Reactivation Potential of Intraplate Faults in the Western Quebec Seismic Zone, Eastern Canada

The intraplate western Quebec seismic Zone (WQSZ) in eastern Canada experiences moderate seismicity that mainly results from reactivation of inherited structures under the present-day, NE-striking regional stress field and, possibly to a minor extent, through stress perturbations in response to glacio-isostatic adjustments. This work comprises the first numerical stress simulation-based study that predicts the preferred spatial distribution, trends, and sense of slip of contemporary fault reactivation, which may have implications for possible fault segmentation patterns in the WQSZ. We show that NNW- to NW-striking faults, mostly in the western sector of the WQSZ, exhibit the highest slip tendency values. Spatial patterns of slip tendency and kinematics of reactivation are consistent with the observed seismicity. In an area where Quaternary-active faults have yet to be systematically identified, we have narrowed down areas to focus on for more detailed, future neotectonic investigations that could provide sound foundation for seismic hazard assessments.