This topical volume on the physics of megathrust earthquakes investigates many aspects of the earthquake phenomenon, from the geodynamic setting of subduction zones, to interseismic and postseismic deformation, slow-slip events, dynamic rupture, and tsunami generation.

The dynamics of the seismic cycle at megathrusts is rich in various types of earthquakes, many of which only recently discovered. Our early understanding of the earthquake phenomenon was a type of stick-slip motion, where the fault is loaded by tectonic forces for an extended period, followed by rapid failure. Extensive seismic and geodetic monitoring of subduction zones has revealed a much more varied seismic behavior, where episodic fault slip can occur at any slip velocity between the background loading rate, of the order of a few atoms per second, and the fast seismic range, about a meter per second. Events that fill the gap between slow creep and fast ruptures include a host of slow earthquakes.Subduction zones therefore provide a natural laboratory to better understand the physics of earthquakes and faulting.

Previously published in Pure and Applied Geophysics , Volume 176, Issue 9, 2019

The chapters Interseismic Coupling and Slow Slip Events on the Cascadia Megathrust, Effect of Slip-Weakening Distance on SeismicAseismic Slip Patterns, Physics-Based Scenario of Earthquake Cycles on the Ventura Thrust System, California: The Effect of Variable Friction and Fault Geometry, and A Secondary Zone of Uplift Due to Megathrust Earthquakes are available as open access articles under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com

Provides unique insights into subduction-zone earthquakes from geology, rock mechanics, and numerical simulations Contains a rich analysis of the mechanics of the seismic cycle at subduction zones Contains complementary studies on the various periods of the seismic cycle, including creep, slow and fast earthquakes, and postseismic deformation Gathers new insights into megathrust earthquakes from a combination of observation and numerical simulations Provides new analysis of deformation before, during, and after giant earthquakes

Autorentext

Sylvain Barbot is an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA, where he conducts research on lithosphere dynamics and the seismic cycle. His current research interests include the micromechanics of friction, the rheology of plastic flow, and crustal deformation. He uses numerical simulations to explain geodetic observations, seismological data, and laboratory measurements. His long-term goal is to understand the mechanics of rock deformation at various time and length scales to explain the earthquake phenomenon.

Inhalt
Physics of Megathrust Earthquakes: Introduction.- Energy and Magnitude: A Historical Perspective.- A Damped Dynamic Finite Difference Approach for Modeling Static StressStrain Fields.- Interseismic Coupling and Slow Slip Events on the Cascadia Megathrust.- Interseismic Coupling in the Central Nepalese Himalaya: Spatial Correlation with the 2015 Mw 7.9 Gorkha Earthquake.- Role of Lower Crust in the Postseismic Deformation of the 2010 Maule Earthquake: Insights from a Model with Power-Law Rheology.- Green's Functions for Post-seismic Strain Changes in a Realistic Earth Model and Their Application to the Tohoku-Oki Mw 9.0 Earthquake.- Quasi-Dynamic 3D Modeling of the Generation and Afterslip of a Tohoku-oki Earthquake Considering Thermal Pressurization and Frictional Properties of the Shallow Plate Boundary.- Effect of Slip-Weakening Distance on SeismicAseismic Slip Patterns.- Physics-Based Scenario of Earthquake Cycles on the Ventura Thrust System, California: The Effect of Variable Friction and Fault Geometry.- Fully Coupled Simulations of Megathrust Earthquakes and Tsunamis in the Japan Trench, Nankai Trough, and Cascadia Subduction Zone.- A Secondary Zone of Uplift Due to Megathrust Earthquakes.