Shallow Slow Slip Events Research Articles

Shallow Slow Slip Events in the Imperial Valley With Along‐Strike Propagation

AbstractShallow creep events provide opportunities to understand the mechanical properties and behavior of faults. However, due to physical limitations observing creep events, the precise spatio‐temporal evolution of slip during creep events is not well understood. In 2023, the Superstition Hills and Imperial faults in California each experienced centimeter‐scale slip events that were captured in unprecedented detail by satellite radar, sub‐daily Global Navigation Satellite Systems, and creepmeters. In both cases, the slip propagated along the fault over 2–3 weeks. The Superstition Hills event propagated bilaterally away from its initiation point at average velocities of ∼9 km/day, but propagation velocities were locally much higher. The ruptures were consistent with slip from tens of meters to ∼2 km depths. These slowly propagating events reveal that the shallow crust of the Imperial Valley does not obey purely velocity‐strengthening or velocity‐weakening rate‐and‐state friction, but instead requires the consideration of fault heterogeneity or fault‐frictional behaviors such as dilatant strengthening.

Early Detection of Shallow Slow Slip Events along the Nankai Trough

Early Detection of Shallow Slow Slip Events along the Nankai Trough

Shallow Slow Slip Events Identified Offshore the Osa Peninsula in Southern Costa Rica From GNSS Time Series

AbstractUsing new continuous geodetic time series, we identify five shallow slow slip events (SSEs) offshore and beneath the Osa peninsula in southern Costa Rica. An early event was detected by one station in 2013, and two events occurring in close succession in both 2018 and 2022 were detected by multiple stations, indicating a preliminary recurrence interval of ∼4–5 years. While SSEs have been observed to the northwest at Nicoya, this is their first documentation in southern Costa Rica. Modeled slip distributions of the 2018 and 2022 events indicate they likely ruptured the same or overlapping patches of the plate interface, near the trench, updip of the 1983 Mw 7.4 Osa event. Immediately offshore, estimated cumulative slip from the 2018 and 2022 events is sufficient to close the slip deficit from tectonic loading over the recurrence interval, potentially limiting the magnitude and spatial slip distribution of future large ruptures.

A shallow slow slip event in 2018 in the Semidi segment of the Alaska subduction zone detected by machine learning

Slow slip events (SSEs) have been discovered at shallow depth near the trench in some subduction zones and have been linked to the triggering of large earthquakes and the absence of tsunami. These shallow SSEs are invariably submarine, making it difficult to observe their temporal and spatial extent. Here, we report a shallow SSE in late 2018 near the west Semidi segment of the Alaska subduction zone, up-dip of and preceding the Mw 8.2 Chignik earthquake on July 29th, 2021. The SSE was detected in data from an offshore array of seafloor pressure gauges by a machine learning method. This detection is supported by the spatial pattern of simulated SSE deformation, the increased seismicity after the SSE in the positive Coulomb stress change area, the lack of shallow slip in Chignik earthquake, and the absence of a sizable tsunami following the Chignik earthquake. Our method has the potential to transform the way offshore SSEs are detected and to improve tsunami hazard assessment in subduction zones.

Effects of phyllosilicate content on the slip behavior of fault gouge: Insights from room-temperature friction experiments on quartz–talc mixtures

Shallow slow slip events (SSEs) occur on the shallowest reaches of subduction megathrust faults. To investigate how phyllosilicate fraction in quartzo-feldspathic sediments influences the style of fault slip behavior, we conducted frictional sliding experiments on various binary mixtures of quartz and talc using a biaxial testing apparatus at room temperature, room humidity, sliding velocities of 2 or 0.66 μm/s, and a normal stress of 10 MPa. With increasing talc content, the steady state coefficient of friction decreases from 0.7 to 0.2 in association with a transition from velocity-weakening (VW) to velocity-strengthening (VS) behavior. For the gouges with 0–10 wt% talc, fault slip behavior, following velocity steps, transitions from regular stick slips via sustained oscillations to attenuated oscillations with talc content. The oscillations emerge only in a narrow range of talc contents (i.e., 4–10 wt%) at near velocity-neutral conditions. The observed transition is attributed to an increase in the stiffness ratio K = k/kc, where k is the elastic stiffness of the system and kc is the critical stiffness of the fault, although K is larger than 1 for both stick-slip and sustained-oscillation behaviors, and thereby the critical stiffness criterion is not satisfied. We also find that for unstable slip events, the smaller the stress drop magnitude, the slower the peak slip velocity. Our results suggest that mixed gouges containing VW and VS materials show velocity-neutral behavior and facilitate the nucleation of shallow SSEs, although finely tuned rate-and-state friction parameters are required to allow spontaneous slow slip.

Ultralow frictional healing explains recurring slow slip events.

Plate motion on shallow subduction megathrusts is accommodated by a spectrum of tectonic slip modes. However, the frictional properties and conditions that sustain these diverse slip behaviors remain enigmatic. Frictional healing is one such property, which describes the degree of fault restrengthening between earthquakes. We show that the frictional healing rate of materials entrained along the megathrust at the northern Hikurangi margin, which hosts well-characterized recurring shallow slow slip events (SSEs), is nearly zero (<0.0001 per decade). These low healing rates provide a mechanism for the low stress drops (<50 kilopascals) and short recurrence times (1 to 2 years) characteristic of shallow SSEs at Hikurangi and other subduction margins. We suggest that near-zero frictional healing rates, associated with weak phyllosilicates that are common in subduction zones, may promote frequent, small-stress-drop, slow ruptures near the trench.

Dynamic Modeling of Interactions between Shallow Slow-Slip Events and Subduction Earthquakes

Abstract Shallow slow-slip events (SSEs) contribute to strain release near the shallow portions of subduction interfaces and may contribute to promoting shallow subduction earthquakes. Recent efforts in offshore monitoring of shallow SSEs have provided evidence of possible interactions between shallow SSEs and megathrust earthquakes. In this study, we use a dynamic earthquake simulator that captures both quasi-static (for SSEs) and dynamic (for megathrust earthquakes) slip to explore their interactions and implications for seismic and tsunami hazards. We model slip behaviors of a shallow-dipping subduction interface on which two locally locked patches (asperities) with different strengths are embedded within a conditionally stable zone. We find that both SSEs and earthquakes can occur, and they interact over multiple earthquake cycles in the model. Dynamic ruptures can nucleate on the asperities and propagate into the surrounding conditionally stable zone at slow speeds, generating tsunami earthquakes. A clear correlation emerges between the size of an earthquake and SSE activities preceding it. Small earthquakes rupture only the low-strength asperity, whereas large earthquakes rupture both. Before a large earthquake, periodic SSEs occur around the high-strength asperity, gradually loading stress into its interior. The critically stressed high-strength asperity can be ruptured together with the low-strength one in the large earthquake, followed by a relatively quiet interseismic period with very few SSEs and then a small earthquake. An SSE may or may not directly lead to nucleation of an earthquake, depending on whether a nearby asperity is ready for spontaneously dynamic failure. In addition, because of different SSE activities, the coupling degree may change dramatically between different interseismic periods, suggesting that its estimate based on a short period of observation may be biased.

The northern Hikurangi margin three-dimensional plate interface in New Zealand remains rough 100 km from the trench

AbstractAt the northern Hikurangi margin (North Island, New Zealand), shallow slow slip events (SSEs) frequently accommodate subduction-interface plate motion from landward of the trench to &amp;lt;20 km depth. SSEs may be spatially related to geometrical interface heterogeneity, though kilometer-scale plate-interface roughness imaged by active-source seismic methods is only constrained offshore at &amp;lt;12 km depth. Onshore constraints are comparatively lacking, but we mapped the Hikurangi margin plate interface using receiver functions from data collected by a dense 22 × 10 km array of 49 broadband seismometers. The plate interface manifests as a positive-amplitude conversion (velocity increase with depth) dipping west from 10 to 17 km depth. This interface corroborates relocated earthquake hypocenters, seismic velocity models, and downdip extrapolation of depth-converted two-dimensional active-source lines. Our mapped plate interface has kilometer-amplitude roughness we interpret as oceanic volcanics or seamounts, and is 1–4 km shallower than the regional-scale plate-interface model used in geodetic inversions. Slip during SSEs may thus have different magnitudes and/or distributions than previously thought. We show interface roughness also leads to shear-strength variability, where slip may nucleate in locally weak areas and propagate across areas of low shear-strength gradient. Heterogeneous shear strength throughout the depth range of the northern Hikurangi margin may govern the nature of plate deformation, including the localization of both slow slip and hazardous earthquakes.

Source Characteristics and Along‐Strike Variations of Shallow Very Low Frequency Earthquake Swarms on the Nankai Trough Shallow Plate Boundary

AbstractWe detected shallow very low frequency earthquakes (VLFEs) off the Cape Muroto and Kii Channel in the Nankai subduction zone and estimated their moment rate functions. Combining the new and previously estimated catalogs, we obtained the comprehensive catalog of shallow VLFE moment rate functions along the Nankai Trough. We defined the shallow VLFE swarms and investigated the scaling relationships of their cumulative moments, activity area, and durations in each region. Detected swarms were considered candidates for shallow slow slip events. A similar scaling relationship was observed between the cumulative moments and activity areas, irrespective of regions. It indicates similar stress drops in each region. However, the relationship between the cumulative moments and durations varied. This difference was explained by the along‐strike variations in the faulting conditions of shallow slow earthquakes, such as material or hydrological properties.

Dynamic modeling of interactions between shallow slow slip events and tsunami earthquakes

Dynamic modeling of interactions between shallow slow slip events and tsunami earthquakes

Segmentation of Shallow Slow Slip Events at the Hikurangi Subduction Zone Explained by Along‐Strike Changes in Fault Geometry and Plate Convergence Rates

Over the last two decades, geodetic and seismic observations have revealed a spectrum of slow earthquakes along the Hikurangi subduction zone in New Zealand. Of those, shallow slow slip events (SSEs) that occur at depths of less than 15 km along the plate interface show a strong along‐strike segmentation in their recurrence intervals, which vary from ∼1 yr from offshore Tolaga Bay in the northeast to ∼5 yr offshore Cape Turnagain ∼300 km to the southwest. To understand the factors that control this segmentation, we conduct numerical simulations of SSEs incorporating laboratory‐derived rate‐and‐state friction laws with both planar and non‐planar fault geometries. We find that a relatively simple model assuming a realistic non‐planar fault geometry reproduces the characteristics of shallow SSEs as constrained by geodetic observations. Our preferred model captures the magnitudes and durations of SSEs, as well as the northward decrease of their recurrence intervals. Our results indicate that the segmentation of SSE recurrence intervals is favored by along‐strike changes in both the plate convergence rate and the downdip width of the SSE source region. Modeled SSEs with longer recurrence intervals concentrate in the southern part of the fault (offshore Cape Turnagain), where the plate convergence rate is lowest and the source region of SSEs is widest due to the shallower slab dip angle. Notably, the observed segmentation of shallow SSEs cannot be reproduced with a simple planar fault model, which indicates that a realistic plate interface is an important factor to account for in modeling SSEs.

Implications for megathrust slip behavior and pore pressure at the shallow northern Cascadia subduction zone from laboratory friction experiments

Geological records of past megathrust earthquakes on the Cascadia subduction zone give a valid reason to assume that another event will occur in the future. Both the magnitude and tsunamigenic potential of such an earthquake depend on the extent of seismic rupture and slip on the shallow megathrust, which are still under debate for Cascadia. The absence of shallow slow slip events at northern Cascadia has recently been interpreted to result from a megathrust that is locked and potentially seismogenic all the way to the trench. A crucial factor controlling both the nucleation and propagation of an earthquake is the frictional slip behavior of the material in the fault system, of which little is currently known for this setting. Here, we report on laboratory friction experiments on all major lithologies of Juan de Fuca plate sediments being input to the northern Cascadia subduction zone. The material was obtained from cores recovered during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 301 at Site U1301 in the depth range of 65 to 260 meters below the seafloor. From tests on both intact and powdered samples under in-situ effective normal stress and room temperature, we observe a significant decrease in friction coefficient from 0.76 to 0.19 with increasing depth. A frictionally weak hemipelagic illite-rich unit located directly above the basement is expected to host the décollement upon subduction. This unit reveals predominantly velocity-strengthening frictional behavior at slip velocities of ∼10−9 to 10−4 m/s, and exhibits no slow slip events in the laboratory, indicating a frictionally stable material. Coulomb wedge modeling based on our friction measurements and interpretation of décollement stratigraphic location suggests significant overpressure on the décollement near the trench. Our data offer a possible explanation for the lack of shallow slow slip activity on the northern Cascadia plate-boundary fault, and raise the possibility that the megathrust is not locked near the trench.

Long-lived shallow slow-slip events on the Sunda megathrust

During most of the time between large earthquakes at tectonic plate boundaries, surface displacement time series are generally observed to be linear. This linear trend is interpreted as a result of steady stress accumulation at frictionally locked asperities on the fault interface. However, due to the short geodetic record, it is still unknown whether all interseismic periods show similar rates, and whether frictionally locked asperities remain stationary. Here we show that two consecutive interseismic periods at Simeulue Island, Indonesia experienced significantly different displacement rates, which cannot be explained by a sudden reorganization of locked and unlocked regions. Rather, these observations necessitate the occurrence of a 32-year slow-slip event on a shallow, frictionally stable area of the megathrust. We develop a self-consistent numerical model of such events driven by pore-fluid migration during the earthquake cycle. The resulting slow-slip events appear as abrupt velocity changes in geodetic time series. Due to their long-lived nature, we may be missing or mis-modelling these transient phenomena in a number of settings globally; we highlight one such ongoing example at Enggano Island, Indonesia. We provide a method for detecting these slow-slip events that will enable a substantial revision to the earthquake and tsunami hazard and risk for populations living close to these faults. A 32-year-long slow-slip event occurred on a shallow part of the Sunda megathrust, perhaps because of stress accumulation after fluid expulsion, according to an analysis of the deformation history of the area and physics-based simulations.

Physical conditions and frictional properties in the source region of a slow-slip event

Recent geodetic studies have shown that slow-slip events can occur on subduction faults, including their shallow (<15 km depth) parts where tsunamis are also generated. Although observations of such events are now widespread, the physical conditions promoting shallow slow-slip events remain poorly understood. Here we use full waveform inversion of controlled-source seismic data from the central Hikurangi (New Zealand) subduction margin to constrain the physical conditions in a region hosting slow slip. We find that the subduction fault is characterized by compliant, overpressured and mechanically weak material. We identify sharp lateral variations in pore pressure, which reflect focused fluid flow along thrust faults and have a fundamental influence on the distribution of mechanical properties and frictional stability along the subduction fault. We then use high-resolution data-derived mechanical properties to underpin rate–state friction models of slow slip. These models show that shallow subduction fault rocks must be nearly velocity neutral to generate shallow frictional slow slip. Our results have implications for understanding fault-loading processes and slow transient fault slip along megathrust faults. A shallow slow-slip source region has laterally variable elastic properties and pore pressure, and near-velocity-neutral frictional properties, according to seismic imaging of part of the Hikurangi subduction margin and data-constrained modelling.

Seafloor Geodetic Pressure Measurements to Detect Shallow Slow Slip Events: Methods to Remove Contributions From Ocean Water

AbstractShallow slow slip events (SSEs) provide a mechanism for strain release in the shallow part of subduction zones, with fundamental implications for fault mechanics and tsunami hazards. Despite their importance, SSEs are challenging to monitor. They occur under the ocean far from land‐based GPS stations, and while seafloor pressure sensors can detect SSE vertical seafloor movements, the measured bottom pressure includes “ocean noise” signals from pressure variations within the water column. Seeking to improve techniques to remove ocean noise, a pilot study offshore Oregon collected seafloor pressure and near‐bottom current measurements at four sites from April to November 2017. Three methods were applied to reduce ocean noise: 1) subtract a reference pressure, 2) apply complex empirical orthogonal function analysis to pressure measurements, and 3) combine pressure and current measurements with optimal interpolation (OI). All three methods are established techniques from either geodesy or oceanography. Each method produced residual standard deviation, σ &lt; 1 hPa. No SSE was detected during this study. For illustration purposes synthetic SSEs of 2 cm amplitude and 7‐days duration were added and detected, one at a time at different spots. Because currents are unaffected by a SSE, the combination of currents and pressures with the dynamical constraint of geostrophy in OI reduced the false interpretation of the synthetic SSEs as oceanic. OI produced the most reliable detection. Future seafloor geodesy field projects should consider adding current sensors and using OI methods to reduce ocean noise and to reveal tectonic signals.

Near Trench 3D Seismic Attenuation Offshore Northern Hikurangi Subduction Margin, North Island, New Zealand

AbstractWe image seismic attenuation near the Hikurangi trench offshore New Zealand, using ocean bottom and land‐based seismometers, revealing high attenuation above a recurring shallow slow‐slip event and within the subducting Hikurangi Plateau. The Hikurangi subduction margin east of the North Island, New Zealand is the site of frequent shallow slow slip events. Overpressured fluids are hypothesized to lead to slow slip at shallow depths close to the oceanic trench. Seismic attenuation, energy loss of seismic waves, can be used to detect high temperatures, melt, the presence of fluids, and fractures. We use local earthquake P‐ and S‐waves from 180 earthquakes to invert for t*, and subsequently invert for Qp and Qs, offshore the North Island directly above the area of slow slip. We image Qp and Qs to ∼25 km depth, increasing resolution of previously identified coastal low Q (100–300), and finding a new region of even higher attenuation (Qp and Qs &lt; 50–100) directly above the shallow slow slip event of 2014–2015, beneath the offshore seismic array. This highest attenuation is downdip of a subducting seamount, and is spatially correlated with a high seismic reflectivity zone and Vp/Vs &gt; 1.85, all of which provide evidence for the presence of fluids. The Qp and Qs is low at the trench (&lt;50–100) and in the subducting plate (100–200), suggesting that seismic wave scattering due to faults, fractures, and the inherent heterogeneous composition of the Hikurangi Plateau, a large igneous province, plays a role in seismic attenuation.

Dynamic triggering of earthquakes in the North Island of New Zealand following the 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake

Large earthquakes are capable of triggering microseismicity, deep tremor and slow-slip events from intermediate- to long-distance ranges. Unfortunately, earthquake catalogs are typically incomplete right after large mainshocks. Hence, mapping triggering patterns and understanding the underlying triggering mechanism are challenging. Here we present two different types of seismicity responses to dynamic stressing by passing seismic waves in the North Island of New Zealand following the 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake. Based on a template matching technique, we identify up to 4-7 times more earthquakes than listed in New Zealand's GeoNet catalog. We also compute the dynamic stress perturbations in the North Island due to the Kaikōura mainshock and compare them to seismicity rate changes to identify regions with high susceptibility to dynamic stress triggering. Abundant triggered earthquakes occurred immediately following the mainshock in the shallow crust around the active Taupo Volcano Zone, likely related to activation of crustal faults/fluids associated with back-arc rifting and volcanism. Approximately 8 days after the initial dynamic stressing, an active burst of seismicity with the largest event of ML 5.55 occurred along the shallow megathrust near Porangahau on the east coast of the North Island. This burst of seismicity is likely driven by a ∼Mw 7.1 shallow slow slip event dynamically triggered by the mainshock. Our findings reveal the heterogeneous nature of dynamic triggering in a plate boundary region with recent large earthquake sequences and aseismic transient events and further highlight the difficulties in time-dependent earthquake forecasting following large mainshocks.

Detection of Interplate Coupling Condition and Shallow Slow Slip Events along the Nankai Trough Subduction Zone by Sensitive GNSS-A Seafloor Geodetic Observation

Detection of Interplate Coupling Condition and Shallow Slow Slip Events along the Nankai Trough Subduction Zone by Sensitive GNSS-A Seafloor Geodetic Observation

Three‐Dimensional P Wave Velocity Structure of the Northern Hikurangi Margin From the NZ3D Experiment: Evidence for Fault‐Bound Anisotropy

AbstractWe present a high‐resolution three‐dimensional (3‐D) anisotropic P wave velocity (Vp) model in the northern Hikurangi margin offshore Gisborne, New Zealand, constructed by tomographic inversion of over 430,000 first arrivals recorded by a dense grid of ocean bottom seismometers. Since the study area covers a region where shallow slow slip events (SSEs) occur repeatedly and the subduction of a seamount is proposed, it offers an ideal location to link our understanding of structural and hydrogeologic properties at megathrust faults to slip behavior. The Vp model reveals an ~30‐km‐wide, low‐velocity accretionary wedge at the toe of the overriding plate, where previous seismic reflection studies show a series of active thrust faults branching from the plate interface. We find some locations with significant Vp azimuthal anisotropy &gt;5% near the branching faults and the deformation front. This finding suggests that the anisotropy is not ubiquitous and homogeneous within the overriding plate, but more localized in the vicinity of active thrust faults. The fast axes of Vp within the accretionary wedge are mostly oriented to the plate convergence direction, which is interpreted as preferentially oriented cracks in a compressional stress regime associated with plate subduction. We find that the magnitudes of anisotropy are roughly equivalent to values found at oceanic spreading centers, where the extensional stress regime is dominant and the crack density is expected to be higher than subduction zones. This consideration may indicate that additional effects such as fault foliation and clay mineral alignment also contribute to upper plate anisotropy along subduction margins.

Stress Sensitivity of Instantaneous Dynamic Triggering of Shallow Slow Slip Events

AbstractDynamic triggering of large, detectable slow slip events (SSEs) is rarely observed, even though regional earthquakes often trigger tectonic tremors and very low frequency earthquakes. In this study, we investigate stress sensitivity of dynamic triggering of shallow SSEs in the Nankai Trough offshore of Kii Peninsula, Japan. We first identify additional shallow SSEs that have not been reported in previous studies and obtain a 15‐year‐long catalog of SSEs, some of which are triggered by passing seismic waves originating from large regional earthquakes. We then quantify dynamic and static stress perturbations on the plate interface induced by 19 candidate regional earthquakes using numerical simulations of seismic wave propagation. We find that SSE propensity to dynamic triggering depends mainly on the maximum Coulomb stress change and that relatively large dynamic stresses (&gt;10–20 kPa) are needed to trigger a shallow SSE in the Nankai Trough. Regional earthquakes that can induce such large amplitude of dynamic stresses on the plate interface are relatively rare, which might explain the scarcity of dynamic triggering of large, detectable SSEs along the Nankai as well as other subduction zones. In addition, our analysis suggests that intraslab earthquakes can efficiently trigger SSEs in subduction zones via less‐attenuated, slab‐guided waves. Moreover, our results support the idea that an accretionary wedge in subduction zones promotes the dynamic triggering of shallow SSEs.