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The role of fault geometry in coseismic and interseismic megathrust slip
Author(s) -
Hubbard Judith
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
acta geologica sinica ‐ english edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.444
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1755-6724
pISSN - 1000-9515
DOI - 10.1111/1755-6724.14002
Subject(s) - hubbard model , slip (aerodynamics) , geology , session (web analytics) , geometry , seismology , physics , computer science , world wide web , condensed matter physics , mathematics , superconductivity , thermodynamics
The 2015 Mw7.8 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal provides a case study to evaluate the impact of fault geometry. Using published geological maps, we have developed a new structural cross-section and a 3D, geologically informed model of the Main Himalayan Thrust, which sourced the rupture. Comparing our model to a detailed slip inversion shows that the slip patch in the earthquake closely matches an oval-shaped, gently dipping fault surface bounded on all sides by steeper ramps. The Gorkha earthquake rupture seems to have been limited by the geometry of the fault. We expect that the geometry is also closely related to the frictional behavior of the fault, impacting both coseismic and interseismic slip behaviour.