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Dating earthquakes with high-precision thorium-230 ages of very young coralsThree corals from Vanuatu Islands, whose ages were known from counting annual growth bands, were analyzed by Th-230 age analysis to asses the accuracy of the Th-230 method. The comparison of Th-230 ages with the growth-band ages showed that the Th-230 ages were accurate within an error of + or - 3-5 y. Th-230 dates were then determined for two adjacent emerged heads from Santo Island; the dates were the same, indicating that the heads died at the same time, and consistent with the theory that they were killed by coseismic emergence around 1865 AD. The difference between this data and the data of the only major historically documented earthquake that caused an uplift (1973) suggests a seismic recurrence interval of 108 + or - 4 y for Santo. It is suggested that this approach may be extended back in time and to other localities.
Document ID
19890034364
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Edwards, R. Lawrence
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Wasserburg, G. J.
(California Institute of Technology Pasadena, United States)
Taylor, F. W.
(Texas, University Austin, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
November 25, 1988
Publication Information
Publication: Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Volume: 90
Issue: 4
ISSN: 0012-821X
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
89A21735
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG9-43
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF EAR-79-19912
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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