustment
AB Macaronesia is a complex oceanic region spanning three tectonic plates in the north-east Atlantic ocean. It is composed of four archipelagos, widely distributed and limited to the east by the Iberian Peninsula and north-western coast of Africa. This study aims to clarify recent Macaronesian kinematics from 19 GNSS stations located on the four archipelagos and the Iberian and African coastlines. The analysis was based on nearly 15 years of common data acquisition and aimed to detect new effects of intraplate tectonics or similar local/regional events consistent with calculated ground displacements. Evaluating the GNSS stations’ residual velocities relative to those expected from the NNR-MORVEL56 model, higher residuals were found at continental coastal stations (Africa) than at oceanic ones (Canaries and Madeira). From the computed strain rate map, the possible existence of a shear zone connecting the Gloria and Transmoroccan fault systems, already mentioned by other authors, was depicted. Cluster statistical analysis of the horizontal residual velocities helped to identify tectonic boundaries in Macaronesia and four groups of analogous intraplate residual velocities within this region. Three of four groups were identified in the Azores, highlighting the African-Nubian–Eurasian diffuse plate boundary in this region. Furthermore, in the Canary Islands, two distinct kinematic behaviours were detected, possibly due to the activity along a previously detected tectonic fault between Tenerife and Gran Canaria, where some stations have similar intraplate residuals to those at Madeira and Cape Verde stations, while others have similar intraplate residuals to those of continental stations. Finally, all stations on oceanic crust, except Cape Verde, present recent ground subsidence which may be attributed to isostatic adjustment.
PB Springer
SN 0039-3169
YR 2021
FD 2021-11
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30218
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30218
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 11-nov-2026