Potential Earthquake Research Articles

Analysis of the July 10th 2013 Tectonic Earthquake effect on the Coordinates Changes of Mentawai Segment Monitoring Station

Mentawai Segment is located in Mentawai Islands, Sumatra, Indonesia. This segment is a subduction zone between Indo-Australian plate and Eurasian plate. This subduction zone can lead to high potential of tectonic earthquake in Mentawai Segment. The high potential of tectonic earthquake has negative impact for the community, so it is necessary to monitor the risk of tectonic earthquake in Mentawai Segment. This monitoring can be done by using GPS data of monitoring station that spread in Mentawai Segment. Therefore, this research aims to analyze the effect of tectonic earthquake on the coordinate change of Mentawai Segment, so that it can reduce the risk of negative impact of tectonic earthquake in Mentawai Segment. This research use observation data of 10 continuous GPS monitoring station (Sumatran GPS Data Array / SuGAr) in Mentawai Segment. Day of observation data was day of year (doy) at the time of tectonic earthquake occurence on July 10, 2013. Data processing used GAMIT / GLOBK software. The results of this research indicate that the tectonic earthquake (July 10, 2013) affected coordinates changes of the SuGAr station significantly two hours after the tectonic earthquake occurred.

Model Mitigasi Bencana Berbasis Multisensoris Untuk Anak Berkebutuhan Khusus Di SD Inklusi Kota Yogyakarta

The potential for earthquakes, floods, tornadoes in the city of Yogyakarta needs to be addressed with training and simulations for disaster mitigation efforts, especially for elementary school-aged children who are a group vulnerable to disasters and among them there are the most vulnerable groups, namely children with special needs ( crew). Children with special needs have the same rights as other children to know about how to protect and save themselves when a disaster occurs. Some of them have mobility barriers to carry out protection and even self-rescue independently. So it is necessary to have information on how the procedures/plans for rescue crews from disasters are needed. The training and simulations in this service activity aim to: (1) equip students and teachers with knowledge about the potential for earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes related to the condition of the area in the service area; (2) equip students and teachers with knowledge and attitudes in dealing with disasters; (3) equip students and teachers with knowledge about the importance of preserving the environment to prevent disasters; (4) providing alternative efforts to mitigate earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes based on multisensory disasters; and (5) train teachers to provide disaster mitigation assistance to students, especially children with special needs (ABK).
 This community partnership program is carried out by means of lectures, questions and answers, and demonstrations. Lecture and question and answer methods were carried out for socialization aimed at providing understanding to students about knowledge and attitudes in dealing with earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes, as well as socialization to explain the importance of environmental sustainability in order to prevent natural disasters, as well as socialization of geographic information related to potential disasters. in the city of Yogyakarta, as well as the concept of multisensory-based earthquake, flood and tornado disaster mitigation. Demonstration method for carrying out multisensory-based earthquake, flood and tornado disaster mitigation simulations. Partners in this community partnership program are SDN Karaganyar and SDN Minggiran. The two elementary schools are inclusive elementary schools located in the city of Yogyakarta. Based on observations at SDN Karanganyar and SDN Minggiran, there are students with special needs who do not understand how to protect and save themselves when a disaster occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct disaster mitigation training to improve the ability to face multisensory-based disaster threats. The target in this community partnership program is ABK students at SDN Karanganyar and SDN Minggiran, and it was carried out from April 2018 to November 2018. Through training to increase the ability to face multisensory-based disaster threats, it is hoped that it can improve the ability of ABK students in dealing with disaster threats.

Temporal and Spatial Evolution of Load/Unload Response Ratio Before the M7.0 Jiuzhaigou Earthquake of Aug. 8, 2017 in Sichuan Province

The load/unload response ratio (LURR) method has been proposed to evaluate earthquake potential. This method can be used to investigate the regional stress–strain field change and fault instability associated with the preparation of a large earthquake. In this study, we explore the temporal and spatial evolution of the LURR anomalies before the M7.0 Jiuzhaigou earthquake that occurred on Aug. 8, 2017 in Sichuan Province. We calculate the LURR values by using Benioff strain of the small earthquakes within 100, 200, 300 and 500 km from the epicenter and 12 years prior to the main shock. The loading and unloading phases are determined by calculating the change of Coulomb failure stress caused by earth tide in the tectonically preferred slip direction on the fault surface of the major event. Results show that the LURR values remain at a low level for years until 2014 when the LURR values increase to an anomalously high level. Meanwhile, the magnitude of the anomalies decrease with the distance from the epicenter, and can hardly be observed within the 500-km radius. Combining with the spatial distribution of the LURR, we find that the development of anomalies before the mainshock can be divided into two stages: during the periods of 2014–2015, the significant anomalies were observed in the epicenter and its northwest region; and then in 2016, the anomalies were detected in the southeast area of the earthquake, which expanded around the Huya fault and finally reached the epicenter months before the mainshock. The earthquake is located at the intersection area of LURR anomalies of the two time periods, suggesting the generation of the Jiuzhaigou earthquake.

Influence of Overburden on Seismic Compression

The state of practice for estimating ground settlements from seismic compression is the simplified procedure. This method was developed in the 1980's and gets its name from the relatively easy method of estimating shear strain demands from potential earthquakes at a site. This procedure is generally split into two parts; a procedure that estimates shear strain demands and a volumetric strain material model. The volumetric strain material model essentially correlates shear strain to resultant volumetric strain. The volumetric strain material model used in the simplified procedure is based on a study from the 1970's, where it was observed that cyclic volumetric strain is independent of vertical stress. Laboratory testing was conducted on a variety of soil materials that are able to experience seismic compression. Reconstituted samples were subjected to cyclic loading in an advanced simple shear testing machine known as the Digitally Controlled Simple Shear device. Factors such as density state and fines content were kept constant across soil categories. Test results show volumetric strain behaviour is dependent on vertical stress and the relationship appears to be power rule based.

Three independent models converge on the high earthquake potential of Los Angeles

Three independent models converge on the high earthquake potential of Los Angeles

Crustal Deformation on the Northeastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau from Continuous GPS Observations

We installed 10 continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) stations on the northeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau at the end of 2012, in order to qualitatively investigate strain accumulation across the Liupanshan Fault (LPSF). We integrated our newly built stations with 48 other existing GPS stations to provide new insights into three-dimensional tectonic deformation. We employed white plus flicker noise model as a statistical model to obtain realistic velocities and corresponding uncertainties in the ITRF2014 and Ordos-fixed reference frame. The total velocity decrease from northwest to southeast in the Longxi Block (LXB) was 5.3 mm/yr within the range of 200 km west of the LPSF on the horizontal component. The first-order characteristic of the vertical crustal deformation was uplift for the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The uplift rates in the LXB and the Ordos Block (ORB) were 1.0 and 2.0 mm/yr, respectively. We adopted an improved spherical wavelet algorithm to invert for multiscale strain rates and rotation rates. Multiscale strain rates showed a complex crustal deformation pattern. A significant clockwise rotation of about 30 nradians/yr (10−9 radians/year) was identified around the Dingxi. Localized strain accumulation was determined around the intersectional region between the Haiyuan Fault (HYF) and the LPSF. The deformation pattern across the LFPS was similar to that of the Longmengshan Fault (LMSF) before the 2008 Wenchuan MS 8.0 earthquake. Furthermore, according to the distributed second invariant of strain rates at different spatial scale, strain partitioning has already spatially localized along the Xiaokou–Liupanshan–Longxian–Baoji fault belt (XLLBF). The tectonic deformation and localized strain buildup together with seismicity imply a high probability for a potential earthquake in this zone.

Determination of the Most Significant Fault Parameters for Manila Trench Earthquake Tsunami

Manila Trench subduction zone is capable to produce high magnitude of earthquake event that can generate a deadliest tsunami disaster. The 2006 tsunami source workshop conducted by United States Geological Survey (USGS) had classified Manila Trench as the most hazardous potential earthquake generated tsunami source in South China Sea. The giant megathrust rupture from Manila Trench has the ability to create an earthquake as powerful as the Great Tohoku tsunami in 2011 and the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. This technical paper aims to review the fault parameters used by different researchers in investigating the possibility of tsunami occurrences generated from Manila Trench earthquake to the coastal areas of Terengganu, Malaysia which is located within the vicinity of South China Sea. The selected fault parameters were simulated by using TUNA model in order to study the potential effects of Manila Trench earthquake induced tsunami. The outcomes of the simulation are the wave height and wave arrival time. At the end of this technical paper, an intensive approach is implemented to select the most significant fault parameters that create the potential worst-case tsunami scenario towards Terengganu coastal areas in terms of the highest and fastest first wave arrived.

3‐D Modeling of Induced Seismicity Along Multiple Faults: Magnitude, Rate, and Location in a Poroelasticity System

AbstractUnderstanding of the potential to injection‐induced seismicity along faults requires the response of fault zone system to spatiotemporal perturbations in pore pressure and stress. In this study, three‐dimensional (3‐D) model system consisting of the caprock, reservoir, and basement is intersected by vertical strike‐slip faults. We examine the full poroelastic behavior of the formation and perform the mechanical analysis along each fault zone using the Coulomb stress change. The magnitude, rate, and location of potential earthquakes are predicted using the spatial distribution of stresses and pore pressure over time. Rapid diffusion of pore pressure into conductive faults initiates failure, but the majority of induced seismicity occurs at deep fault zones due to poroelastic stabilization near the injection interval. Less permeable faults can be destabilized by either delayed pore pressure diffusion or poroelastic stressing. A two‐dimensional (2‐D) horizontal model, representing the interface between the reservoir and the basement, limits diffusion of pore pressure and deformation of the formation in the vertical direction that may overestimate or underestimate the potential of earthquakes along the fault. Our numerical results suggest that the 3‐D modeling of faulting system including poroelastic coupling can reduce the uncertainty in the seismic hazard prediction by considering the hydraulic and mechanical interaction between faults and bounding formations.

On the use of wooden beams as an anti-seismic device in stone masonry in Qasr el-Bint, Petra, Jordan

Timber string-courses have clearly been used to strengthen stone ashlar buildings in Petra, Jordan. These embedded beams, used as a form, held the brittle stone ashlars together, especially during earthquakes. In this study, tied and frictional surfaces were used to represent the interaction between the masonry blocks and the embedded wooden beams. Micro and macro modelling were used to evaluate the effect of using the embedded wooden beams on the integrity of the sandstone monument Qasr el-Bint. The traction-separation behaviour of the cohesive element was employed to model the mortar joints. A continuum, plastic-based, damage constitutive model (CDP) was used to represent the behaviour of the masonry walls. The results of these investigations demonstrated the role of the embedded wood string-courses as an anti-seismic device in reducing the shear stress of the stone masonry structure by up to 33%. The repairing and preserving of these beams that function as anti-seismic devices are needed to strengthen the structure against potential earthquakes.

Testing the performance of earthquake early warning system in northern India

The main goal of present study is to test the functionality of an earthquake early warning (EEW) system (a life-saving tool), in India using synthesized data and recorded earthquake data from Taiwan. In recent time, India set up an EEW system in the central seismic gap along the Himalayan Belt, consisting of about 100 low-cost P-Alert instruments. The area, where these instruments are installed, is highly sensitive to the seismic risk with the potential of strong, major and great earthquakes. In the absence of recorded data from the Himalayas required for analysis of such system, we take advantage of recorded waveforms from Taiwan, to test the EEW system. We selected Taiwanese stations in good accordance with the Indian sensor network, to have a best fit in terms of inter station spacing. Finally, the recorded waveforms are passed through Earthworm software using tankplayer module. The system performs very well in terms of earthquake detection, P-wave picking, earthquake magnitude and location (using previously estimated regressions). Pd algorithm has been tested where the peak amplitude of vertical displacement is used for estimating magnitudes using previously regressed empirical relationship data. For the earthquakes located between Main Boundary Thrust and Main Central Thrust along with a matching instrumentation window, a good estimate of location, as well as magnitude is observed. The approach based on Pd for estimating magnitude works perfectly as compared to $$\tau_{\text{c}}$$ approach, which is more sensitive to signal-to-noise ratio. To make it more region specific, we generated synthetic seismograms from the epicenters of historical Chamoli (1999) and Uttarkashi (1991) earthquakes at EEW stations in India and checked the functionality of EEW. While placing these earthquakes within the instrumentation window, a good approximation of earthquake location and magnitude is obtained by passing these generated waveforms. The parameters used to judge the performance of EEW system included the time taken by the system in issuing warning after the confirmation of the occurrence of damaging earthquake and the lead time (time interval between the issuing of warning and arrival of damaging earthquake ground motion at a particular location). High lead times have been obtained for the plainer regions including thickly populated regions of Gangetic plains, such as Delhi National Capital Region according to the distance from the epicenter, which are the main target of EEW system.

Meteorological and soil surface effects in gamma radiation time series - Implications for assessment of earthquake precursors

Monitoring of environmental radioactivity for the purpose of earthquake prediction requires the discrimination of anomalies of non-tectonic origin from seismically-induced anomalies. This is a challenging task as time series of environmental radioactivity display a complex temporal pattern reflecting a wide range of different physical processes, including meteorological and surface effects. The present study is based on the detailed time series of gamma radiation from the Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) site in the Azores, and on very high resolution precipitation intensity and soil moisture time series. The results show that an abrupt shift in the average level of the gamma radiation time series previously reported as a potential earthquake precursor can also be explained by a corresponding abrupt change in soil moisture. It was concluded that the reduction of false positive earthquake precursors requires the detailed assessment of both precipitation and soil moisture conditions at high temporal resolution.

Economic systems modelling of infrastructure interdependencies for an Alpine Fault earthquake in New Zealand

ABSTRACTModern societies are increasingly dependent on interconnected infrastructure networks. The vulnerability of these networks to complex, and potentially cascading, interdependency-related failures is also increasing. Infrastructure networks face multi-faceted risks at the confluence of many emerging societal and environmental pressures. Navigating pathways through these risks necessitates resilience-based initiatives with compelling economic value cases. In this paper, we use the novel ‘Measuring the Economics of Resilient Infrastructure Tool’ (MERIT) to assess the economic disruption associated with a potential Alpine Fault earthquake, with an estimated 30 percent probability of happening in the next 50 years (Robinson et al. 2015). Our analysis is focused mainly on infrastructure-related economic disruption. We advocate for a system-of-systems approach that assesses consequences dynamically across space, through time, for multiple stakeholders. Our integrated modelling approach involves dynamic equilibrium-seeking feedbacks and organisational behavioural adaptation that fosters systems thinking, richer modelling and reduces risks of double counting or omission. One year after the earthquake, the loss in Gross Domestic Product is shown to range between NZ$156 and 586 million (∼US$135–508 million). Our research represents a crucial first step to developing better economic value cases for resilience-related infrastructure investment.

Prasasti Waruṅgahan, sebuah data baru dari masa awal Majapahit

The Waruṅgahan inscription was issued in 1227 Ś / 1305 AD. Its mentioned some names that had never been found on other inscriptions from the same era, as well as an earthquake event.The Waruṅgahan inscription contains a description commemorating the re-establishment of a freehold (sīma) of Waruṅgahan as a grant by the King, Nararyya Sanggramawijaya, necessary since the original inscription was lost in an earthquake which occurred around that time. The reappraisal is at the request of the original heir of the inscription holder, namely the child pāduka mpuṅku śrī buddhaketu.The mentioning of pāduka mpuṅku śrī buddhaketu and the event of this earthquake are peculiar matter for further studies. The name pāduka mpuṅku was previously only known as referring distinctively to the 11th Century king Airlangga. The existence of an earthquake that causes the inscription to disappear can also be a starting point for study material to suggest a potential earthquake cycle, since it is common knowledge that earthquakes always have "return period patterns".This paper so far serves merely as a preliminary report announcing the discovery of this new data. The focus here is more on the initial transliteration work rather than a definite translated version of the prasasti, and it is expected to open up opportunities for further research in the future.

Recurring Slow Slip Events and Earthquake Nucleation in the Source Region of the M 7 Ibaraki‐Oki Earthquakes Revealed by Earthquake Swarm and Foreshock Activity

AbstractSlow slip events (SSEs) on the plate interface are closely related to the occurrence of earthquakes and often trigger earthquake swarms in subduction zones. Moreover, some SSEs, accompanied by intensive foreshocks, precede large interplate earthquakes. Therefore, detecting and monitoring SSEs is important for assessing the potential of future large earthquakes. However, there are many SSEs not followed by large earthquakes, and it is unclear whether these can be distinguished from SSEs preceding large earthquakes. Here we use the epidemic‐type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model and matched‐filter technique to examine the spatial‐temporal distribution of earthquake swarms and foreshocks at Ibaraki‐Oki in the Japan Trench. We found that 19 swarm sequences repeatedly occurred during the period 1982–2008 at the same location as the foreshock sequences of the 1982 and 2008 M 7 Ibaraki‐Oki earthquakes. Both the foreshock and swarm sequences contain repeating earthquakes and have anomalously high seismicity rates inexplicable by the ETAS model, suggesting the recurrence of SSEs. The foreshock sequences in 1982 and 2008 contain more events inexplicable by the ETAS model than the swarm sequences. The fault slip of repeating earthquakes in the 2008 foreshock sequence was also larger than those of the swarm sequences, and the slip rate showed an abrupt increase 12 hr before the 2008 M 7 event. Our results imply that the SSEs that preceded the M 7 events had larger seismic moments than the other SSEs. These large SSEs might be related to the nucleation phase of the M 7 earthquakes.

Disturbances to Urban Mobility and Comprehensive Estimation of Economic Losses

Civil infrastructure systems are disturbed by natural or man-made hazards at an increasing frequency and severity. Among these systems, transportation systems are especially vulnerable due to their nature and are of significant importance to urban built environments as they maintain the mobility of urban dwellers and goods. Mobility disturbances are significant not only due to the direct losses associated but also due to the greater economic impacts driven by indirect losses stemming from the economic interactions of regions and sectors. Therefore, understanding the economic impacts of urban mobility disturbances is critical. To achieve a better understanding of the status quo of the research on transportation disturbances and economic impact analysis, a literature review was conducted. The review indicates that most of the articles fail to leverage realistic hazard impact information and explicit network modeling, consequently jeopardizing the credibility of the results. To begin addressing the gaps in the field, an interdisciplinary framework was designed to investigate the economic impacts of mobility disturbances. To validate the framework, a case study was conducted to estimate the economic impacts of commuting-based mobility disturbances resulting from a potential earthquake scenario in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The direct and indirect economic losses were estimated to be 285.49 and 93.48 million dollars, respectively. The results indicated that the economic losses could vary significantly among regions as well as industries. Among the five counties in the study region, Los Angeles County suffered the most. In addition, industries related to finance, education and scientific services, etc. were estimated to experience larger losses.

A stochastic programming approach for Shelter location and evacuation planning

Shelter location and traffic allocation decisions are critical for an efficient evacuation plan. In this study, we propose a scenario-based two-stage stochastic evacuation planning model that optimally locates shelter sites and that assigns evacuees to nearest shelters and to shortest paths within a tolerance degree to minimize the expected total evacuation time. Our model considers the uncertainty in the evacuation demand and the disruption in the road network and shelter sites. We present a case study for a potential earthquake in Istanbul. We compare the performance of the stochastic programming solutions to solutions based on single scenarios and mean values.

Locality-sensitive hashing for earthquake detection

In this work, we report on a novel application of Locality Sensitive Hashing (LSH) to seismic data at scale. Based on the high waveform similarity between reoccurring earthquakes, our application identifies potential earthquakes by searching for similar time series segments via LSH. However, a straightforward implementation of this LSH-enabled application has difficulty scaling beyond 3 months of continuous time series data measured at a single seismic station. As a case study of a data-driven science workflow, we illustrate how domain knowledge can be incorporated into the workload to improve both the efficiency and result quality. We describe several end-to-end optimizations of the analysis pipeline from pre-processing to post-processing, which allow the application to scale to time series data measured at multiple seismic stations. Our optimizations enable an over 100× speedup in the end-to-end analysis pipeline. This improved scalability enabled seismologists to perform seismic analysis on more than ten years of continuous time series data from over ten seismic stations, and has directly enabled the discovery of 597 new earthquakes near the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California and 6123 new earthquakes in New Zealand.

Passive microwave response associated with two main earthquakes in Tibetan Plateau, China

The thermal anomalies associated with earthquakes using satellite infrared data are being studied in different parts of the world for more than three decades. The thermal anomalies have emerged as one of the potential earthquake precursor. However, often cloud cover obstructs detection of the thermal anomalies. Compared to infrared, passive microwave sensors provide information about the thermal radiations under any weather conditions. In the present study, we have carried out detailed analysis of brightness temperature data derived from the Defense Meteorological Space Program (DMSP) Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) to determine thermal anomalies associated with the 1997 Manyi and 2001 Kokoxili earthquakes. Brightness temperature data for 13 years period from 1996 to 2008 observed from F13 satellite were considered to avoid difference in the sensor sensitivity. Based on 9 years background data that ignoring data for the years in which strong earthquake occurred, we computed Index of Microwave Radiation Anomaly (IMRA) over the Manyi-Yushu Fault (MYF) and Kun Lun Fault (KLF) zones, Tibetan Plateau. Our results indicate that the microwave brightness temperature at 19.35 GHz has higher sensitivity to the seismic anomalies in comparison to the other higher frequency channels. The IMRA with multi-region, multi-frequency, and multi-parameter variation were analyzed to validate our results. In addition, variation of different parameters (microwave brightness temperature, near surface air temperature and carbon monoxide-CO) observed for Kokoxili earthquake shows the transfer process of thermal anomalies from the focal region to the atmosphere during the preparation and occurrence of earthquake. Passive microwave satellite data combined with other surface and atmospheric parameters provide better understanding of physical mechanism of thermal anomalies associated with earthquakes.

Deep deformation of the Longmenshan fault zone related to the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

This paper reviews studies of the past ten year related to the crustal deformation of the Longmenshan fault zone (LMSFZ) which was struck by the M 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008. The tectonics of the LMSFZ located at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is complex, with complicated fault geometry and a heterogeneous velocity structure. The Wenchuan earthquake rupture extended for about 300 km along the middle and northern segments of the LMSFZ, with a very complicated rupture process involving multiple sub-events. The Wenchuan slip distribution is characterized by two major slip patches near Hongkou/Yingxiu and Beichuan with peak slip of 5.0–15.5 m and extended from near the surface to below 20 km depth. Prior to the Wenchuan earthquake, the LMSFZ had been seismically quiet for several centuries and there were no hints that suggested that such an M 8.0 earthquake might strike the area. The long-term geological investigations and short-term geodetic measurements before the Wenchuan earthquake generally agree that the horizontal slip rate along the LMSFZ is no more than 3 mm per year. The low slip rate observed at the surface around the LMSFZ may not reveal the real state of accumulated strain at depth where the devastating Wenchuan earthquake nucleated. Rates of aseismic slip at depth derived from seismological investigation of repeating microearthquakes were found to be approximately twice as large as the interseismic rates inferred from surface GPS and geological data. Most of the clusters of repeating microearthquakes are located at the edge of locked areas where large coseismic slips were observed during the Wenchuan earthquake, suggesting a close relationship between microearthquakes and impending large earthquakes. A two-dimensional viscoelastic finite-element model produces a depth-related slip rate pattern around the LMSFZ that is consistent with that revealed by the seismological observation of repeating earthquakes. The measured in situ deep slip rates increase with depth and vary from 3.5 to 9.6 mm/a over a depth range of 4–18 km.The seismological observations of deep slip rates and microseismicity in the three decades before the Wenchuan earthquake reveal that the LMSFZ is indeed not as “quiet” as traditionally assumed in comparison with its neighboring fault systems. Considering the deep slip rates (3.5−9.6 mm/a) from the repeating microearthquakes and coseismic peak offsets of 5.0–15.5 m, the recurrence interval of Wenchuan-like events is estimated to be about 500−4500 years. The estimated recurrence interval based on the deep slip rates is much smaller than those estimates using the same coseismic displacements divided by GPS-derived or geological slip rates. Slip rate increases with depth were also recognized in the Parkfield section of the San Andreas fault zone and in the northeastern Japan subduction zone before the ruptures of the 2004 M w6.0 Parkfield earthquake and the 2011 M w9.0 Tohoku-oki earthquake, respectively. Accelerated slip is thought to have preceded a number of recent large subduction zone earthquakes and the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, and repeating earthquakes may document short-term precursory slip at depth. Alternatively, the rapid slip rates indicated by the repeating microearthquakes may represent transiently accelerated slip preceding the Wenchuan mainshock. We suggest that slip rates at seismogenic depths are of critical importance in seismic hazard analysis. Repeating earthquakes can be regarded as “deep creepmeters” that measure the in - situ deep slip rate on otherwise aseismically slipping faults. For less well defined and widespread faults within the continents, it is essential to reveal a fault’s or region’s seismic history over different time scale. Combining a better understanding of earthquake diversity with modern technology is the key to effective and comprehensive hazard mitigation practices. The potential earthquake hazard of locked faults with unusually high inferred deep slow slip rates should be paid more attention. The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake is the best-studied continental earthquake to date with a large number of scientific publications enabled by the vast collected data sets. The research community efforts have provided first-order information about this unexpected event regarding its coseismic slip distribution and fault geometry. However, there are many remaining questions about the basic nature of this earthquake to be further constrained with multiple data sets, including the relationship of its rupture with prior coupling and interseismic creep, the varying dynamical rupture processes with depth, the frequency dependence of seismic radiation across the fault zone, and the role of multiple postseismic deformation processes.

Seismogenic sources and related active faults in the gulf of Corinth; a combined approach

The neotectonic graben of Corinth gulf forms an interesting case study from the geodynamical and seismological point of view, since specific characteristics met on the fault zones around the gulf and the adjacent seismological data pose several questions related with the overall modern activity across a number of neotectonic faults. Indexing active fault zones with structural, seismological and sedimentological criteria leads to thorough understanding of the evolution and modern activity and provide researchers useful tools in order to evaluate the degree of present day activity of the broader area. The combined approach proposed here, with joint use of both, seismogenic sources and structural evidence, contributes to the re-evaluation of the earthquake potential by assessing the role of active features in the already complex geodynamic environment of the Corinthian gulf