Journal
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
Volume 40, Issue 16, Pages 4231-4237Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1002/grl.50682
Keywords
frictional properties; dynamic weakening; Tohoku-Oki earthquake; megathrust; splay fault; Coulomb wedge
Categories
Funding
- National Science Foundation [EAR-1118239]
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation [GBMF 423.01]
- Directorate For Geosciences
- Division Of Earth Sciences [1118239] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We analyze the mechanical properties needed to account for the large shallow slip during the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake and the activation of landward normal faulting within the forearc. We show that the morphology and internal structure of the forearc follows closely the prediction of the critical Coulomb wedge in horizontal compression, implying a high internal pore pressure ratio (lambda=0.7+0.14/-0.48) and a low effective basal friction (mu(ef)(b) (f)=0.14+0.18/-0.04). We then show that the activation of the normal fault requires a lower effective basal friction beneath the outer wedge than beneath the inner wedge (mu(outer)0.015), possibly due to transient dynamic weakening associated to the seismic rupture. Forearc normal faults could be considered as evidence for very efficient dynamic weakening along the megathrust and typify megathrust with high tsunamigenic potential.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available