Long-term erosion as a catalyst of seismicity in stable continental regions – EroSeis

The Plate Tectonics theory fails to explain the occurrence of deformation and earthquakes in Stable Continental Regions (SCR, areas far from plate boundaries, over half of continental surfaces). Recent studies show that climate-related processes such as erosion and hydrology can strongly influence faults and earthquakes on short time scales (1–100 yr), yet few studies address the role of long-term climate and landscape erosion on deformation and seismicity in Stable Continental Regions. The objective of the “EroSeis” project is to test the original hypothesis that “Present-day deformation, seismicity and seismic hazard in Stable Continental Regions are strongly influenced by long-term erosion rates”. The project will rely on very recent developments to quantify local and regional erosion, deformation and seismicity rates, and integrate them in numerical models, in order to test under which conditions erosion can serve as a catalyst to seismicity.