Heterogeneity and the earthquake magnitude‐frequency distribution

Steacy, S.; McCloskey, John

doi:10.1029/1999gl900135

Cited by 28 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(21 reference statements)

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“…Indeed WESNOUSKY (1994) proposes that individual faults making up a regional fault system have a strong tendency to generate characteristic earthquakes that essentially rupture an entire fault and that the characteristic Gutenberg-Richter earthquake magnitude-frequency distribution reflects the size distribution of faults in a region. This view is supported by idealized model studies (RUNDLE and KLEIN, 1993;STIRLING et al, 1996;BEN-ZION and RICE, 1997;STEACY and MCCLOSKEY, 1999) but the issue remains an open question.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 52%

“…Heterogeneities in fault strength and stress conditions have a primary impact on the size/frequency distributions of earthquake ruptures (RUNDLE and KLEIN, 1993;STIR-LING et al, 1996;BEN-ZION and RICE, 1997;STEACY and MCCLOSKEY, 1999). Heterogeneities may develop as a remnant of dynamical complexity during earthquake rupture, from interactions during slip of geometrically complex fault systems, from heterogeneous material properties, and through external processes such as spatially non-uniform pore fluid pressure changes or off-fault yielding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Earthquake Recurrence in Simulated Fault Systems

Dieterich

Richards‐Dinger

2010

Seismogenesis and Earthquake Forecasting: The Frank Evison Volume II

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Abstract-We employ a computationally efficient fault system earthquake simulator, RSQSim, to explore effects of earthquake nucleation and fault system geometry on earthquake occurrence. The simulations incorporate rate-and state-dependent friction, high-resolution representations of fault systems, and quasi-dynamic rupture propagation. Faults are represented as continuous planar surfaces, surfaces with a random fractal roughness, and discontinuous fractally segmented faults. Simulated earthquake catalogs have up to 10 6 earthquakes that span a magnitude range from *M4.5 to M8. The seismicity has strong temporal and spatial clustering in the form of foreshocks and aftershocks and occasional large-earthquake pairs. Fault system geometry plays the primary role in establishing the characteristics of stress evolution that control earthquake recurrence statistics. Empirical density distributions of earthquake recurrence times at a specific point on a fault depend strongly on magnitude and take a variety of complex forms that change with position within the fault system. Because fault system geometry is an observable that greatly impacts recurrence statistics, we propose using fault system earthquake simulators to define the empirical probability density distributions for use in regional assessments of earthquake probabilities.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 52%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Earthquake Recurrence in Simulated Fault Systems

Dieterich

Richards‐Dinger

2010

Seismogenesis and Earthquake Forecasting: The Frank Evison Volume II

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“…Most numerical simulations to date on collective behavior of earthquakes and faults employed generic 1‐D or 2‐D block‐spring arrays (Figure 3f) and cellular automata models combining various rules to form computer algorithms [e.g., Burridge and Knopoff , 1967; Otsuka , 1972; Saito et al , 1973; Fukao and Furumoto , 1985; Bak et al , 1987; Carlson and Langer , 1989; Ito and Matsuzaki , 1990; Rundle and Klein , 1993; Lomnitz‐Adler , 1993; Schmittbuhl et al , 1996; Ward , 1996; Kumagai et al , 1999; Steacy and McCloskey , 1999; Gabrielov et al , 1994, 2007]. The equations of motion, stress transfer functions, assumed rheology, and other aspects of typical block‐spring and cellular automata models of earthquakes are different (partially or entirely) from those characterizing deformation in either continuum or granular media.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collective behavior of earthquakes and faults: Continuum‐discrete transitions, progressive evolutionary changes, and different dynamic regimes

Ben‐Zion¹

2008

Reviews of Geophysics

430

353

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[1] Crustal deformation patterns are affected by multiscale granulation and healing processes associated with phase transitions between continuum and discrete states of rocks. The ongoing continuum-discrete transitions are accompanied by progressive evolution of disordered fault networks to dominant localized fault zones, development of bimaterial interfaces, and increasing dynamic weakening of fault surfaces. Results on individual fault zones point to three general dynamic regimes. The first is associated with broad range of heterogeneities, little dynamic weakening, power law frequency-size statistics, temporal clustering of intermediate and large events, and accelerated seismic release before large earthquakes. The second is associated with relatively uniform localized structures, significant dynamic weakening, characteristic earthquake statistics, and quasi-periodic temporal occurrence of large events without precursory accelerated release. For a range of conditions, the fault zone response can switch back and forth between the foregoing two dynamic regimes. Higher temperature, fluid content, and thickness of sedimentary cover reduce the seismic coupling in a region and change the properties of local earthquake sequences. Brittle regions with high seismic coupling have few foreshocks and long-duration aftershock sequences with high event productivity, whereas more viscous regions with low seismic coupling have increased foreshocks activity and low-productivity aftershock sequences or swarms. The results provide criteria for organizing data in classes associated with different evolutionary stages and different regional conditions. An ability to recognize the dynamic regime of a given fault zone or a region can increase the information content of the data and lead to improved strategies for seismic hazard assessment.

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“…RICE (1993, 1995) and BEN-ZION (1996) examined this issue in terms of stress concentration and strength heterogeneities in elastic solids. LOMNITZ-ADLER (1999), STEACY and MCCLOSKEY (1999) and others studied the same with cellular automata models. HAINZL and ZO¨LLER (2001) studied this question in terms of stress concentration and spatial disorder in a spring-block model.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Heterogeneities as a Tuning Parameter of Earthquake Dynamics

Zöller

Holschneider

Ben‐Zion

2005

Pure appl. geophys.

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We investigate the influence of spatial heterogeneities on various aspects of brittle failure and seismicity in a model of a large strike-slip fault. The model dynamics is governed by realistic boundary conditions consisting of constant velocity motion of regions around the fault, static/kinetic friction laws, creep with depth-dependent coefficients, and 3-D elastic stress transfer. The dynamic rupture is approximated on a continuous time scale using a finite stress propagation velocity (''quasidynamic model''). The model produces a ''brittle-ductile'' transition at a depth of about 12.5 km, realistic hypocenter distributions, and other features of seismicity compatible with observations. Previous work suggested that the range of size scales in the distribution of strength-stress heterogeneities acts as a tuning parameter of the dynamics. Here we test this hypothesis by performing a systematic parameter-space study with different forms of heterogeneities. In particular, we analyze spatial heterogeneities that can be tuned by a single parameter in two distributions: (1) high stress drop barriers in near-vertical directions and (2) spatial heterogeneities with fractal properties and variable fractal dimension. The results indicate that the first form of heterogeneities provides an effective means of tuning the behavior while the second does not. In relatively homogeneous cases, the fault self-organizes to large-scale patches and big events are associated with inward failure of individual patches and sequential failures of different patches. The frequency-size event statistics in such cases are compatible with the characteristic earthquake distribution and large events are quasi-periodic in time. In strongly heterogeneous or near-critical cases, the rupture histories are highly discontinuous and consist of complex migration patterns of slip on the fault. In such cases, the frequency-size and temporal statistics follow approximately power-law relations.

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Heterogeneity and the earthquake magnitude‐frequency distribution

Cited by 28 publications

References 25 publications

Earthquake Recurrence in Simulated Fault Systems

Earthquake Recurrence in Simulated Fault Systems

Collective behavior of earthquakes and faults: Continuum‐discrete transitions, progressive evolutionary changes, and different dynamic regimes

The Role of Heterogeneities as a Tuning Parameter of Earthquake Dynamics

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