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Accelerated nucleation of the 2014 Iquique, Chile Mw 8.2 Earthquake.

ABSTRACT: The earthquake nucleation process has been vigorously investigated based on geophysical observations, laboratory experiments, and theoretical studies; however, a general consensus has yet to be achieved. Here, we studied nucleation process for the 2014 Iquique, Chile Mw 8.2 megathrust earthquake located within the current North Chile seismic gap, by analyzing a long-term earthquake catalog constructed from a cross-correlation detector using continuous seismic data. Accelerations in seismicity, the amount of aseismic slip inferred from repeating earthquakes, and the background seismicity, accompanied by an increasing frequency of earthquake migrations, started around 270 days before the mainshock at locations up-dip of the largest coseismic slip patch. These signals indicate that repetitive sequences of fast and slow slip took place on the plate interface at a transition zone between fully locked and creeping portions. We interpret that these different sliding modes interacted with each other and promoted accelerated unlocking of the plate interface during the nucleation phase.

SUBMITTER: Kato A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4842989 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Accelerated nucleation of the 2014 Iquique, Chile Mw 8.2 Earthquake.

Kato Aitaro A Fukuda Jun'ichi J Kumazawa Takao T Nakagawa Shigeki S

Scientific reports 20160425

The earthquake nucleation process has been vigorously investigated based on geophysical observations, laboratory experiments, and theoretical studies; however, a general consensus has yet to be achieved. Here, we studied nucleation process for the 2014 Iquique, Chile Mw 8.2 megathrust earthquake located within the current North Chile seismic gap, by analyzing a long-term earthquake catalog constructed from a cross-correlation detector using continuous seismic data. Accelerations in seismicity, t ...[more]

PMID: 27109362

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Project description:The April 1st 2014 Iquique earthquake (MW 8.1) occurred along the northern Chile margin where the Nazca plate is subducted below the South American continent. The last great megathrust earthquake here, in 1877 of Mw ~8.8 opened a seismic gap, which was only partly closed by the 2014 earthquake. Prior to the earthquake in 2013, and shortly after it we compared data from leveled benchmarks, deployed campaign GPS instruments, continuous GPS stations and estimated sea levels using the upper vertical level of rocky shore benthic organisms including algae, barnacles, and mussels. Land-level changes estimated from mean elevations of benchmarks indicate subsidence along a ~100-km stretch of coast, ranging from 3 to 9 cm at Corazones (18°30'S) to between 30 and 50 cm at Pisagua (19°30'S). About 15 cm of uplift was measured along the southern part of the rupture at Chanabaya (20°50'S). Land-level changes obtained from benchmarks and campaign GPS were similar at most sites (mean difference 3.7±3.2 cm). Higher differences however, were found between benchmarks and continuous GPS (mean difference 8.5±3.6 cm), possibly because sites were not collocated and separated by several kilometers. Subsidence estimated from the upper limits of intertidal fauna at Pisagua ranged between 40 to 60 cm, in general agreement with benchmarks and GPS. At Chanavaya, the magnitude and sense of displacement of the upper marine limit was variable across species, possibly due to species-dependent differences in ecology. Among the studied species, measurements on lithothamnioid calcareous algae most closely matched those made with benchmarks and GPS. When properly calibrated, rocky shore benthic species may be used to accurately measure land-level changes along coasts affected by subduction earthquakes. Our calibration of those methods will improve their accuracy when applied to coasts lacking pre-earthquake data and in estimating deformation during pre-instrumental earthquakes.

Dataset Information

Accelerated nucleation of the 2014 Iquique, Chile Mw 8.2 Earthquake.

Publications

Accelerated nucleation of the 2014 Iquique, Chile Mw 8.2 Earthquake.

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