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The Impact of Fault Bends and Regional Stress Fields on the Strength of Strike-Slip Faults

Description: 

Earthquake gates, such as fault bends, can inhibit rupture propagation and thus exert a primary control on rupture length, and consequently, the final size of the earthquake. Therefore, investigating the mechanics of rupture propagation through bends is important for better constraining seismic hazard and potential earthquake magnitude maxima. Through analysis of geometrical and stress characteristics of thirty-one strike-slip earthquakes using the Fault Displacement Hazard Initiative (FDHI) surface rupture database, we revisit the role of fault bends and regional stress fields in long-term fault stability. We find that bends with an angle ≤ 30° are easily breached, allowing throughgoing rupture in most of our case studies. Bends with angles > 60° always inhibit rupture propagation, though we only sample a small number of bends > 50°. Additionally, we observe that the vast majority of our breached double bends had along-strike lengths ≤ 2km. The observed fault bend constraints highlight the vital role these geometric complexities play in rupture propagation in strike-slip fault networks. Considering these results, along with our measurements of the modern regional stress field, we discuss the role of geometrical complexity in the strength of strike-slip faults.

Session: From Earthquakes to Plate Boundaries: Insights Into Fault Behavior Spanning Seconds to Millennia [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 4/20/2023

Presentation Time: 08:00 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Vanessa F. Herrera

Student Presenter: Yes

Invited Presentation: 

Authors