Pore-pressure diffusion controls upper-plate aftershocks of the 2014 Iquique earthquake (original) (raw)
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Mapping the rheology of the Central Chile subduction zone with aftershocks
The postseismic deformation following a large (M w > 7) earthquake is expressed both seismically and aseismically. Recent studies have appealed to a model that suggests that the aseismic slip on the plate interface following the mainshock can be the driving factor in aftershock sequences, reproducing both the geodetic (afterslip) and seismic (aftershocks) observables of postseismic deformation. Exploiting this model, we demonstrate how a dense catalog of aftershocks following the 2015 M w 8.3 Illapel earthquake in Central Chile can constrain the frictional and rheological properties of the creeping regions of the subduction interface. We first expand the aftershock catalog via a 19 month continuous matched-filter search and highlight the log-time expansion of seismicity following the mainshock, suggestive of afterslip as the main driver of aftershock activity. We then show how the time history of aftershocks can constrain the temporal evolution of afterslip. Finally, we use our dense aftershock catalog to estimate the rate and state rheological parameter (a − b) as a function of depth and demonstrate that this low value is compatible either with a nearly velocity-neutral friction (a ≈ b) in the regions of the megathrust that host afterslip, or an elevated pore fluid pressure (low effective normal stress) along the plate interface. Our results present the first snapshot of rheology in depth together with the evolution of the tectonic stressing rate along a plate boundary. The framework described here can be generalized to any tectonic context and provides a novel way to constrain the frictional properties and loading conditions of active faults. Plain Language Summary The slow postseismic deformation, or afterslip, that lasts several years following a major earthquake can be as strong as the earthquake itself and is therefore a key component in understanding the seismic hazard along tectonic plate boundaries. Afterslip is typically studied with GPS that measures the deformation at the surface, but with a low spatial precision. It is therefore difficult, if not impossible, to tease out the finer details of how the plate interface responds to a large earthquake and to identify which parts of the plate interface could rupture next. Here we develop a new framework to study what happens after a major earthquake using the precise evolution in time and space of aftershocks. We leverage the high-resolution aftershock distribution to determine how the friction of the plate boundary varies in depth, which allows us to better understand which parts of the plate interface are susceptible to afterslip. Our methods described here can be generalized to any tectonic plate boundary and provide a novel way to constrain how active faults are influenced by major earthquakes.
Seismotectonic framework of the 2010 February 27 Mw 8.8 Maule, Chile earthquake sequence
Geophysical Journal International, 2013
After the 2010 M w 8.8 Maule earthquake, an international collaboration involving teams and instruments from Chile, the US, the UK, France and Germany established the International Maule Aftershock Deployment temporary network over the source region of the event to facilitate detailed, open-access studies of the aftershock sequence. Using data from the first 9-months of this deployment, we have analyzed the detailed spatial distribution of over 2500 well-recorded aftershocks. All earthquakes have been relocated using a hypocentral decomposition algorithm to study the details of and uncertainties in both their relative and absolute locations. We have computed regional moment tensor solutions for the largest of these events to produce a catalogue of 465 mechanisms, and have used all of these data to study the spatial distribution of the aftershock sequence with respect to the Chilean megathrust. We refine models of co-seismic slip distribution of the Maule earthquake, and show how small changes in fault geometries assumed in teleseismic finite fault modelling significantly improve fits to regional GPS data, implying that the accuracy of rapid teleseismic fault models can be substantially improved by consideration of existing fault geometry model databases. We interpret all of these data in an integrated seismotectonic framework for the Maule earthquake rupture and its aftershock sequence, and discuss the relationships between co-seismic rupture and aftershock distributions. While the majority of aftershocks are interplate thrust events located away from regions of maximum co-seismic slip, interesting clusters of aftershocks are identified in the lower plate at both ends of the main shock rupture, implying internal deformation of the slab in response to large slip on the plate boundary interface. We also perform Coulomb stress transfer calculations to compare aftershock locations and mechanisms to static stress changes following the Maule rupture. Without the incorporation of uncertainties in earthquake locations, just 55 per cent of aftershock nodal planes align with faults promoted towards failure by co-seismic slip. When epicentral uncertainties are considered (on the order of just ±2-3 km), 90 per cent of aftershocks are consistent with occurring along faults demonstrating positive stress transfer. These results imply large sensitivities of Coulomb stress transfer calculations to uncertainties in both earthquake locations and models of slip distributions, particularly when applied to aftershocks close to a heterogeneous fault rupture; such uncertainties should therefore be considered in similar studies used to argue for or against models of static stress triggering.
Aftershocks and pore fluid diffusion following the 1992 Landers earthquake
Journal of Geophysical Research, 2002
We model the evolution of regional stress following the 1992 Landers earthquake in order to test the importance of pore fluid flow in producing aftershocks. Rising fluid pressure due to pore fluid flow and the resulting Coulomb stress changes were found to be strongly correlated with the time and location of aftershock events. Regional aftershock frequencies computed by integrating pore pressure decay rates also agreed quite well with aftershock data. Calculations show that regions of rising postseismic poroelastic Coulomb stress overlap considerably with regions of positive coseismic Coulomb stress. Thus pore fluid flow, which affects pore pressure within faults and causes regional poroelastic stress evolution following earthquakes, gradually evolves the initial coseismic stress changes. Together these changes provide a reasonable physical mechanism for aftershock triggering which agrees with data for the 1992 Landers earthquake.
TheMw8.1 2014 Iquique, Chile, seismic sequence: a tale of foreshocks and aftershocks
Geophysical Journal International
, M w 8.1 Iquique (Chile) earthquake struck in the Northern Chile seismic gap. With a rupture length of less than 200 km, it left unbroken large segments of the former gap. Early studies were able to model the main rupture features but results are ambiguous with respect to the role of aseismic slip and left open questions on the remaining hazard at the Northern Chile gap. A striking observation of the 2014 earthquake has been its extensive preparation phase, with more than 1300 events with magnitude above M L 3, occurring during the 15 months preceding the main shock. Increasing seismicity rates and observed peak magnitudes accompanied the last three weeks before the main shock. Thanks to the large data sets of regional recordings, we assess the precursor activity, compare foreshocks and aftershocks and model rupture preparation and rupture effects. To tackle inversion challenges for moderate events with an asymmetric network geometry, we use full waveforms techniques to locate events, map the seismicity rate and derive source parameters, obtaining moment tensors for more than 300 events (magnitudes M w 4.0-8.1) in the period 2013 January 1-2014 April 30. This unique data set of fore-and aftershocks is investigated to distinguish rupture process models and models of strain and stress rotation during an earthquake. Results indicate that the spatial distributions of foreshocks delineated the shallower part of the rupture areas of the main shock and its largest aftershock, well matching the spatial extension of the aftershocks cloud. Most moment tensors correspond to almost pure double couple thrust mechanisms, consistent with the slab orientation. Whereas no significant differences are observed among thrust mechanisms in different areas, nor among thrust foreshocks and aftershocks, the early aftershock sequence is characterized by the presence of normal fault mechanisms, striking parallel to the trench but dipping westward. These events likely occurred in the shallow wedge structure close to the slab interface and are consequence of the increased extensional stress in this region after the largest events. The overall stress inversion result suggests a minor stress rotation after the main shock, but a significant release of the deviatoric stress. The temporal change in the distribution of focal mechanisms can also be explained in terms of the spatial heterogeneity of the stress field: under such interpretation, the potential of a large megathrust earthquake breaking a larger segment offshore Northern Chile remains high.
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 2015
The very shallow part of subduction megathrusts occasionally hosts tsunami earthquakes, with unusually slow rupture propagation. The aftershock sequence of the 2010 M w 8.8 Maule earthquake, offshore Chile, provides us with the opportunity to study systematic changes in source properties for smaller earthquakes within a single segment of a subduction zone. We invert amplitude spectra for double-couple moment tensors and centroid depths of 71 aftershocks of the Maule earthquake down to magnitudes M w 4.0. In addition, we also derive average source durations. We find that shallower earthquakes tend to have longer normalized source durations on average, similar to the pattern observed previously for larger magnitude events. This depth dependence is observable for thrust and normal earthquakes. The normalized source durations of normal-faulting earthquakes are at the lower end of those for thrust earthquakes, probably because of the higher stress drops of intraplate earthquakes compared to interplate earthquakes. We suggest from the similarity of the depth dependence of normal and thrust events and between smaller and larger magnitude earthquakes that the depth-dependent variation of rigidity, rather than frictional conditional stability at the plate interface, is primarily responsible for the observed pattern. Tsunami earthquakes probably require both low rigidity and conditionally stable frictional conditions; the presence of longduration moderate-magnitude events is therefore a helpful but not sufficient indicator for areas at risk of tsunami earthquakes. Online Material: Table of earthquake inversion results for the 2010 M w 8.8 Maule, Chile, aftershock sequence.
Investigating Time Dependent Stress Changes Globally Following Large Earthquakes (M≥7)
International Journal of Environment and Geoinformatics, 2021
Triggered earthquakes can cause disproportionate damages depend on their magnitudes. In fact, there is a causal link between the spatial distribution of those events and the stress changes induced by the mainshock. Co-seismic stress loading is one of the key factors in determination of triggering mechanism. However, the time lags ranging hours to years and the stress diffusion over wider areas cannot be evaluated with the co-seismic process alone. In some cases, the stress interactions for long periods and larger areas can be attributed to post-seismic viscoelastic relaxations. In this study, M≥7 earthquakes from the Global Centroid Moment Tensor (GMCT) catalogue are modelled as dislocations to calculate shear stress changes on following earthquake nodal planes near enough to be triggered. The catalogue scanned for all other events (4.5<M<7) that occurred within ±2° from the centroid rupture planes. According to Omori law, which is one of the most reliable time predictable dia...
Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 2018
The 2014 Iquique-Pisagua M w 8.1 earthquake ruptured only parts of the 1877 Northern Chile-Southern Peru seismic gap. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of 152 continuous and campaign Global Positioning System time series that captured more than a decade of interseismic loading prior to the event and 2 years of afterslip. In high spatiotemporal resolution, our data document upper plate response not only at the coseismically affected latitudes but also at the adjacent Loa plate segment to the south. Using a combination of elastic and viscoelastic half-space models of different stages of the seismic cycle, we found that the highly coupled, former seismic gap contains a narrow low coupling zone at 21°S latitude. Just after the 2014 earthquake, this zone acts as a barrier impeding afterslip to continue southward. Possible reasons for this impediment could involve crustal heterogeneities or coupling discontinuities at the plate interface. After 2 years, afterslip cumulates to a maximum of~89 cm and becomes negligible. Global Positioning System observations south of the inferred seismotectonic barrier reveal a deformation rate increase in the second year after the event. Our slip models suggest that this could be caused by a downdip coupling increase, perhaps bringing the highly coupled southern Loa segment closer to failure. Taken together, our results reveal (1) the interaction between different areas undergoing stress release and stress buildup in a major seismic gap, (2) constraints for the temporal variation of coupling degree in different stages of the seismic cycle, and (3) the influence of large earthquakes at adjacent segments.
Geophysical Research Letters, 1999
Following the Mw 6.7 Northridge earthquake, significant postseismic displacements were resolved with GPS. Using a three-dimensional viscoelastic model, we suggest that this deformation is mainly driven by viscous flow in the lower crust. Such flow can transfer stress to the upper crust and load the rupture zone of the main shock at a decaying rate. Most aftershocks within the rupture zone, especially those that occurred after the first several weeks of the main shock, may have been triggered by continuous stress loading from viscous flow. The long-term decay time of aftershocks (about 2 years) approximately matches the decay of viscoelastic loading, and thus is controlled by the viscosity of the lower crust. Our model provides a physical interpretation of the observed correlation between aftershock decay rate and surface heat flow.