Tag: Geophysics
Fault heterogeneity and restrengthening explain Tohoku-Oki rupture complexity
What the study found The study finds that the complex rupture of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki megathrust earthquake can arise spontaneously from rapid coseismic frictional restrengthening and fault heterogeneity. The authors report that dynamic stress redistribution with episodic rupture reactivation can produce mixed downdip pulse-like and updip crack-like rupture. Why the authors say this matters The…
Stopping phases mark abrupt arrest in large strike-slip earthquakes
What the study found Large strike-slip earthquakes can show a stopping phase, meaning a pattern in near-field ground motion that marks abrupt rupture arrest. In this study, a transient overshoot in fault-parallel ground surface displacement was identified as a robust sign of rupture stopping. Why the authors say this matters The authors conclude that these…
