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Slip reversals on active normal faults related to the inflation and deflation of magma chambers: Numerical modeling with application to the Yellowstone‐Teton region
Author(s) -
Hampel Andrea,
Hetzel Ralf
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1029/2008gl033226
Subject(s) - geology , caldera , seismology , magmatism , crust , tectonics , slip (aerodynamics) , creep , geophysics , volcano , physics , thermodynamics , materials science , composite material
Earthquakes and coseismic slip on faults are the common response of Earth's crust to plate‐tectonic forces. Here we demonstrate, using three‐dimensional numerical experiments, that pulses of magmatic activity may alter the slip behavior of nearby tectonic faults by causing unusual aseismic creep and even reversals in the sense of slip. We apply our results to the Teton normal fault, Wyoming, which experienced hitherto unexplained episodes of reverse and normal creep between 1988 and 2001, to show that its anomalous behavior can be explained by inflation and deflation of two magma chambers beneath the Yellowstone caldera. Our findings imply a strong coupling between magmatism and tectonic faulting, which requires coordinated monitoring of both processes to improve our understanding of the resulting spatial and temporal strain pattern.