scholarly journals Large slip, long duration, and moderate shaking of the Nicaragua 1992 tsunami earthquake caused by low near-trench rock rigidity

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (32) ◽  
pp. eabg8659
Author(s):  
Valentí Sallarès ◽  
Manel Prada ◽  
Sebastián Riquelme ◽  
Adrià Meléndez ◽  
Alcinoe Calahorrano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Earthquake ◽  
Rock Properties ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Consistent Model ◽  
Finite Fault ◽  
Earthquake Ruptures ◽  
Seafloor Deformation ◽  
Tsunami Earthquake ◽  
Elastic Rock ◽  
Earthquake Characteristics

Large earthquake ruptures propagating up to areas close to subduction trenches are infrequent, but when they occur, they heavily displace the ocean seafloor originating destructive tsunamis. The current paradigm is that the large seafloor deformation is caused by local factors reducing friction and increasing megathrust fault slip, or prompting the activation of ancillary faults or energy sources. As alternative to site-specific models, it has been proposed that large shallow slip could result from depth-dependent rock rigidity variations. To confront both hypotheses, here, we map elastic rock properties across the rupture zone of the MS7.0-MW7.7 1992 Nicaragua tsunami earthquake to estimate a property-compatible finite fault solution. The obtained self-consistent model accounts for trenchward increasing slip, constrains stress drop, and explains key tsunami earthquake characteristics such as long duration, high-frequency depletion, and magnitude discrepancy. The confirmation that these characteristics are all intrinsic attributes of shallow rupture opens new possibilities to improve tsunami hazard assessment.

scholarly journals The causal link of large shallow slip, long duration and moderate shaking of the Nicaragua 1992 tsunami earthquake

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valenti Sallares ◽  
Manel Prada ◽  
Alcinoe Calahorrano ◽  
Adrià Meléndez ◽  
Cesar R. Ranero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Subduction Zones ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Rock Properties ◽  
Tsunami Early Warning ◽  
Sea Bottom ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Seismological Data ◽  
Physical Attributes ◽  
Tsunami Earthquake ◽  
Elastic Rock

<p>Earthquakes rupturing up to close to subduction trenches have produced some of the largest tsunamis in history. Models indicate that the generation of these tsunamis require extraordinarily large near-trench sea-bottom displacement, but the underlying causes are disputed. They have been attributed to a wealth of factors prompting large shallow slip at the low-angle megathrust fault, the activation of steeper faults requiring smaller slip, or the triggering of ancillary energy sources. Although the postulated mechanisms are manifold, all of them coincide on the fact that the proposed causes and constraining factors are not universal but site-specific. As alternative to this local view, it has recently been proposed that the large near-trench slip could result from systematic upper-plate rock rigidity variations observed in worldwide subduction zones. Here we use a set of available controlled-source seismic data in the Middle America margin to obtain a model of upper-plate elastic rock properties across the rupture zone of the Ms7.0-Mw7.7 1992 Nicaragua tsunami earthquake. In combination with seismological data, our model shows that not only the required large shallow slip to generate the tsunami despite the moderate magnitude, but also the observed slow rupture propagation, long duration, high-frequency depletion, and magnitude discrepancy of this event, are all intrinsic physical attributes of near-trench rupture. The existence of a causal link between shallow slip and seismic record characteristics opens up new possibilities for tsunami early warning.</p>

AN INTEGRATED PETROPHYSICAL WORKFLOW TO GENERATING FLUID SUBSTITUTED LOGS FOR AVO CHARACTERISATION—GIPSY AND NORTH GIPSY FIELDS CASE STUDY, NORTH WEST SHELF, AUSTRALIA

2002 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 477
Author(s):  
D.L Clarke ◽  
A.P Clare
Keyword(s):  
Field Study ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Rock Properties ◽  
Intrinsic Permeability ◽  
North West ◽  
Consistent Model ◽  
Original Field ◽  
Elastic Rock

As part of a multi-well field study an integrated petrophysical workflow was developed to include the generation of fluid substituted logs for AVO characterisation.The workflow relied upon the construction of a multimineral model that best approximated the actual mineral content of the reservoir. Any limitations or assumptions were noted and taken into account when creating the multi-mineral model. Other petrophysical results were derived from the same model to validate its consistency such as intrinsic permeability, porosity, water saturation, etc. Iteration between the model and the results was required until a consistent model was achieved.The estimation of an intrinsic permeability log was based upon the k-Lambda method that uses the multimineral model and porosities.The estimation of a shear slowness log and the fluid substituted logs was based upon elastic rock properties derived from the multi-mineral model and the acquired compressional slowness log and bulk density log. This integrated approach provides a higher confidence in the derived results, which are then used as input into the reservoir model, thereby improving the reserve calculations.The interdependence of each derived result on the same input multi-mineral model ensures consistency and predictability in a complex geological environment, which captures all available information.The method is demonstrated with the Gipsy–1 and North Gipsy–1 wells, which were part of the original field study.

scholarly journals Rapid estimation of tsunami earthquake magnitudes at local distance

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akio Katsumata ◽  
Masayuki Tanaka ◽  
Takahito Nishimiya
Keyword(s):  
Magnitude Estimation ◽  
Seismic Wave ◽  
Seismic Waves ◽  
Wave Amplitude ◽  
Amplitude Distribution ◽  
Distribution Method ◽  
Finite Fault ◽  
Tsunami Earthquakes ◽  
Tsunami Earthquake ◽  
The Moment

AbstractA tsunami earthquake is an earthquake event that generates abnormally high tsunami waves considering the amplitude of the seismic waves. These abnormally high waves relative to the seismic wave amplitude are related to the longer rupture duration of such earthquakes compared with typical events. Rapid magnitude estimation is essential for the timely issuance of effective tsunami warnings for tsunami earthquakes. For local events, event magnitude estimated from the observed displacement amplitudes of the seismic waves, which can be obtained before estimation of the seismic moment, is often used for the first tsunami warning. However, because the observed displacement amplitude is approximately proportional to the moment rate, conventional magnitudes of tsunami earthquakes estimated based on the seismic wave amplitude tend to underestimate the event size. To overcome this problem, we investigated several methods of magnitude estimation, including magnitudes based on long-period displacement, integrated displacement, and multiband amplitude distribution. We tested the methods using synthetic waveforms calculated from finite fault models of tsunami earthquakes. We found that methods based on observed amplitudes could not estimate magnitude properly, but the method based on the multiband amplitude distribution gave values close to the moment magnitude for many tsunami earthquakes. In this method, peak amplitudes of bandpass filtered waveforms are compared with those of synthetic records for an assumed source duration and fault mechanism. We applied the multiband amplitude distribution method to the records of events that occurred around the Japanese Islands and to those of tsunami earthquakes, and confirmed that this method could be used to estimate event magnitudes close to the moment magnitudes.

The Role of Frontal Thrusts in Tsunami Earthquake Generation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel P. Felix ◽  
Judith A. Hubbard ◽  
James D. P. Moore ◽  
Adam D. Switzer
Keyword(s):  
Subduction Zones ◽  
Generation Process ◽  
Lower Amplitude ◽  
Tsunami Earthquakes ◽  
Fault Bend ◽  
Wave Heights ◽  
Seafloor Deformation ◽  
Tsunami Earthquake ◽  
Tsunami Energy ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT The frontal sections of subduction zones are the source of a poorly understood hazard: “tsunami earthquakes,” which generate larger-than-expected tsunamis given their seismic shaking. Slip on frontal thrusts is considered to be the cause of increased wave heights in these earthquakes, but the impact of this mechanism has thus far not been quantified. Here, we explore how frontal thrust slip can contribute to tsunami wave generation by modeling the resulting seafloor deformation using fault-bend folding theory. We then quantify wave heights in 2D and expected tsunami energies in 3D for both thrust splays (using fault-bend folding) and down-dip décollement ruptures (modeled as elastic). We present an analytical solution for the damping effect of the water column and show that, because the narrow band of seafloor uplift produced by frontal thrust slip is damped, initial tsunami heights and resulting energies are relatively low. Although the geometry of the thrust can modify seafloor deformation, water damping reduces these differences; tsunami energy is generally insensitive to thrust ramp parameters, such as fault dip, geological evolution, sedimentation, and erosion. Tsunami energy depends primarily on three features: décollement depth below the seafloor, water depth, and coseismic slip. Because frontal ruptures of subduction zones include slip on both the frontal thrust and the down-dip décollement, we compare their tsunami energies. We find that thrust ramps generate significantly lower energies than the paired slip on the décollement. Using a case study of the 25 October 2010 Mw 7.8 Mentawai tsunami earthquake, we show that although slip on the décollement and frontal thrust together can generate the required tsunami energy, <10% was contributed by the frontal thrust. Overall, our results demonstrate that the wider, lower amplitude uplift produced by décollement slip must play a dominant role in the tsunami generation process for tsunami earthquakes.

Cementation exponent as a geometric factor for the elastic properties of granular rocks

Geophysics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
pp. MR341-MR349
Author(s):  
Tongcheng Han ◽  
Zhoutuo Wei ◽  
Li-Yun Fu
Keyword(s):  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Effective Medium ◽  
Geometric Factor ◽  
Rock Properties ◽  
Modeling Approaches ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Elastic Rock ◽  
Effective Medium Models ◽  
Electromagnetic Surveys

A geometric factor properly describing the microstructure of a rock is compulsory for effective medium models to accurately predict the elastic and electrical rock properties, which, in turn, are of great importance for interpreting data acquired by seismic and electromagnetic surveys, two of the most important geophysical methods for understanding the earth. Despite the applications of cementation exponent for the successful modeling of electrical rock properties, however, there has been no demonstration of cementation exponent as the geometric factor for the elastic rock properties. We have developed a workflow to model the elastic properties of clean and normal granular rocks through the combination of effective medium modeling approaches using cementation exponent as the geometric factor. Based on the dedicated modeling approaches, we find that cementation exponent can be adequately used as a geometric factor for the elastic properties of granular rocks. Further results highlight the effects of cementation exponent on the elastic and joint elastic-electrical properties of granular rocks. The results illustrate the promise of cementation exponent as a geometric link for the joint elastic-electrical modeling to better characterize the earth through integrated seismic and electromagnetic surveys.

Modeling Earthquakes Using Fractal Circular Patch Models with Lessons from the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 264-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Ide ◽  
◽  
Hideo Aochi ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fault Plane ◽  
Large Earthquake ◽  
Rupture Process ◽  
Fault System ◽  
External Loading ◽  
Dynamic Rupture ◽  
Consistent Model ◽  
Wide Scale ◽  
Seismicity Catalog ◽  
Large Earthquakes

Earthquakes occur in a complex hierarchical fault system, meaning that a realistic mechanically-consistent model is required to describe heterogeneity simply and over a wide scale. We developed a simple conceptual mechanical model using fractal circular patches associated with fracture energy on a fault plane. This model explains the complexity and scaling relation in the dynamic rupture process. We also show that such a fractal patch model is useful in simulating longterm seismicity in a hierarchal fault system by using external loading. In these studies, an earthquake of any magnitude appears as a completely random cascade growing from a small patch to larger patches. This model is thus potentially useful as a benchmarking scenario for evaluating probabilistic gain in probabilistic earthquake forecasts. The model is applied to the real case of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake based on prior information from a seismicity catalog to reproduce the complex rupture process of this very large earthquake and its resulting ground motion. Provided that a high-quality seismicity catalog is available for other regions, similar approach using this conceptual model may provide scenarios for other potential large earthquakes.

scholarly journals Hydraulic and Mechanical Impacts of Pore Space Alterations within a Sandstone Quantified by a Flow Velocity-Dependent Precipitation Approach

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Wetzel ◽  
Thomas Kempka ◽  
Michael Kühn
Keyword(s):  
Flow Velocity ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Elastic Moduli ◽  
Rock Properties ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Mineral Growth ◽  
Macro Scale ◽  
Elastic Rock ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Flow Velocities

Geochemical processes change the microstructure of rocks and thereby affect their physical behaviour at the macro scale. A micro-computer tomography (micro-CT) scan of a typical reservoir sandstone is used to numerically examine the impact of three spatial alteration patterns on pore morphology, permeability and elastic moduli by correlating precipitation with the local flow velocity magnitude. The results demonstrate that the location of mineral growth strongly affects the permeability decrease with variations by up to four orders in magnitude. Precipitation in regions of high flow velocities is characterised by a predominant clogging of pore throats and a drastic permeability reduction, which can be roughly described by the power law relation with an exponent of 20. A continuous alteration of the pore structure by uniform mineral growth reduces the permeability comparable to the power law with an exponent of four or the Kozeny–Carman relation. Preferential precipitation in regions of low flow velocities predominantly affects smaller throats and pores with a minor impact on the flow regime, where the permeability decrease is considerably below that calculated by the power law with an exponent of two. Despite their complete distinctive impact on hydraulics, the spatial precipitation patterns only slightly affect the increase in elastic rock properties with differences by up to 6.3% between the investigated scenarios. Hence, an adequate characterisation of the spatial precipitation pattern is crucial to quantify changes in hydraulic rock properties, whereas the present study shows that its impact on elastic rock parameters is limited. The calculated relations between porosity and permeability, as well as elastic moduli can be applied for upscaling micro-scale findings to reservoir-scale models to improve their predictive capabilities, what is of paramount importance for a sustainable utilisation of the geological subsurface.

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