Geophysical observations and computer simulations suggest that a tectonic plate segment is delaminating in the area that generated a large earthquake that destroyed Lisbon in 1755. This rare oceanic delamination might be a precursor of subduction initiation, which could explain the cause of several large earthquakes in the Atlantic Ocean.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$32.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Purdy, G. M. The eastern end of the Azores–Gibraltar plate boundary. Geophys. J. Int. 43, 973–1000 (1975). This article proposes the underthrusting of an oceanic slab below the Horseshoe Abyssal Plain in a process akin to delamination.
Duarte, J. C. et al. Are subduction zones invading the Atlantic? Evidence from the southwest Iberia margin. Geology 41, 839–842 (2013). This article presents a tectonic map of the region and explores scenarios of subduction initiation.
Fukao, Y. Thrust faulting at a lithospheric plate boundary the Portugal earthquake of 1969. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 18, 205–216 (1973). This article investigates the 1969 San Vicente earthquake and proposes the presence of a blind thrust fault in the region.
Silva, S. et al. Micro-seismicity in the Gulf of Cadiz: is there a link between micro-seismicity, high magnitude earthquakes and active faults?. Tectonophysics 717, 226–241 (2017). This article investigates seismicity offshore Southwest Iberia, identifying a cluster of earthquakes at depths of about 40–50 km.
Civiero, C. et al. A common deep source for upper-mantle upwellings below the Ibero-western Maghreb region from teleseismic P-wave travel-time tomography. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 499, 157–172 (2018). This article presented a tomographic model that confirmed the presence of a P-wave velocity anomaly offshore Iberia.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This is a summary of: Duarte, J. C. et al. Seismic evidence for oceanic plate delamination offshore Southwest Iberia. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01781-6 (2025).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tectonic plate delamination could explain large earthquakes at the Iberian Margin. Nat. Geosci. 18, 941–942 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01810-4
Published:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01810-4
