The Active Faults of Eurasia Database (AFEAD): the ontology and design behind the continental-scale dataset

Abstract

Active faults are those faults on which movement is possible in the future. This draws particular attention to active faults in geodynamic studies and seismic hazard assessment. Here, we present a high-detail continental-scale geodatabase: The Active Faults of Eurasia Database (AFEAD). It comprises 48 205 objects stored in shapefile format with spatial detail sufficient for a 1 : 1 000 000 map scale. The fault sense, a rank of confidence in activity, a rank of slip rate, and a reference to source publications are provided for each database entry. Where possible, this information is supplemented by a fault name, fault zone name, abbreviated fault parameters (e.g., slip rate, age of the last motion, and total offset), and text information from the sources. The database was collected from 612 published sources, including regional maps, databases, and research papers. AFEAD facilitates a spatial search for local studies. It provides sufficient detail for planning a study of a particular fault system and guides deeper bibliographical investigations. This scenario is particularly significant for vast central and northern Asian areas, where most studies are available only in Russian and hard copy. Moreover, the database model provides the basis for regional- and continental-scale integrative studies based on geographic information systems (GISs).