Studies of past sea-level markers are commonly used to unveil the tectonic history and seismic behavior of subduction zones. We present new evidence on vertical motions of the Hellenic subduction zone as resulting from a suite of Late Pleistocene - Holocene shorelines in western Crete (Greece). Shoreline ages obtained by AMS radiocarbon dating of seashells, together with the reappraisal of shoreline ages from previous works, testify a long-term uplift rate of 2.5–2.7 mm/y. This average value, however, includes periods in which the vertical motions vary significantly: 2.6–3.2 mm/y subsidence rate from 42 ka to 23 ka, followed by ~7.7 mm/y sustained uplift rate from 23 ka to present. The last ~5 ky shows a relatively slower uplift rate of 3.0–3.3 mm/y, yet slightly higher than the long-term average. A preliminary tectonic model attempts at explaining these up and down motions by across-strike partitioning of fault activity in the subduction zone.
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机译：对过去海平面标记的研究通常用于揭示俯冲带的构造历史和地震行为。我们提出了关于希腊俯冲带垂直运动的新证据，这是由克里特岛西部（希腊）的晚更新世-全新世海岸线形成的。通过AMS贝壳碳放射性测年获得的海岸线年龄，以及对先前工作的海岸线年龄的重新评估，证明了长期上升速率为2.5-2.7 mm / y。然而，该平均值包括垂直运动发生明显变化的时期：从42 ka到23 ka的沉降速率为2.6–3.2 mm / y，然后是从23 ka到现在的约7.7 mm / y持续抬升速率。最后一个5ky显示相对较慢的上升速率，为3.0-3.3mm / y，但略高于长期平均水平。初步的构造模型试图通过俯冲带断层活动的跨走向划分来解释这些向上和向下的运动。
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