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Numerical study on multi‐scaling earthquake rupture
Author(s) -
Aochi Hideo,
Ide Satoshi
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2003gl018708
Subject(s) - scaling , earthquake rupture , slip (aerodynamics) , physics , seismology , mechanics , geology , shear (geology) , geometry , mathematics , petrology , fault (geology) , thermodynamics
A new numerical scheme using a renormalization and a 3D boundary integral equation method is proposed to simulate a multi‐scaling dynamic rupture of earthquakes: How a small earthquake grows up to a large one in spatially heterogeneous field of critical slip‐weakening distance D c (fracture energy G c )? We examine the case where D c grows according to a hypocentral distance L ( D c ∝ L β ). When β = 1, we succeed to show numerically that a rupture propagates at a constant rupture speed in uniform initial stress field. This result still keeps the scaling relation of G c and D c inferred for earthquake size, however no scale‐dependent initial process is required. The break of the proportional relation changes rupture speed as well as slip velocity to keep the energy balance. The rupture is accelerated up to a speed even faster than the shear wave velocity (β < 1) or naturally arrested (β > 1).