Earthquake Dynamics Research Articles

Repeating Earthquakes

Repeating earthquakes, or repeaters, are identical in location and geometry but occur at different times. They appear to represent recurring seismic energy release from distinct structures such as slip on a fault patch. Repeaters are most commonly found on creeping plate boundary faults, where seismic patches are loaded by surrounding slow slip, and they can be used to track fault creep at depth. Their hosting environments also include volcanoes, subducted slabs, mining-induced fault structures, glaciers, and landslides. While true repeaters should have identical seismic waveforms, small differences in their seismograms can be used to examine subtle changes in source properties or in material properties of the rocks through which the waves propagate. Source studies have documented the presence of smaller slip patches within the rupture areas of larger repeaters, illuminated earthquake triggering mechanisms, and revealed systematic changes in rupture characteristics as a function of loading rate. ▪ Repeating earthquakes are observed in diverse tectonic and nontectonic settings. ▪ Their occurrence patterns provide quantitative information about fault creep, earthquake cycle dynamics, triggering, and predictability. ▪ Their seismic waveform characteristics provide important insights on earthquake source variability and temporal Earth structure changes.

Diagenetic and shear-induced transitions of frictional strength of carbon-bearing faults and their implications for earthquake rupture dynamics in subduction zones

Subduction-related diagenetic reactions affect fault strength and are thus important for understanding earthquake rupture dynamics in subduction zones. Carbonaceous material (CM) is found worldwide in active plate-boundary and intracontinental faults, yet the effect of its transformation on frictional strength and rupture dynamics remains unknown. We conducted high-velocity friction experiments together with organochemical analyses on CM in the form of lignite, bituminous coal, anthracite and graphite. Results clearly show that an increase in CM maturity and crystallinity leads to a decrease in the peak friction coefficient (from 0.5 to 0.2). We also infer that friction applied to low-grade CM increases its maturity, but friction applied to high-grade CM reduces its maturity. These findings suggest that both diagenetic and shear-induced transformations of CM strongly affect the frictional strength of CM-bearing faults, potentially affecting the depth-dependences of frictional strength and rupture dynamics on plate-subduction faults.

Role of Weak Materials in Earthquake Rupture Dynamics

Weak materials in seismic slip zones are important in studies of earthquake mechanics. For instance, the exceptionally large slip during the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake has been attributed to the presence of smectite in the fault zone. However, weak fault rocks cannot accumulate large amounts of elastic strain, which is thought to counter their ability to enhance seismic rupture. It is well known that if the permeability of a weak fault is low enough to allow friction-induced thermal pressurization of interstitial fluid, the fault strength decreases dramatically. However, whether intrinsic weakness of fault material or thermal pressurization more efficiently produces large slip on faults bearing weak materials has not been determined. To investigate the role of weak materials in earthquake rupture dynamics, we conducted friction experiments and dynamic rupture simulations using pure smectite and pure graphite to represent weak fault materials. Even when we assumed no thermal pressurization, simulated faults in both media were able to trigger large slip because their extremely low friction was insufficient to arrest the inertial motion of rupture propagating along the fault. We used similar rupture simulations to investigate the cause of the huge slip near the trench during the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake and demonstrated that it can be attributed to thermal pressurization, although our findings suggest that the presence of smectite in the plate-boundary fault may also be required.

Intermediate‐Magnitude Postseismic Slip Follows Intermediate‐Magnitude (M4 to 5) Earthquakes in California

AbstractThe magnitude of postseismic slip is useful for constraining physical models of fault slip. Here we examine the postseismic slip following intermediate‐magnitude (M 4 to 5) earthquakes by systematically analyzing data from borehole strainmeters in central and northern California. We assess the noise in the data and identify 11 earthquakes that generated interpretable strain records. We estimate the earthquakes' postseismic to coseismic moment ratios by comparing the coseismic strain changes with strain changes induced by afterslip in the following 1.5 days. The median estimated postseismic moment is 0.45 times the coseismic moment, with a 90% confidence interval between 0.25 and 0.60. This postseismic moment is slightly larger than typically observed following large (M > 6) earthquakes but smaller than observed following small (M2 to 4) earthquakes. The intermediate‐magnitude postseismic slip suggests a size dependence in the dynamics of earthquakes or in the properties of fault areas that surround earthquakes.

Three‐Dimensional Model of the Lithospheric Structure Under the Eastern Tibetan Plateau: Implications for the Active Tectonics and Seismic Hazards

AbstractDetails of lithospheric structures in three‐dimensions (3‐D) are key to understanding the dynamics of crustal deformation and earthquakes in active orogenic systems. In this study, we develop a 3‐D model of the eastern Tibetan Plateau using the Skua‐Gocad software based on the latest Rayleigh wave tomography. We perform a quantitative modeling workflow to map the details of the Moho discontinuities and the high‐velocity anomalies. Then, we integrate the topography, major active faults, large earthquakes, and crustal Poisson's ratios to analyze the relationship between the shallow and deep structures of this region. Our study shows that the Moho is generally coupled with the topography. A steep Moho ramp exists under the plateau margin and its surface projection intersects the Longmen Shan (LMS) at a low oblique angle (~22°). Active deformation and large earthquakes are related to the steep Moho ramp under the plateau margin. Moreover, based on a 3‐D model of the Poisson's ratio perturbations, we find that deformation across the central LMS is characterized as a crocodile‐type wedge in the crust and lithospheric mantle, due to the resistance of the Yangtze craton and isostatic rebound. We suggest that a tectonic wedging model that contains both the upper‐crust thrusting and lower‐crustal thickening contribute to the LMS orogeny. Three‐dimensional visualization of the lithospheric structure is well suited to reveal the different levels of deformation and their relationships. Quantitative modeling methods provide effective constraints on the active blocks in the eastern Tibetan Plateau.

Brittle Fracture Theory Describes the Onset of Frictional Motion

Contacting bodies subjected to sufficiently large applied shear will undergo frictional sliding. The onset of this motion is mediated by dynamically propagating fronts, akin to earthquakes, that rupture the discrete contacts that form the interface separating the bodies. Macroscopic motion commences only after these ruptures have traversed the entire interface. Comparison of measured rupture dynamics with the detailed predictions of fracture mechanics reveals that the propagation dynamics, dissipative properties, radiation, and arrest of these “laboratory earthquakes” are in excellent quantitative agreement with the predictions of the theory of brittle fracture. Thus, interface fracture replaces the idea of a characteristic static friction coefficient as a description of the onset of friction. This fracture-based description of friction additionally provides a fundamental description of earthquake dynamics and arrest.

Numerical Experiments on Time Step Selection in Linear Dynamic Analysis of Structures

ABSTRACT The complex nature of the exciting force in earthquake engineering applications mandates employing numerical methods to obtain the response of structures to ground motions. Several numerical methods are in use in the field of earthquake engineering and structural dynamics to solve the ordinary differential equation of motion. Previous studies assumed that the appropriate time step for numerical schemes can be selected as a constant fraction of natural period of the system disregarding the period range. This study is concerned with assessing, through a comprehensive numerical experiment; the numerical error of the most commonly used schemes in structural dynamics applications and assessing the appropriateness of each method for different excitations and damping conditions using different natural period ranges. The current investigation involved testing the central difference method, Newmark, HHT, and HHT1 methods. The four methods were tested for linear single degree of freedom (SDOF) oscillator. Three different exciting forces were used to test the schemes; half-sine pulse wave, harmonic force, and actual ground motion record. Three natural periods were used to conduct the experiment, representing short, medium, and long period systems including the resonant condition. Three structural damping ratios, representing lightly, moderately, and heavily damped systems, were used to assess the structural damping effect on the accuracy associated with selected time steps. A new displacement error norm was introduced to define the accuracy of numerical schemes. The results of this investigation indicated that the commonly used assumption of time step as a constant fraction of natural period of the system, even for SDOF linear oscillator, disregarding the period range could result in significant numerical errors. The study also confirmed the significant effect of structural damping ratio on the accuracy of the numerical schemes. The paper also presents a recommendation matrix for the most appropriate time step for each scheme for different applications and structural conditions. The results of the current investigation are strictly limited to linear systems.

Longer Migration and Spontaneous Decay of Aseismic Slip Pulse Caused by Fault Roughness

AbstractIt has been known that natural faults possess rough profiles, which may play a vital role in earthquake dynamics. Here we examine the effect of fault roughness in the earthquake nucleation process using the rate and state friction law with the slip evolution law. The nucleation process on rough faults behaves as accelerating and migrating aseismic slip pulse, which is similar to previous studies for flat faults. However, the migration distance on rough faults is much larger than flat faults. The effect of fault roughness on the aseismic slip pulse migration is described by a single parameter known as the roughness drag, which depends on the amplitude, the minimum wavelength, and the Hurst exponent of the fault roughness profile. We also show that aseismic slip pulse cannot accelerate to dynamic rupture and ceases spontaneously if the roughness drag exceeds the static stress drop.

Geodynamic simulation of the WenChuan Ms8.0 and Lushan Ms7.0 earthquakes

The Lushan Ms7.0 earthquake, occurred on April 20th, 2013, is another strong earthquake that occurred on Longmen Mountain Faults after the Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake. In this paper we construct a finite element model depicting fault frictional mechanism to study the geodynamics of these two strong earthquakes. The locations of the initial rupture points and the dislocation forms of the Wenchuan earthquake and Lushan earthquake are simulated to find out the potential relationship between the two earthquakes. Simulative results show that the elevation, fault geometry, and the different rheological strengths between the Sichuan basin and Tibetan plateau play an important role in the earthquake dynamics. The dynamic simulation shows the initial rupture points are located at Yingxiu county and the rupture process is mainly along the northeast direction for the Wenchuan earthquake. In particular, the different frictional strengths caused by the fluid pressure decrease between the southern and northern segments of Longmenshan faults after the Wenchuan earthquake have affected the initial rupture point and the fault dislocation form of the Lushan earthquake, when considering the thrust of Tibetan plateau to Sichuan basin as the major dynamic source.

Frictional Heating Processes and Energy Budget During Laboratory Earthquakes

AbstractDuring an earthquake, part of the released elastic strain energy is dissipated within the slip zone by frictional and fracturing processes, the rest being radiated away via elastic waves. While frictional heating plays a key role in the energy budget of earthquakes, it could not be resolved by seismological data up to now. Here we investigate the dynamics of laboratory earthquakes by measuring frictional heat dissipated during the propagation of shear instabilities at stress conditions typical of seismogenic depths. We estimate the complete energy budget of earthquake rupture and demonstrate that the radiation efficiency increases with thermal‐frictional weakening. Using carbon properties and Raman spectroscopy, we map spatial heat heterogeneities on the fault surface. We show that an increase in fault strength corresponds to a transition from a weak fault with multiple strong asperities and little overall radiation, to a highly radiative fault behaving as a single strong asperity.

Nowcasting Earthquakes in the Bay of Bengal Region

Statistical quantification of observed seismicity is important for understanding earthquake dynamics and future risk in any seismic-prone region. In this paper, we implement the idea of nowcasting (Rundle et al. in Earth and Space Science 3:480–486, 2016) to examine the current uncertain state of earthquake hazard assessment in the seismically active Bay of Bengal (BoB) and adjacent regions. First, we utilize the concept of “natural time” (Varostos et al. in Physical Review E 71:032102, 2005), rather than clock time, to develop a statistical distribution of inter-event counts of “small” earthquakes occurring between “large” earthquakes. Using relevant statistics of natural time, we then calculate the earthquake potential score (EPS) as the cumulative number of small earthquakes since the last large event in the selected region. The EPS, which provides the nowcast value for a region, reveals the current state of earthquake hazard in that region. Therefore, by indirect means, the EPS provides us with a simple yet transparent estimation of the current level of seismic progress through the regional earthquake cycle of recurring events in a geographical area. To illustrate the nowcasting approach in the study region, we computed EPS values for the two most seismically exposed megacities, Dhaka and Kolkata, considering events of $$M \ge 4$$ within a radius of 250 km around their respective city centers. We found that the current EPS values corresponding to M ≥ 6 events in Dhaka and Kolkata were approximately 0.72 and 0.40, respectively. The practical applicability of these values is discussed in conjunction with sensitivity analysis of the threshold magnitudes.

An updated Lagrangian LBM–DEM–FEM coupling model for dual-permeability fissured porous media with embedded discontinuities

Many engineering applications and geological processes involve embedded discontinuities in porous media across multiple length scales (e.g. rock joints, grain boundaries, deformation bands and faults). Understanding the multiscale path-dependent hydro-mechanical responses of these interfaces across length scales is of ultimate importance for applications such as CO2 sequestration, hydraulic fracture and earthquake rupture dynamics. While there exist mathematical frameworks such as extended finite element and assumed strain to replicate the kinematics of the interfaces, modeling the cyclic hydro-mechanical constitutive responses of the interfaces remains a difficult task. This paper presents a semi-data-driven multiscale approach that obtains both the traction-separation law and the aperture-porosity–permeability relation from micro-mechanical simulations performed on representative elementary volumes in the finite deformation range. To speed up multiscale simulations, the incremental constitutive updates of the mechanical responses are obtained from discrete element simulations at the representative elementary volume whereas the hydraulic responses are generated from a neural network trained with data from lattice Boltzmann simulations. These responses are then linked to a macroscopic dual-permeability model. This approach allows one to bypass the need of deriving multi-physical phenomenological laws for complex loading paths. More importantly, it enables the capturing of the evolving anisotropy of the permeabilities of the macro- and micro-pores. A set of numerical experiments are used to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed model.

Stochastic modeling of nonstationary earthquake time series with long-term clustering effects

Earthquake time series are widely used to characterize the main features of regional seismicity and to provide useful insights into earthquake dynamics. Properties such as intermittency and nonstationary clustering are common in earthquake time series, highlighting the complex nature of the earthquake generation process. In the present work we introduce a stochastic model with memory effects that reproduces the temporal scaling behavior observed in regional seismicity. For nonstationary earthquake activity, where the average seismic rate fluctuates, the solution of the stochastic model is the $q$-generalized gamma function that presents two power-law regimes for short and long waiting times, respectively, while for stationary activity it reduces to the standard gamma function. To validate the derived model, we study nonstationary earthquake time series from Southern California and Japan. The analysis shows that for various threshold magnitudes and spatial areas and after rescaling with the mean waiting time, the normalized probability density functions fall onto a unique curve, which is characterized by two power-law regimes for short and long waiting times, respectively, a scaling behavior that can exactly be recovered by the derived $q$-generalized gamma function. The results show the validity of the stochastic model and the derived scaling function, further signifying both short- and long-term clustering effects and memory in the evolution of seismicity.

Source tectonic dynamics features of Jiuzhaigou Ms 7.0 earthquake in Sichuan Province, China

On August 8, 2017, a Ms 7.0 earthquake occurred 5 km to the west of Jiuzhaigou National Park, causing 25 deaths and injuring 525. The objective of this study was to explore the seismogenic fault of the earthquake and tectonic dynamics of the source rupture. Field investigations, radon activity tests, remote sensing interpretations, and geophysical data analyses were carried out immediately after the earthquake. The Jiuzhaigou earthquake occurred at the intersection of the northern margin of the Minshan uplift belt and the south part of the Wenxian–Maqin fault in the south margin of the West Qinling geosyncline. There are two surface rupture zones trending northwest (NW), which are ground coseismic ruptures caused by concealed earthquake faults. The rupture on the southwest is the structure triggering the earthquake, along the Jiuzhaitiantang–Epicenter–Wuhuahai. The other one on the northeast (Shangsizhai–Zhongcha–Bimang) is a reactivation and extension of the secondary fault trending NW. The source rupture of this earthquake is a strike-slip shear fracture associated with the fault plane trending NW 331° and steeply dipping 75°, which is continuously expanding at both ends. The tectonic dynamics process of the source rupture is that the “Jiuzhaigou protrusion” is left-lateral sheared along the seismogenic fault in the NW direction. Finally, the Maqin fault and the arc fault system at the top of the “Wenxian protrusion” will be gradually broken through sometime in far future, as well as earthquaketriggered landslides will be further occurred along the narrow corridor between the seismogenic faults. The research results revealed the basic geological data and tectonic dynamic mechanism in this earthquake.

Modeling of Stick‐Slip Behavior in Sheared Granular Fault Gouge Using the Combined Finite‐Discrete Element Method

AbstractSheared granular layers undergoing stick‐slip behavior are broadly employed to study the physics and dynamics of earthquakes. Here a two‐dimensional implementation of the combined finite‐discrete element method (FDEM), which merges the finite element method (FEM) and the discrete element method (DEM), is used to explicitly simulate a sheared granular fault system including both gouge and plate, and to investigate the influence of different normal loads on seismic moment, macroscopic friction coefficient, kinetic energy, gouge layer thickness, and recurrence time between slips. In the FDEM model, the deformation of plates and particles is simulated using the FEM formulation while particle‐particle and particle‐plate interactions are modeled using DEM‐derived techniques. The simulated seismic moment distributions are generally consistent with those obtained from the laboratory experiments. In addition, the simulation results demonstrate that with increasing normal load, (i) the kinetic energy of the granular fault system increases, (ii) the gouge layer thickness shows a decreasing trend, and (iii) the macroscopic friction coefficient does not experience much change. Analyses of the slip events reveal that, as the normal load increases, more slip events with large kinetic energy release and longer recurrence time occur, and the magnitude of gouge layer thickness decrease also tends to be larger; while the macroscopic friction coefficient drop decreases. The simulations not only reveal the influence of normal loads on the dynamics of sheared granular fault gouge but also demonstrate the capabilities of FDEM for studying stick‐slip dynamic behavior of granular fault systems.

Seismic activity characteristics in the East Sea area

Seismic activity characteristics in the East Sea area

Why did the most severe seismic hazard occur in the Beichuan area in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, China? Insight from finite element modelling

The Beichuan area suffered the most serious seismic damage in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake although the Beichuan is over 100 km away from the instrumental epicenter of the mainshock. The mechanism for this peculiar phenomenon remains unclear even though 10 years has passed since the Wenchuan event. For this purpose, we construct a spontaneous rupture model in which Gaochuan right bend (GRB) is included in the middle of Yingxiu-Beichuan fault, a major seismogenic fault for the Wenchuan event. The simulated results show that the complex geometry of the GRB played a controlling role in the rupture propagation. Once the rupture was initiated at the epicenter of the Wenchuan mainshock, it propagated spontaneously, and the rupture speed on the first segment of the fault is ∼2.79 km/s, slower than the shear wave speed of local medium. When the rupture front spread near the end of the Yingxiu-Gaochuan fault, a new rupture was re-nucleated at the curve section of the Gaochuan bend, and propagated in the northeast direction with the speed of 5.02 km/s, greater than the S wave velocity. In addition, this rupture speed transition from subshear to supershear does not need any time delay, much distinct from the case of fault stepover in which delay is needed in supershear transition. The result also demonstrates that the relation between the high values of peak ground acceleration (PGA) and the supershear rupture is strong. The large area with high values of PGA distributed in the Beichuan directly led to grave seismic catastrophe there. Therefore, this work may give some insight into why the most serious seismic damage occurred in the Beichuan area, and may have important implications for understanding earthquake dynamics and assessing seismic hazards.

Off-fault plasticity in three-dimensional dynamic rupture simulations using a modal Discontinuous Galerkin method on unstructured meshes: implementation, verification and application

The dynamics and potential size of earthquakes depend crucially on rupture transfers between adjacent fault segments. To accurately describe earthquake source dynamics, numerical models can account for realistic fault geometries and rheologies such as nonlinear inelastic processes off the slip interface. We present implementation, verification and application of off-fault Drucker–Prager plasticity in the open source software SeisSol (www.seissol.org). SeisSol is based on an arbitrary high-order derivative modal Discontinuous Galerkin method using unstructured, tetrahedral meshes specifically suited for complex geometries. Two implementation approaches are detailed, modelling plastic failure either employing subelemental quadrature points or switching to nodal basis coefficients. At fine fault discretizations, the nodal basis approach is up to six times more efficient in terms of computational costs while yielding comparable accuracy. Both methods are verified in community benchmark problems and by 3-D numerical h- and p-refinement studies with heterogeneous initial stresses. We observe no spectral convergence for on-fault quantities with respect to a given reference solution, but rather discuss a limitation to low-order convergence for heterogeneous 3-D dynamic rupture problems. For simulations including plasticity, a high fault resolution may be less crucial than commonly assumed, due to the regularization of peak slip rate and an increase of the minimum cohesive zone width. In large-scale dynamic rupture simulations based on the 1992 Landers earthquake, we observe high rupture complexity including reverse slip, direct branching and dynamic triggering. The spatiotemporal distribution of rupture transfers are altered distinctively by plastic energy absorption, correlated with locations of geometrical fault complexity. Computational cost increases by 7 per cent when accounting for off-fault plasticity in the demonstrating application. Our results imply that the combination of fully 3-D dynamic modelling, complex fault geometries and off-fault plastic yielding is important to realistically capture dynamic rupture transfers in natural fault systems.

Resetting of OSL/TL/ESR signals by frictional heating in experimentally sheared quartz gouge at seismic slip rates

Abstract Recent studies on natural and experimental seismic faults have revealed that frictional heating plays an important role in earthquake dynamics. We report changes in the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL)/thermo-luminescence (TL) and electron spin resonance (ESR) signals in quartz fault gouge (grain size 90–250 μm, given dose 40 ± 5 Gy) after frictional experiments. Our results indicate that high-rate (2.0 m/s) frictional heating during seismic events can reset the 'geologic clocks' of fault rocks. Thus, the OSL/TL/ESR signal in quartz from natural fault zones has the potential to directly constrain the age of seismic events. Whereas low-rate (2.0 mm/s) frictional slip, even over long times (1000 s), does not reset the OSL/TL signals in quartz. However, low-rate slip can reset the Al center ESR signal, but not the E’ center signal.

Fractional-order stability analysis of earthquake dynamics

Fractional calculus is suitable for systems with memory and for fractal systems. Earthquakes have both properties. It is fair to claim that a fractional model is very efficient for earthquake modeling. Our study is focused on the effects of the fractional-order derivative on the 'train model' of Burridge–Knopoff. We note that these effects introduce additional degrees of freedom. Contrary to the integer model in which the fault remains seismologically active, the fractional derivative causes the transition from stick–slip oscillation to a stable equilibrium state. It is shown that the motion along the fault could be suppressed or reduced to an aseismic creeping when the fractional-order decreases. In the fractional model, we establish that the magnitude of the earthquake strongly depends on the fractional-order derivative. The stability of the stationary state is studied using fractional stability theory and the obtained results exhibit the powerful dependance of this stability on the fractional-order derivative. Chaos in the fractional-order system is controlled using a simple feedback controller. Furthermore, the finite-time stability of the fractional earthquake controller is investigated and sufficient conditions for the finite-time stability are presented. It appears that the estimated time of finite stability grows with the increment of the order of the fractional derivative. Moreover, the numerical simulations perfomed through the improved Adams–Bashforth–Moulton predictor–corrector scheme yield results that corroborate the theoretical predictions.