Intraplate tectonic settings, located far from active plate margins, have historically been considered stable. However, infrequent but destructive earthquakes—such as the 2001 Bhuj event in India and the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes in the United States—have fundamentally challenged this view. These events highlight critical gaps in our understanding of the processes driving deformation and seismic cycles within continental interiors. Assessing seismic hazard in these slowly deforming regions is notoriously difficult due to subtle surface expressions of faults and long recurrence intervals that often exceed historical and instrumental records.
This Research Topic aims to bring together studies focused on the fundamental mechanisms governing intraplate tectonics and associated hazards. We seek to foster a multidisciplinary dialogue that integrates geological, geomorphic, geophysical, and geodetic observations with modeling to build a more holistic picture of how continental interiors deform. The collection will explore the dynamic interplay between active faulting, surface processes, and landscape evolution, which collectively encode the history of tectonic activity.
We welcome contributions of original research, reviews, and case studies that address, but are not limited to, the following themes: • Characterization of active and capable faults in intraplate settings using paleoseismology, remote sensing, and high-resolution topography. • Application of tectonic geomorphology to decipher long-term fault slip rates and reconstruct landscape responses to tectonic perturbations. • Integration of surface geomorphic markers with subsurface geophysical imaging (e.g., GPR, ERT, MT, seismic reflection) to correlate surface deformation with fault geometry at depth. • Seismological and geodetic (GPS, InSAR) investigations of contemporary strain accumulation and crustal deformation. • The role of inherited crustal structures, such as paleo-rift systems, in localizing modern intraplate stress and seismicity. • Numerical and analogue modeling of stress transfer, fault mechanics, and earthquake rupture dynamics in low-strain environments. • Advances in probabilistic and deterministic seismic hazard assessment for populated intraplate regions. • Studies linking deep crustal and mantle processes to surface deformation.
This collection will not only advance our fundamental understanding of Earth processes but also provide critical insights for improving seismic risk mitigation in unexpected places, creating a valuable resource for researchers and hazard assessors working on the unique challenges posed by intraplate tectonics.
Article types and fees
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Brief Research Report
Data Report
Editorial
FAIR² Data
FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
Hypothesis and Theory
Methods
Mini Review
Opinion
Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.
Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
