scholarly journals Complex characteristics of slow slip events in subduction zones reproduced in multi‐cycle simulations

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harmony V. Colella ◽  
James H. Dieterich ◽  
Keith Richards‐Dinger ◽  
Allan M. Rubin
2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 4006-4020 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. K. Mitchell ◽  
Y. Fialko ◽  
K. M. Brown

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathilde Radiguet ◽  
Ekaterina Kazachkina ◽  
Louise Maubant ◽  
Nathalie Cotte ◽  
Vladimir Kostoglodov ◽  
...  

<p>Slow slip events (SSEs) represent a significant mechanism of strain release along several subduction zones, and understanding their occurrence and relations with major earthquake asperities is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the seismic cycle. Here, we focus on the Mexican subduction zone, characterized by the occurrence of recurrent large slow slip events (SSEs), both in the Guerrero region, where the SSEs are among the largest observed worldwide, and in the Oaxaca region, where smaller, more frequent SSEs occur. Up to now, most slow slip studies in the Mexican subduction zone focused either on the detailed analysis of a single event, were limited to a small area (Guerrero or Oaxaca), or were limited to data before 2012 [e.g.1-4]. In this study, our aim is to build an updated and consistent catalog of major slow slip events in the Guerrero-Oaxaca region.</p><p>We use an approach similar to Michel et al. 2018 [5]. We analyze the GPS time series from 2000 to 2019 using Independent Component Analysis (ICA), in order to separate temporally varying sources of different origins (seasonal signals, SSEs and afterslip of major earthquakes). We are able to isolate a component corresponding to seasonal loading, which matches the temporal evolution of displacement modeled from the GRACE data. The sources (independent components) identified as tectonic sources of deep origin are inverted for slip on the subduction interface. We thus obtain a model of the spatio-temporal evolution of aseismic slip on the subduction interface over 19 years, from which we can isolate around 30 individual slow slip events of M<sub>w </sub>> 6.2.</p><p> The obtained catalog is coherent with previous studies (in terms of number of events detected, magnitude and duration) which validates the methodology. The observed moment-duration scaling is close to M<sub>0</sub>~T<sup>3 </sup>as recently suggested by Michel [6] for Cascadia SSEs, and our study extends the range of magnitude considered in their analysis. Finally, we also investigate the spatio-temporal relations between the SSEs occurring in the adjacent regions of Guerrero and Oaxaca, and their interaction with local and distant earthquakes.</p><p> </p><p>References:</p><ol><li>Kostoglodov, V. et al. A large silent earthquake in the Guerrero seismic gap, Mexico. Geophys. Res. Lett <strong>30</strong>, 1807 (2003).</li> <li>Graham, S. et al. Slow Slip History for the Mexico Subduction Zone: 2005 Through 2011. Pure and Applied Geophysics 1–21 (2015). doi:10.1007/s00024-015-1211-x</li> <li>Larson, K. M., Kostoglodov, V. & Shin’ichi Miyazaki, J. A. S. The 2006 aseismic slow slip event in Guerrero, Mexico: New results from GPS. Geophys. Res. Lett. <strong>34</strong>, L13309 (2007).</li> <li>Radiguet, M. et al. Slow slip events and strain accumulation in the Guerrero gap, Mexico. J. Geophys. Res. <strong>117</strong>, B04305 (2012).</li> <li>Michel, S., Gualandi, A. & Avouac, J.-P. Interseismic Coupling and Slow Slip Events on the Cascadia Megathrust. Pure Appl. Geophys. (2018). doi:10.1007/s00024-018-1991-x</li> <li>Michel, S., Gualandi, A. & Avouac, J. Similar scaling laws for earthquakes and Cascadia slow-slip events. Nature <strong>574, </strong>522–526 (2019) doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1673-6</li> </ol><p> </p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Costantino ◽  
Mauro Dalla Mura ◽  
David Marsan ◽  
Sophie Giffard-Roisin ◽  
Mathilde Radiguet ◽  
...  

<p>The deployment of increasingly dense geophysical networks in many geologically active regions on the Earth has given the possibility to reveal deformation signals that were not detectable beforehand. An example of these newly discovered signals are those associated with low-frequency earthquakes, which can be linked with the slow slip (aseismic slip) of faults. Aseismic fault slip is a crucial phenomenon as it might play a key role in the precursory phase before large earthquakes (in particular in subduction zones), during which the seismicity rate grows as well as does the ground deformation. Geodetic measurements, e.g. the Global Positioning System (GPS), are capable to track surface deformation transients likely induced by an episode of slow slip. However, very little is known about the mechanisms underlying this precursory phase, in particular regarding to how slow slip and seismicity relate.</p><p>The analysis done in this work focuses on recordings acquired by the Japan Meteorological Agency in the Boso area, Japan. In the Boso peninsula, interactions between seismicity and slow slip events can be observed over different time spans: regular slow slip events occur every 4 to 5 years, lasting about 10 days, and are associated with a burst of seismicity (Hirose et al. 2012, 2014, Gardonio et al. 2018), whereas an accelerated seismicity rate has been observed over decades that is likely associated with an increasing shear stress rate (i.e., tectonic loading) on the subduction interface (Ozawa et al. 2014, Reverso et al. 2016, Marsan et al. 2017).</p><p>This work aims to explore the potential of  Deep Learning  for better characterizing the interplay between seismicity and ground surface deformation. The analysis is based on a data-driven approach for building a model for assessing if a link seismicity – surface deformation exists and to characterize the nature of this link. This has potentially strong implications, as (small) earthquakes are the prime observable, so that better understanding the seismicity rate response to potentially small slow slip (so far undetected by GPS) could help monitoring those small slow slip events. The statistical problem is expressed as a regression between some features extracted from the seismic data and the GPS displacements registered at one or more stations.</p><p>The proposed method, based on a Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) neural network, has been designed in a way that it is possible to estimate which features are more relevant in the estimation process. From a geophysical point of view, this can provide interesting insights for validating the results, assessing the robustness of the algorithms and giving insights on the underlying process. This kind of approach represents a novelty in this field, since it opens original perspectives for the joint analysis of seismic / aseismic phenomena with respect to traditional methods based on more classical geophysical data exploration.</p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederique Rolandone ◽  
Jean-Mathieu nocquet ◽  
Patricia Mothes ◽  
Paul Jarrin ◽  
Mathilde Vergnolle

<p>In subduction zones, slip along the plate interface occurs in various modes including earthquakes, steady slip, and transient accelerated aseismic slip during either Slow Slip Events (SSE) or afterslip. We analyze continuous GPS measurements along the central Ecuador subduction segment to illuminate how the different slip modes are organized in space and time in the zone of the 2016 Mw 7.8 Pedernales earthquake. The early post-seismic period (1 month after the earthquake) shows large and rapid afterslip developing at discrete areas of the megathrust and a slow slip event remotely triggered (∼100 km) south of the rupture of the Pedernales earthquake. We find that areas of large and rapid early afterslip correlate with areas of the subduction interface that had hosted SSEs in years prior to the 2016 earthquake. Areas along the Ecuadorian margin hosting regular SSEs and large afterslip had a dominant aseismic slip mode that persisted throughout the earthquake cycle during several years and decades: they regularly experienced SSEs during the interseismic phase, they did not rupture during the 2016 Pedernales earthquake, they had large aseismic slip after it. Four years after the Pedernales earthquake, postseismic deformation is still on-going. Afterslip and SSEs are both involved in the postseimsic deformation. Two large aftershocks (Mw 6.7 & 6.8) occurred after the first month of postseismic deformation in May 18, and later in July 7 2016 two other large aftershocks (Mw 5.9 & 6.3) occurred, all were located north east of the rupture. They may have triggered their own postseismic deformation. Several seismic swarms were identified south and north of the rupture area by a dense network of seismic stations installed during one year after the Pedernales earthquakes, suggesting the occurrence of SSEs. Geodetically, several SSEs were detected during the postseismic deformation either in areas where no SSEs were detected previously, or in areas where regular seismic swarms and repeating earthquakes were identified. The SSEs may have been triggered by the stress increment due to aftershocks or due to afterslip.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lise Alalouf ◽  
Yajing Liu

<p>Subduction zones are where the largest earthquakes occur. In the past few decades, scientists have also discovered the presence of episodic aseismic slip, including slow slip events (SSEs), along most of the subduction zones. However, it is still unclear how these SSEs can influence megathrust earthquake ruptures. The Costa Rica subduction zone is a particularly interesting area because a SSE was recorded 6 months before the 2012 Mw7.6 earthquake in the Nicoya Peninsula, suggesting a potential stress transfer from the SSE to the earthquake slip zone. SSEs beneath the Nicoya Peninsula were also recorded both updip and downdip the seismogenic zone, making it a unique area to study the complex interaction between SSEs and earthquakes.</p><p>As most of the shallow SSEs were recorded around the Nicoya Peninsula, we chose to start using a 1D planar fault embedded in a homogeneous elastic half-space, with different dipping angles following several geometric profiles of the subduction fault beneath the Nicoya Peninsula section of the Costa Rica margin. This 1D modelling study allows us to better investigate the interaction between shallow and deep SSEs and megathrust earthquakes with high numerical resolution and relatively short computation time. The model provides information on the long-term seismic history by reproducing the different stages of the seismic cycle (interseismic slip, shallow and deep episodic slow slip, and coseismic slip).</p><p>We study the influence of the variation of numerical parameters and frictional properties on the recurrence interval, maximum slip velocity and cumulative slip of SSEs (both shallow and deep) and earthquakes and their interaction with each other. We then compare our results with GPS and seismic observations (i.e. cumulative slip, characteristic duration, moment rate, depth and size of the rupture, equivalent magnitude) to identify an optimal set of model parameters to understand the interaction between various modes of subduction fault deformation.</p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Petrini ◽  
Luca Dal Zilio ◽  
Taras Gerya

<p>Slow slip events (SSEs) are part of a spectrum of aseismic processes that relieve tectonic stress on faults. Their occurrence in subduction zones have been suggested to trigger megathrust earthquakes due to perturbations in fluid pressure. However, examples to date have been poorly recorded and physical observations of temporal fluid pressure fluctuations through slow slip cycles remain elusive. Here, we use a newly developed two-phase flow numerical model — which couples solid rock deformation and pervasive fluid flow — to show how crustal stresses and fluid pressures within subducting megathrust evolve before and during slow slip and regular events. This unified 2D numerical framework couples inertial mechanical deformation and fluid flow by using finite difference methods, marker-in-cell technique, and poro-visco-elasto-plastic rheologies. Furthermore, an adaptive time stepping allows the correct resolution of both long- and short-time scales, ranging from years to milliseconds during the dynamic propagation of earthquake rupture.</p><p>Here we show how permeability and its spatial distribution control the degree of locking along the megathrust interface and the interplay between seismic and aseismic slip. While a constant permeability leads to more regular seismic cycles, a depth dependent permeability contributes substantially to the development of two distinct megathrust zones: a shallow, locked seismogenic zone and a deep, narrow aseismic segment characterized by SSEs. Furthermore, we show that without requiring any specific friction law, our model shows that permeability, episodic stress transfer and fluid pressure cycling control the predominant slip mode along the subduction megathrust. Specifically, we find that the up-dip propagation of episodic SSEs systematically decreases the fault strength due to a continuous accumulation and release of fluid pressure within overpressured subducting interface, thus affecting the timing of large megathrust earthquakes. These results contribute to improve our understanding of the physical driving forces underlying the interplay between seismic and aseismic slip, and demonstrate that slow slip events may prove useful for short-term earthquake forecasts.</p>


2007 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Y. Schwartz ◽  
Juliana M. Rokosky

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. eaay5786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuke Yokota ◽  
Tadashi Ishikawa

Various slow earthquakes (SEQs), including tremors, very low frequency events, and slow slip events (SSEs), occur along megathrust zones. In a shallow plate boundary region, although many SEQs have been observed along pan-Pacific subduction zones, SSEs with a duration on the order of a year or with a large slip have not yet been detected due to difficulty in offshore observation. We try to statistically detect transient seafloor crustal deformations from seafloor geodetic data obtained by the Global Navigation Satellite System-Acoustic (GNSS-A) combination technique, which enables monitoring the seafloor absolute position. Here, we report the first detection of signals probably caused by shallow large SSEs along the Nankai Trough and indicate the timings and approximate locations of probable SSEs. The results show the existence of large SSEs around the shallow side of strong coupling regions and indicate the spatiotemporal relationship with other SEQ activities expected in past studies.


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