Numerical simulation of crustal deformation using a three-dimensional viscoelastic crustal structure model for the Japanese islands under east-west compression

The three-dimensional viscoelastic crustal structure beneath Japanese islands was modeled to simulate their crustal deformation by using a finite-element method and applying boundary conditions of the east-west horizontal compression. The result shows that there are relatively narrow zones of high strain rate at shallow depths, whose pattern is similar to that of the Niigata-Kobe tectonic zone revealed by GPS. High strain rates are not necessarily concentrated in regions where the elastic layer is relatively thin, but rather where its thickness changes abruptly.