Open AccessSubduction Systems Revealed: Studies of the Hikurangi Margin
Author(s) -
Wallace Laura M.,
Ellis Susan,
Bannister Stephen,
Henrys Stuart,
Sutherland Rupert,
Bell Rebecca,
Townend John,
Barnes Philip
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2010eo450001
Subject(s) - subduction , geology , episodic tremor and slip , seismology , slip (aerodynamics) , interplate earthquake , plate tectonics , thrust , slow earthquake , fault (geology) , tectonics , physics , thermodynamics
Convergence between tectonic plates at subduction boundaries is mostly accommodated as slip along the subduction interface thrust fault. The portion of the fault where earthquakes nucleate is known as the seismogenic zone. In the seismogenic zone the fault is thought to be locked (due to friction) during the time between earthquakes, and most of the motion between the subducting and overriding plates occurs instantaneously in major megathrust earthquakes, which include the largest earthquakes recorded on the planet. However, in some cases subduction thrust slip occurs as steady aseismic creep (without a major earthquake), and it has been recently discovered that portions of many subduction thrusts slip episodically in slow slip events (SSEs) that take weeks to years to occur [see, e.g., Schwartz and Rokosky, 2007].