THE STRUCTURAL FABRIC AND SEISMOTECTONIC ACTIVITY OF NORTHERN VELEBIT: SOME NEW OBSERVATIONS

A permanent seismotectonic activity is present in the region of northern Velebit. Through history a number of earthquakes magnitudes of VIII° and IX° MCS are reported. In this century the most powerful earthquake of a magnitude of 5.8 occurred in 1916. The key tectonic movements that cause these earthquakes are dislocations of the Adriatic platform towards the north and the resistance of the Dinarides towards these movements. The tectonic dynamics of a structural arrangement depend on the relationship between stress and the deformation of structural units. According to the tectonic measurements performed on outcrops of major faults the following orientation of stress was obtained: from 20/25° to 200/205° in the northern Velebit region and 340 to 160° in the hinterland. Within the structural arrangement compression of space occurs which is well pronounced in the Novi Vinodolski area. Possible deformation of structures is manifested spatial diagonal reverse displacements accompanied by rotation of the structure. In the Velebit hinterland right horizontal tectonic transport was determined. In the zone of the transcurrent faull Žuta Lokva-Otočac-Bunić the spatial opening leads to the formation of pull-apart structures. Seismotectonically active zones occur in the contact region between the Adriatic platform and the Dinaridcs. Spatially its position is inclined and bent