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Rheological Transitions Facilitate Fault‐Spanning Ruptures on Seismically Active and Creeping Faults
Author(s) -
Ende M. P. A.,
Chen J.,
Niemeijer A. R.,
Ampuero J.P.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: solid earth
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.983
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 2169-9356
pISSN - 2169-9313
DOI - 10.1029/2019jb019328
Subject(s) - geology , seismology , nucleation , seismic hazard , san andreas fault , fault (geology) , slip (aerodynamics) , engineering , physics , aerospace engineering , thermodynamics
Physical constraints on the seismogenic potential of major fault zones may aid in improving seismic hazard assessments, but the mechanics of earthquake nucleation and rupture are obscured by the complexity that faults display. In this work, we investigate the mechanisms behind giant earthquakes by employing a microphysically based seismic cycle simulator. This microphysical approach is directly based on the mechanics of friction as inferred from laboratory tests and can explain a broad spectrum of fault slip behavior. We show that regular earthquakes are controlled by the size and distribution of (nominally) frictionally unstable asperities, whereas fault‐spanning earthquakes are governed by a rheological transition occurring in creeping fault segments. Moreover, this facilitates the nucleation of giant earthquakes on faults that are weakly seismically coupled (i.e., creeping). This microphysically based approach offers opportunities for investigating long‐term seismic cycle behavior of natural faults.