Nucleation and seismic tremor associated with the glacial earthquakes of Whillans Ice Stream, Antarctica

The ability to monitor transient motion along faults is critical to improving our ability to understand many natural phenomena such as landslides and earthquakes. Here, we usedata from a GPS and seismometer network that were deployed to monitor the regularly repeating glacial earthquakes of Whillans...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inGeophysical research letters Vol. 40; no. 2; pp. 312 - 315
Main Authors Paul Winberry, J., Anandakrishnan, Sridhar, Wiens, Douglas A., Alley, Richard B.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington, DC Blackwell Publishing Ltd 28.01.2013
American Geophysical Union
John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Subjects
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Earthquakes
Exact sciences and technology
glacial earthquakes
Global positioning systems
GPS
harmonic tremor
Ice
ice stream
Keyword
Landslides
Microseisms
Natural phenomena
Nucleation
Radar
Remote monitoring
Rivers
Rupture
Sea level
Seismic activity
Seismometers
stick-slip nucleation
Stress propagation
Tremors
polar regions
West Antarctica
Antarctica
stress
icequakes
networks
monitoring
faults
trajectory
Ice stream
rupture
Global Positioning System
ice streams
nucleation
harmonics
propagation
Onset time
seismometers
landslides
transient phenomena
Timing
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Summary:The ability to monitor transient motion along faults is critical to improving our ability to understand many natural phenomena such as landslides and earthquakes. Here, we usedata from a GPS and seismometer network that were deployed to monitor the regularly repeating glacial earthquakes of Whillans Ice Stream, West Antarctica to show that a unique pattern of precursory slip precedes complete rupture along the bed of the ice stream. Additionally, we show that rupture can be independently tracked by increased levels of microseismic activity, including harmonic tremor, that are coincident with the onset of slip at any location, thus providing a remote means of monitoring stress and rupture propagation during the glacial earthquakes. Key Points Whillans Ice Stream glacial earthquakes begin with a nucleation phase Sliding may be tracked by microseismic emissions Harmonic tremor accompanies glacial earthquakes
Bibliography:ArticleID:GRL50130
ark:/67375/WNG-DZXT88VF-6
istex:C9E7077A21A09C0530A1D4E49B0D1B5765432AF8
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1002/grl.50130