Seismic recurrence intervals and timing of aseismic subduction inferred from emerged corals and reefs of the central Vanuatu (New Hebrides) frontal arc

The recognition and dating of corals that have been killed by tectonic uplift allow us to date paleoseismic uplifts in the Vanuatu island arc. By dividing the average increment of uplift for the latest Holocene uplifts by the mean Holocene uplift rate, we can estimate average seismic uplift recurrence intervals for the past 6000yr. The results show that the seismic recurrence intervals and processes for accommodation of slip are quite different on adjacent arc segments. In all four arc segments this analysis suggests that the seismically radiated moments account for less than one-third to one-tenth of the slip associated with plate convergence. -from Authors