Tree-ring correlations suggest links between moderate earthquakes and distant rockfalls in the Patagonian Cordillera

Abstract

Earthquakes with magnitudes M > 7 can trigger large landslides and rockfalls at epicenter distances of up to 400 km, whereas moderate shaking (M = 5–7) is generally thought to result in abundant co-seismic mass movements in the vicinity of the epicenter. Although one might anticipate that large magnitude earthquakes off the Chilean coast would result in abundant rockfall in the Patagonian Cordillera, only limited research has explored this hypothesis. Here, we use tree-ring records from 63 cross-sections of century-old (103.9 ± 40.1 yr) Nothofagus pumilio trees to develop a calendar-dated record of small rockfall events (101–102 m3) on a talus slope located next to Monte Fitz Roy (El Chaltén, Argentina; 49°4′S, 72°57′W). The resulting rockfall record is used to infer that subduction zone seismicity at the Triple Junction and intraplate shaking around Lago Argentino almost systematically caused rockfall activity at this site, even if seismicity occurred at large distances (up to 300 km away) and with moderate intensity (M = 5–7). About one third of the rockfalls are triggered by factors other than earthquakes, predominantly in spring when freeze-thaw cycles occur frequently at the site. Despite the fact that seismicity is not the only trigger of rockfall activity at Cerro Crestón, at the foot of Monte Vespignani, we conclude that, in regions where topographic amplification plays a role, small rockfalls can be triggered by earthquakes of moderate intensity at large distances from the epicenter.