Crustal deformation in south-eastern Betics from CuaTeNeo GPS network

Zusammenfassung

We present the crustal deformation field in the Eastern Betic Cordillera of Spain, based on three GPS observations of the CuaTeNeo network (1997, 2002 and 2006), which was setup in 1996 with a specific aim of evaluating the earthquake related hazard in this seismically most active area of the Iberian Peninsula. The network consists of 15 highly stable monuments, covering the area of ~6000 km2. The estimated deformation field is relatively low and does not exceed 2 mm/yr when viewed in the fixed Eurasia frame. In general, the calculated velocity field is mainly northward but also shows evidence for localized deformations related to the existing active faults within the area (e.g. Carboneras and Alhama de Murcia faults). The conducted strain analysis does not give any conclusive results, since the associated errors are still too high. We hope that with the introduction of the continuously operating GPS stations and the conduction of the forth GPS campaign (planned for the autumn of 2008) the errors associated with GPS measurements will decrease significantly, and we will be able to resolve with higher confidence the present-day rates of crustal deformation in this part of the Betics.