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Tectonic plate delamination could explain large earthquakes at the Iberian Margin

Nature Geoscience volume 18, pages 941–942 (2025)Cite this article

Geophysical observations and computer simulations suggest that a tectonic plate segment is delaminating in the area that generated a large earthquake that destroyed Lisbon in 1755. This rare oceanic delamination might be a precursor of subduction initiation, which could explain the cause of several large earthquakes in the Atlantic Ocean.

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Fig. 1: Evidence and model of oceanic plate delamination.

References

  1. Purdy, G. M. The eastern end of the Azores–Gibraltar plate boundary. Geophys. J. Int. 43, 973–1000 (1975). This article proposes the underthrusting of an oceanic slab below the Horseshoe Abyssal Plain in a process akin to delamination.

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  2. Duarte, J. C. et al. Are subduction zones invading the Atlantic? Evidence from the southwest Iberia margin. Geology 41, 839–842 (2013). This article presents a tectonic map of the region and explores scenarios of subduction initiation.

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  4. Silva, S. et al. Micro-seismicity in the Gulf of Cadiz: is there a link between micro-seismicity, high magnitude earthquakes and active faults?. Tectonophysics 717, 226–241 (2017). This article investigates seismicity offshore Southwest Iberia, identifying a cluster of earthquakes at depths of about 40–50 km.

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  5. Civiero, C. et al. A common deep source for upper-mantle upwellings below the Ibero-western Maghreb region from teleseismic P-wave travel-time tomography. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 499, 157–172 (2018). This article presented a tomographic model that confirmed the presence of a P-wave velocity anomaly offshore Iberia.

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Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: Duarte, J. C. et al. Seismic evidence for oceanic plate delamination offshore Southwest Iberia. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01781-6 (2025).

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Tectonic plate delamination could explain large earthquakes at the Iberian Margin. Nat. Geosci. 18, 941–942 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01810-4

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