The Quaternary Active Faults Database of Iberia (QAFI) is an initiative lead by the Institute of Geology and Mines of Spain (IGME) for building a public repository of scientific data regarding faults having documented activity during the last 2.59 Ma (Quaternary). QAFI also addresses a need to transfer geologic knowledge to practitioners of seismic hazard and risk in Iberia by identifying and characterizing seismogenic fault-sources. QAFI is populated by the information freely provided by more than 40 Earth science researchers, storing to date a total of 262 records. In this article we describe the development and evolution of the database, as well as its internal architecture. Additionally, a first global analysis of the data is provided with a special focus on length and slip-rate fault parameters. Finally, the database completeness and the internal consistency of the data are discussed. Even though QAFI v.2.0 is the most current resource for calculating fault-related seismic hazard in Iberia, the database is still incomplete and requires further review. La Base de Datos de Fallas Activas de Iberia (QAFI) es una iniciativa promovida por el Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME) para construir un repositorio público de información científica sobre fallas con actividad en los últimos 2,59 Ma (Cuaternario). Además, la QAFI persigue establecer una base sobre la que facilitar la transferencia de conocimiento geológico al ámbito tecnológico de la gestión del riesgo sísmico en Iberia, en particular en la identificación y caracterización de fuentes sismogénicas tipo falla. La QAFI se ha construido a partir de la información proporcionada de modo altruista por más de 40 investigadores en ciencias de la Tierra conteniendo actualmente un total de de 262 registros. En este artículo se describe la concepción y evolución de la base de datos, y su arquitectura interna. Además, se ofrece un primer análisis global de los datos que contiene, con especial interés en parámetros tan importantes como la longitud y tasa de deslizamiento de las fallas. Finalmente se discuten dos temas cruciales en cualquier base de datos: su completitud y la homogeneidad de los datos. Se concluye que QAFI v.2.0, pese a ser la fuente más actualizada de información disponible en Iberia sobre peligrosidad sísmica de fallas concretas, dista aun de ser completa, por lo que nuevas revisiones y versiones deberán seguir llevándose a cabo en el futuro.
Until the acquisition of in-situ measurements, the study of the present-day heat flow of Mars must rely on indirect methods, mainly based on the relation between the thermal state of the lithosphere and its mechanical strength, or on theoretical models of internal evolution. Here, we present a first-order global model for the present-day surface heat flow for Mars, based on the radiogenic heat production of the crust and mantle, on scaling of heat flow variations arising from crustal thickness and topography variations, and on the heat flow derived from the effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere beneath the North Polar Region. Our preferred model finds heat flows varying between 14 and 25 mW m−2, with an average value of 19 mW m−2. Similar results (although about ten percent higher) are obtained if we use heat flow based on the lithospheric strength of the South Polar Region. Moreover, expressing our results in terms of the Urey ratio (the ratio between total internal heat production and total heat loss through the surface), we estimate values close to 0.7–0.75, which indicates a moderate contribution of secular cooling to the heat flow of Mars (consistent with the low heat flow values deduced from lithosphere strength), unless heat-producing elements abundances for Mars are subchondritic.