The 2013 Okhotsk deep-focus earthquake: Rupture beyond the metastable olivine wedge and thermally controlled rise time near the edge of a slab

The 2013 M8.3 Okhotsk earthquake involves two primary mechanisms of deep-focus earthquake rupture, mineral phase transformation of olivine to spinel and thermal shear instability. Backprojection imaging of broadband seismograms recorded by the North American and European networks indicates bilateral rupture toward NE and SSE. The rupture paths of the NE segment and other regional M7 earthquakes are confined in narrow regions along the slab contours, consistent with the phase transformation mechanism. However, the SSE rupture propagates a long distance across the slab and aftershocks are distributed across a ~60 km wide zone, beyond the plausible thickness of the metastable olivine wedge, favoring thermal shear weakening. While the NE rupture is only visible at high frequencies, the SSE rupture is consistently observed across a broad-frequency range. This frequency-dependent rupture mode can be explained by lateral variations of rise time controlled by thermal thinning of the slab near its northern end

Dynamically Triggered Changes of Plate Interface Coupling in Southern Cascadia

In subduction zones, frictional locking on the subduction interface produces year-by-year surface deformation that is measurable with GPS. During the interseismic period of the earthquake cycle, lasting hundreds of years between major earthquakes, these ground motions are usually constant with time because the locking on the plate interface is relatively unchanging. However, at the Mendocino Triple Junction in Northern California, we find evidence for slight changes in GPS interseismic motion within the last decade that challenge the assumption of constant interseismic deformation. Our results suggest changes in interseismic coupling on the southernmost Cascadia Subduction Zone. Interestingly, these coupling changes appear to be related to large offshore earthquakes and are perhaps triggered by the seismic shaking during those events. These results have important implications for our understanding of seismic hazard in subduction zones.National Science Foundation (NSF). Grant Number: EAR-1841371NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program and NSF. Grant Number: OCE-1905098NSF Cooperative Agreement. Grant Number: EAR-073515

Postseismic variations in seismic moment and recurrence interval of repeating earthquakes

In laboratory experiments, longer stationary contact time leads to larger seismic moment during repeated ruptures. However, not all observations in natural fault systems agree with the prediction. We analyze a subset of 34 M−0.4–2.1 repeating earthquake sequences (RES) from 1987 to 2009 at Parkfield to examine the variation of their recurrence properties in space and time. Following a 2004 M6 earthquake, many of the repeating events have greatly reduced recurrence intervals (Tr) that systematically increase with time. In addition to this change in timing, we also find systematic changes in seismic moment (Mo), where most sequences experienced an immediate increase in Mo and subsequent decay as Tr approached pre-quake durations. The RES at shallower depth tend to have a larger range in both Tr and Mo, whereas deeper RES show smaller variation. The shallowest RES with the greatest magnitude (M1.8–2.1) among the events we studied reveal a large variation in Tr but small variation in Mo. These observations are qualitatively consistent with earthquake simulations in 3D continuum fault models with rate- and state-dependent friction. In the models, RES are produced on velocity-weakening patches surrounded by velocity-strengthening fault areas. The models show that the degree of postseismic variation in Mo and Tr is a function of radius (r) and nucleation zone size (h*) of the velocity-weakening patch. A ratio of r/h* ~ 1 produces negative Mo–Tr slopes, whereas larger ratios of r/h* yield weak positive slopes. Given the same nucleation size h* (i.e., the same frictional properties and effective normal stress), smaller radii and hence smaller seismic moments result in negative Mo–Tr slopes, whereas larger radii and hence larger moments lead to weak positive Mo–Tr slopes, which are consistent with observations. Conversely, with only a small percentage of its slip accumulated seismically, a small asperity appears to grow in Mo under high loading rate, which is contrary to the view that Mo should decrease due to a reduced strength recovery time

Kinematic fault slip evolution source models of the 2008 M7.9 Wenchuan earthquake in China from SAR interferometry, GPS and teleseismic analysis and implications for Longmen Shan tectonics

The M_w 7.9 2008 Wenchuan earthquake ruptured about 280 km of faults in the Longmen Shan of Sichuan province, China, at the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. We use teleseismic waveforms with geodetic data from Global Positioning System, synthetic aperture radar interferometry and image amplitude correlation to produce a source model of this earthquake. The model describes evolution of fault slip during the earthquake. The geodetic data constrains the spatial distribution of fault slip and the seismic waveforms constrain mostly the time evolution of slip. We find that the earthquake started with largely thrust motion on an imbricate system of faults beneath the central Longmen Shan, including the Beichuan Fault and Pengguan Fault, with fault slip at depth extending up to 50 km northwest of the mountain front. The fault ruptures continued northeast along the Beichuan Fault with more oblique slip (right-lateral and thrust) and the proportion of lateral motion increasing in the northern Longmen Shan. The northernmost fault segment has a much steeper dip, consistent with nearly pure strike-slip motion. The kinematic source model shows that the rupture propagated to the northeast at about 2.5–3.0 km s^(−1), producing a cascade of subevents with a total duration of about 110 s. The complex fault ruptures caused shortening and uplift of the extremely steep central Longmen Shan, which supports models where the steep edge of the plateau is formed by thrusting over the strong crust of the Sichuan Basin

Transpressional Rupture Cascade of the 2016 M_w 7.8 Kaikoura Earthquake, New Zealand

Large earthquakes often do not occur on a simple planar fault but involve rupture of multiple geometrically complex faults. The 2016 M_w 7.8 Kaikoura earthquake, New Zealand, involved the rupture of at least 21 faults, propagating from southwest to northeast for about 180 km. Here we combine space geodesy and seismology techniques to study subsurface fault geometry, slip distribution, and the kinematics of the rupture. Our finite‐fault slip model indicates that the fault motion changes from predominantly right‐lateral slip near the epicenter to transpressional slip in the northeast with a maximum coseismic surface displacement of about 10 m near the intersection between the Kekerengu and Papatea faults. Teleseismic back projection imaging shows that rupture speed was overall slow (1.4 km/s) but faster on individual fault segments (approximately 2 km/s) and that the conjugate, oblique‐reverse, north striking faults released the largest high‐frequency energy. We show that the linking Conway‐Charwell faults aided in propagation of rupture across the step over from the Humps fault zone to the Hope fault. Fault slip cascaded along the Jordan Thrust, Kekerengu, and Needles faults, causing stress perturbations that activated two major conjugate faults, the Hundalee and Papatea faults. Our results shed important light on the study of earthquakes and seismic hazard evaluation in geometrically complex fault systems

Relating the long-term and short-term vertical deformation across a transect of the forearc in the central Mexican subduction zone

Earthquake-cycle deformation, which includes earthquake ruptures, interseismic strain, and transient slow slip events, spans spatial scales ranging from fractions of a meter to thousands of kilometers. Similarly, temporal scales range from seconds during an earthquake rupture to thousands of years of strain accumulation between earthquakes. We discuss results regarding the vertical crustal deformation associated with both slow and rapid crustal deformation across a transect of the central Mexican subduction forearc in the Guerrero seismic gap, where the Cocos plate underthrusts the North America plate. This sector of the subduction zone is characterized by a flat-slab geometry with zones of sharp bending-unbending of the slab, irregularly distributed seismicity, and exceptionally large slow slip events. We used the river network, topography, geomorphic features, and morphometry on a transect across the forearc to assess Quaternary crustal deformation. The Papagayo drainage network shows that the forearc has been uplifted since the late Cenozoic (~25 Ma), and that rates of uplift increased since the beginning of the Holocene. Uplift is not homogeneous but shows a trend of increase away from the coast. This vertical deformation is strongly influenced by subduction processes. Thus, the Papagayo River network is strongly controlled by Holocene earthquake cycle processes. This is particularly true for the southern section of the drainage basin, where E-W-striking left-lateral strike-slip faults with a vertical component offset the course of the main river. These faults are accommodating part of the oblique plate convergence at the Mexican subduction zone. We measured the height of a series of terraces and dated quartz extracts by optically stimulated luminescence, and we calculated long-term rates of uplift ranging from 0.5 to 4.9 mm/yr. We discuss associations of forearc topography, faults, and long-term crustal deformation with the Cocos slab geometry, distribution of slow slip events, and earthquake-cycle deformation

Scientific Value of Real-Time Global Positioning System Data

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is an example of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that provides an essential complement to other geophysical networks because of its high precision, sensitivity to the longest‐period bands, ease of deployment, and ability to measure displacement and atmospheric properties over local to global scales. Recent and ongoing technical advances, combined with decreasing equipment and data acquisition costs, portend rapid increases in accessibility of data from expanding global geodetic networks. Scientists and the public are beginning to have access to these high‐rate, continuous data streams and event‐specific information within seconds to minutes rather than days to months. These data provide the opportunity to observe Earth system processes with greater accuracy and detail, as they occur

Tracking the weight of Hurricane Harvey’s stormwater using GPS data

On 26 August 2017, Hurricane Harvey struck the Gulf Coast as a category four cyclone depositing ~95 km3 of water, making it the wettest cyclone in U.S. history. Water left in Harvey’s wake should cause elastic loading and subsidence of Earth’s crust, and uplift as it drains into the ocean and evaporates. To track daily changes of transient water storage, we use Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements, finding a clear migration of subsidence (up to 21 mm) and horizontal motion (up to 4 mm) across the Gulf Coast, followed by gradual uplift over a 5-week period. Inversion of these data shows that a third of Harvey’s total stormwater was captured on land (25.7 ± 3.0 km3 ), indicating that the rest drained rapidly into the ocean at a rate of 8.2 km3 /day, with the remaining stored water gradually lost over the following 5 weeks at ~1 km3 /day, primarily by evapotranspiration. These results indicate that GPS networks can remotely track the spatial extent and daily evolution of terrestrial water storage following transient, extreme precipitation events, with implications for improving operational flood forecasts and understanding the response of drainage systems to large influxes of water

Dual megathrust slip behaviors of the 2014 Iquique earthquake sequence

The transition between seismic rupture and aseismic creep is of central interest to better understand the mechanics of subduction processes. A Mw 8.2 earthquake occurred on April 1st, 2014 in the Iquique seismic gap of northern Chile. This event was preceded by a long foreshock sequence including a 2-week-long migration of seismicity initiated by a Mw 6.7 earthquake. Repeating earthquakes were found among the foreshock sequence that migrated towards the mainshock hypocenter, suggesting a large-scale slow-slip event on the megathrust preceding the mainshock. The variations of the recurrence times of the repeating earthquakes highlight the diverse seismic and aseismic slip behaviors on different megathrust segments. The repeaters that were active only before the mainshock recurred more often and were distributed in areas of substantial coseismic slip, while repeaters that occurred both before and after the mainshock were in the area complementary to the mainshock rupture. The spatiotemporal distribution of the repeating earthquakes illustrates the essential role of propagating aseismic slip leading up to the mainshock and illuminates the distribution of postseismic afterslip. Various finite fault models indicate that the largest coseismic slip generally occurred down-dip from the foreshock activity and the mainshock hypocenter. Source imaging by teleseismic back-projection indicates an initial down-dip propagation stage followed by a rupture-expansion stage. In the first stage, the finite fault models show an emergent onset of moment rate at low frequency (0.5 Hz>0.5 Hz). This indicates frequency-dependent manifestations of seismic radiation in the low-stress foreshock region. In the second stage, the rupture expands in rich bursts along the rim of a semi-elliptical region with episodes of re-ruptures, suggesting delayed failure of asperities. The high-frequency rupture remains within an area of local high trench-parallel gravity anomaly (TPGA), suggesting the presence of subducting seamounts that promote high-frequency generation. Our results highlight the complexity of the interactions between large-scale aseismic slow-slip and dynamic ruptures of megathrust earthquakes