Mega-earthquakes rupture flat megathrusts

The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman and 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquakes highlighted gaps in our understanding of mega-earthquake rupture processes and the factors controlling their global distribution: A fast convergence rate and young buoyant lithosphere are not required to produce mega-earthquakes. We calculated...

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Published inScience (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 354; no. 6315; pp. 1027 - 1031
Main Authors Bletery, Quentin, Thomas, Amanda M., Rempel, Alan W., Karlstrom, Leif, Sladen, Anthony, De Barros, Louis
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Association for the Advancement of Science 25.11.2016
The American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Subjects
Aftershocks
Curvature
Earth Sciences
Earthquake damage
Earthquakes
Fault lines
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical models
Rupture
Sciences of the Universe
Shear strength
Subduction (geology)
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Summary:The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman and 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquakes highlighted gaps in our understanding of mega-earthquake rupture processes and the factors controlling their global distribution: A fast convergence rate and young buoyant lithosphere are not required to produce mega-earthquakes. We calculated the curvature along the major subduction zones of the world, showing that mega-earthquakes preferentially rupture flat (low-curvature) interfaces. A simplified analytic model demonstrates that heterogeneity in shear strength increases with curvature. Shear strength on flat megathrusts is more homogeneous, and hence more likely to be exceeded simultaneously over large areas, than on highly curved faults.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aag0482