scholarly journals Subduction earthquakes controlled by incoming plate geometry: The 2020 M>7.5 Shumagin, Alaska, earthquake doublet

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Jiang ◽  
Pablo González ◽  
Roland Bürgmann

In 2020, an earthquake doublet, a M7.8 on July 22nd and a M7.6 on October 19th, struck the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone beneath the Shumagin Islands. This is the first documented earthquake doublet, of considerable size, involving a megathrust event and a strike-slip event, with both events producing deeply buried ruptures. The first event partially ruptured a seismic gap, which has not hosted large earthquakes since 1917, and the second event was unusual as it broke a trench-perpendicular fault within the incoming oceanic slab. We used an improved Bayesian geodetic inversion method to estimate the fault slip distributions of the major earthquakes using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) wrapped phase and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) offsets data. The geodetic inversions reveal that the Shumagin seismic gap is multi-segmented, and the M7.8 earthquake ruptured the eastern segment from 14 km down to 44 km depth. The coseismic slip occurred along a more steeply, 26-degree dipping segment, and was bounded up-dip by a bend of the megathrust interface to a shallower 8-degree dip angle connecting to the trench. The model for the M7.6 event tightly constrained the rupture depth extent to 23-37 km, within the depth range of the M7.8 coseismic rupture area. We find that the M7.6 event ruptured the incoming slab across its full seismogenic thickness, potentially reactivating subducted Kula-Resurrection seafloor-spreading ridge structures. Coulomb stress transfer models suggest that coseismic and/or postseismic slip of the M7.8 event could have triggered the M7.6 event. This unusual intraslab event could have been caused by accumulation and localization of flexural elastic shear stresses at the slab bending region. We conclude that the segmented megathrust structure and the location of intraslab fault structures limited the rupture dimensions of the M7.8 event and are responsible for the segmentation of the Shumagin seismic gap. Our study suggests that the western and shallower up-dip segments of the seismic gap did not fail and remain potential seismic and tsunami hazard sources. The unusual earthquake doublet provides a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of the role of the subducting lithosphere structure in the segmentation of subduction zones.

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (4) ◽  
pp. 1701-1715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Qiu ◽  
Sylvain Barbot ◽  
Teng Wang ◽  
Shengji Wei

ABSTRACT We investigate the deformation processes during the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence by combining Global Navigation Satellite Systems, strong-motion, and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar datasets in a joint inversion. The spatial complementarity of slip between the Mw 6.4 foreshock, Mw 7.1 mainshock, and afterslip suggests the importance of static stress transfer as a triggering mechanism during the rupture sequence. The coseismic slip of the foreshock concentrates mainly on the east-northeast–west-southwest fault above the hypocenter at depths of 2–8 km. The slip distribution of the mainshock straddles the region above the hypocenter with two isolated patches located to the north-northwest and south-southeast, respectively. The geodetically determined moment magnitudes of the foreshock and mainshock are equivalent to moment magnitudes Mw 6.4 and 7.0, assuming a rigidity of 30 GPa. We find a significant shallow slip deficit (>60%) in the Ridgecrest ruptures, likely resulting from the immature fault system in which the sequence occurred. Rapid afterslip concentrates at depths of 2–6 km, surrounding the rupture areas of the foreshock and mainshock. The ruptures also accelerated viscoelastic flow at lower-crustal depths. The Garlock fault was loaded at several locations, begging the question of possible delayed triggering.


2007 ◽  
Vol 334-335 ◽  
pp. 289-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.M. Zhao ◽  
Z. Liu ◽  
F.R. Jones

Phase-stepping photoelasticity has been used to study the fragmentation of an E-glass fibre in epoxy resin and examine quantitatively the effect of a transverse matrix crack on the stress transfer at an interphase. Unsized glass fibre was coated by plasma polymerisation with a crosslinked conformal film of 90% acrylic acid and 10% 1,7-octadiene. The micro-mechanical response at the fibre-matrix interphase and in the adjacent matrix has been described in detail using contour maps of fringe order. From these, the interfacial shear stress profiles at fibre-break have been calculated.


Author(s):  
Rumeng Guo ◽  
Hongfeng Yang ◽  
Yu Li ◽  
Yong Zheng ◽  
Lupeng Zhang

Abstract The 21 May 2021 Maduo earthquake occurred on the Kunlun Mountain Pass–Jiangcuo fault (KMPJF), a seismogenic fault with no documented large earthquakes. To probe its kinematics, we first estimate the slip rates of the KMPJF and Tuosuo Lake segment (TLS, ∼75 km north of the KMPJF) of the East Kunlun fault (EKLF) based on the secular Global Positioning System (GPS) data using the Markov chain Monte Carlo method. Our model reveals that the slip rates of the KMPJF and TLS are 1.7 ± 0.8 and 7.1 ± 0.3 mm/yr, respectively. Then, we invert high-resolution GPS and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar observations to decipher the fault geometry and detailed coseismic slip distribution associated with the Maduo earthquake. The geometry of the KMPFJ significantly varies along strike, composed of five fault subsegments. The most slip is accommodated by two steeply dipping fault segments, with the patch of large sinistral slip concentrated in the shallow depth on a simple straight structure. The released seismic moment is ∼1.5×1020  N·m, equivalent to an Mw 7.39 event, with a peak slip of ∼9.3 m. Combining the average coseismic slip and slip rate of the main fault, an earthquake recurrence period of ∼1250−400+1120  yr is estimated. The Maduo earthquake reminds us to reevaluate the potential of seismic gaps where slip rates are low. Based on our calculated Coulomb failure stress, the Maduo earthquake imposes positive stress on the Maqin–Maqu segment of the EKLF, a long-recognized seismic gap, implying that it may accelerate the occurrence of the next major event in this region.


Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Chang ◽  
Yintong Guo ◽  
Jun Zhou ◽  
Xuehang Song ◽  
Chunhe Yang

Natural fractures (NFs) have been recognized as the dominant factors that increase hydraulic fracture complexity and reservoir productivity. However, the interactions between hydraulic and natural fractures are far from being fully understood. In this study, a two-dimensional numerical model based on the displacement discontinuity method (DDM) has been developed and used to investigate the interaction between hydraulic and pre-existing natural fractures. The inelastic deformation, e.g., stick, slip and separation, of the geologic discontinuities is captured by a special friction joint element called Mohr-Coulomb joint element. The dynamic stress transfer mechanisms between the two fracture systems and the possible location of secondary tensile fracture that reinitiates along the opposite sides of the NF are discussed. Furthermore, the model results are validated by a series of large tri-axial hydraulic fracture (HF) tests. Both experimental and numerical results showed that the displacements and stresses along the NFs are all in highly dynamic changes. When the HF is approaching the NF, the HF tip can exert remote compressional and shear stresses on the NF interface, which results in the debonding of the NF. The location and value of the evoked stress is a function of the far-field horizontal differential stress, inclination angle of the NF, and the net pressure used in fracturing. For a small approaching angle, the stress peak is located farther away from the intersection point, so an offset fracture is more likely to be generated. The cemented strength of the NF also has an important influence on the interaction mechanism. Weakly bonded NF surfaces increase the occurrence of a shear slippage, but for a moderate strength NF, the hybrid failure model with both tensile and shear failures, and conversion may appear.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 2752
Author(s):  
Christopher O. Ilori ◽  
Anders Knudby

Physics-based radiative transfer model (RTM) inversion methods have been developed and implemented for satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB); however, precise atmospheric correction (AC) is required for robust bathymetry retrieval. In a previous study, we revealed that biases from AC may be related to imaging and environmental factors that are not considered sufficiently in all AC algorithms. Thus, the main aim of this study is to demonstrate how AC biases related to environmental factors can be minimized to improve SDB results. To achieve this, we first tested a physics-based inversion method to estimate bathymetry for a nearshore area in the Florida Keys, USA. Using a freely available water-based AC algorithm (ACOLITE), we used Landsat 8 (L8) images to derive per-pixel remote sensing reflectances, from which bathymetry was subsequently estimated. Then, we quantified known biases in the AC using a linear regression that estimated bias as a function of imaging and environmental factors and applied a correction to produce a new set of remote sensing reflectances. This correction improved bathymetry estimates for eight of the nine scenes we tested, with the resulting changes in bathymetry RMSE ranging from +0.09 m (worse) to −0.48 m (better) for a 1 to 25 m depth range, and from +0.07 m (worse) to −0.46 m (better) for an approximately 1 to 16 m depth range. In addition, we showed that an ensemble approach based on multiple images, with acquisitions ranging from optimal to sub-optimal conditions, can be used to estimate bathymetry with a result that is similar to what can be obtained from the best individual scene. This approach can reduce time spent on the pre-screening and filtering of scenes. The correction method implemented in this study is not a complete solution to the challenge of AC for satellite-derived bathymetry, but it can eliminate the effects of biases inherent to individual AC algorithms and thus improve bathymetry retrieval. It may also be beneficial for use with other AC algorithms and for the estimation of seafloor habitat and water quality products, although further validation in different nearshore waters is required.


2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (4) ◽  
pp. 1603-1626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kang Wang ◽  
Douglas S. Dreger ◽  
Elisa Tinti ◽  
Roland Bürgmann ◽  
Taka’aki Taira

ABSTRACT The 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence culminated in the largest seismic event in California since the 1999 Mw 7.1 Hector Mine earthquake. Here, we combine geodetic and seismic data to study the rupture process of both the 4 July Mw 6.4 foreshock and the 6 July Mw 7.1 mainshock. The results show that the Mw 6.4 foreshock rupture started on a northwest-striking right-lateral fault, and then continued on a southwest-striking fault with mainly left-lateral slip. Although most moment release during the Mw 6.4 foreshock was along the southwest-striking fault, slip on the northwest-striking fault seems to have played a more important role in triggering the Mw 7.1 mainshock that happened ∼34  hr later. Rupture of the Mw 7.1 mainshock was characterized by dominantly right-lateral slip on a series of overall northwest-striking fault strands, including the one that had already been activated during the nucleation of the Mw 6.4 foreshock. The maximum slip of the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake was ∼5  m, located at a depth range of 3–8 km near the Mw 7.1 epicenter, corresponding to a shallow slip deficit of ∼20%–30%. Both the foreshock and mainshock had a relatively low-rupture velocity of ∼2  km/s, which is possibly related to the geometric complexity and immaturity of the eastern California shear zone faults. The 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake produced significant stress perturbations on nearby fault networks, especially along the Garlock fault segment immediately southwest of the 2019 Ridgecrest rupture, in which the coulomb stress increase was up to ∼0.5  MPa. Despite the good coverage of both geodetic and seismic observations, published coseismic slip models of the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence show large variations, which highlight the uncertainty of routinely performed earthquake rupture inversions and their interpretation for underlying rupture processes.


Author(s):  
Yingxin Gao ◽  
Alan S. Wineman ◽  
Anthony M. Waas

There is experimental evidence to suggest that extensible connective tissues are mechanically time-dependent. In view of this, the mechanics of time-dependent lateral stress transfer in skeletal muscle is investigated by employing a viscoelastic shear lag model for the transfer of tensile stress between muscle fibres and the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) by means of shear stresses at the interface between the muscle fibre and the ECM. The model allows for both mechanical strains in the muscle as well as the strain owing to muscle contraction. Both the ECM and the muscle fibre are modelled as viscoelastic solids. As a result, time-dependent lateral stress transfer can be studied under a variety of loading and muscle stimulation conditions. The results show that the larger the muscle fibre creep time relative to the ECM relaxation time, the longer it takes for the muscle fibre stress to relax. It also shows that the response of the muscle–ECM composite system also depends on the characteristic time of a strain history relative to the characteristic relaxation time of the ECM. The results from the present model provide significant insight into the role of the parameters that characterize the response of the muscle composite system.


Author(s):  
K. Yazdchi ◽  
M. Salehi

In this paper, with introducing a new simplified 3-D Representative Volume Element (RVE) for a wavy carbon nanotube (CNT), an analytical model has been developed to study the stress transfer in single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) reinforced polymer composites (NRPCs). The model is capable of predicting axial as well as interfacial shear stresses, along a wavy CNT embedded in a matrix. Based on the pullout modeling technique, the effects of waviness, wavelength and matrix modulus on axial and interfacial shear stresses have also been analyzed in details also using the statistical multiple non-linear regression method, the best-fitted functions for the interfacial stresses of CNT/polymer composites are obtained. The results of the present analytical model are in good agreements when compared with the corresponding results for straight NTs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 219 (2) ◽  
pp. 924-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Hable ◽  
Karin Sigloch ◽  
Eléonore Stutzmann ◽  
Sergey Kiselev ◽  
Guilhem Barruol

SUMMARY We use seismic noise cross-correlations to obtain a 3-D tomography model of SV-wave velocities beneath the western Indian Ocean, in the depth range of the oceanic crust and uppermost mantle. The study area covers 2000 × 2000 km2 between Madagascar and the three spreading ridges of the Indian Ocean, centred on the volcanic hotspot of La Réunion. We use seismograms from 38 ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) deployed by the RHUM-RUM project and 10 island stations on La Réunion, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rodrigues, and Tromelin. Phase cross-correlations are calculated for 1119 OBS-to-OBS, land-to-OBS, and land-to-land station pairs, and a phase-weighted stacking algorithm yields robust group velocity measurements in the period range of 3–50 s. We demonstrate that OBS correlations across large interstation distances of >2000 km are of sufficiently high quality for large-scale tomography of ocean basins. Many OBSs yielded similarly good group velocity measurements as land stations. Besides Rayleigh waves, the noise correlations contain a low-velocity wave type propagating at 0.8–1.5 km s−1 over distances exceeding 1000 km, presumably Scholte waves travelling through seafloor sediments. The 100 highest-quality group velocity curves are selected for tomographic inversion at crustal and lithospheric depths. The inversion is executed jointly with a data set of longer-period, Rayleigh-wave phase and group velocity measurements from earthquakes, which had previously yielded a 3-D model of Indian Ocean lithosphere and asthenosphere. Robust resolution tests and plausible structural findings in the upper 30 km validate the use of noise-derived OBS correlations for adding crustal structure to earthquake-derived tomography of the oceanic mantle. Relative to crustal reference model CRUST1.0, our new shear-velocity model tends to enhance both slow and fast anomalies. It reveals slow anomalies at 20 km depth beneath La Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues Ridge, Madagascar Rise, and beneath the Central Indian spreading ridge. These structures can clearly be associated with increased crustal thickness and/or volcanic activity. Locally thickened crust beneath La Réunion and Mauritius is probably related to magmatic underplating by the hotspot. In addition, these islands are characterized by a thickened lithosphere that may reflect the depleted, dehydrated mantle regions from which the crustal melts where sourced. Our tomography model is available as electronic supplement.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Kammer ◽  
Michael Avila

<p>The Northandean plate margin underwent a fundamental change in its structural configuration during a Cretaceous subduction cycle, as evidenced by the formation and accretion of a province of basic igneous arc rocks that gave rise to the basement of an Northandean Western Cordillera. Further north, this igneous terrane links to the Caribbean Large Igneous Province and has been associated, with respect to its origin, to an actively spreading ridge of the Farallon plate, implying a far-travelled origin with respect to Southamerica and calling for the existence of giant strike-slip faults. We challenge this allochthonous scenario by an alternative option of a forearc origin, invoking the possibility of a forearc opening by the forcing of a toroidal mantle flow at the northern end of the Andean trench, which would have introduced mantle material from the Pacific into the Andean realm through a Central American gap. Support for such an opening mode of a forearc basin comes from extensional tectonics, that accompanied the emplacement of the basic arc units and a concomitant subduction of the extrusive basic units at the inner border of this postulated forearc basin. This intraplate subduction comprises a distinct three-partite evolution: (I) Convergence first became manifest by the reactivation of a normal fault located within the supposed forearc basin and inboard of an inherited Triassic-Jurassic suture, but still failed at a crustal level. (II) A succeeding contractional stage involved the reactivation of the inherited Triassic-Jurassic suture and the tectonic erosion of a frontal compartment of the continental margin. After an incipient underplating, slivers of this continental compartment returned within a time span of about 20 Ma. (III) A final Late Cretaceous subduction stage evolved under the conditions of an oblique SW-NE oriented plate convergence and is characterized by extensional pulses, as may be concluded from the structural setting of the giant Antioquia batholith. In the Campanian subduction definitely locked, as evidenced by the regional buckling of the forearc realm and a rebound of the upper continental plate. Both onset and shutoff of this subduction cycle may be linked to deformation phases and are dated by syntectonic, fault-guided intrusions. This scenario of a forearc origin of the basic igneous province calls for the existence of two paired subduction zones: on its outer margin the subducting Farallon slab imposed a trench-parallel mantle flow and constrained an expansion of the forarc basin by slab rollback. On its inner margin, a secondary subduction compensated a surplus expansion of the actively forming forearc basin.</p>


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document