Geological constraints on the mechanisms of slow earthquakes

Kirkpatrick, James D., Fagereng, Åke ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6335-8534 and Shelly, David R. 2021. Geological constraints on the mechanisms of slow earthquakes. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment 2 , pp. 285-301. 10.1038/s43017-021-00148-w

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Abstract

The recognition of slow earthquakes in geodetic and seismological data has transformed the understanding of how plate motions are accommodated at major plate boundaries. Slow earthquakes, which slip more slowly than regular earthquakes but faster than plate motion velocities, occur in a range of tectonic and metamorphic settings. They exhibit spatiotemporal associations with large seismic events that indicate a causal relation between modes of slip at different slip rates. Defining the physical controls on slow earthquakes is, therefore, critical for understanding fault and shear zone mechanics. In this Review, we synthesize geological observations of a suite of ancient structures that were active in tectonic settings comparable to where slow earthquakes are observed today. At inferred slow earthquake regions, a range of grain-scale deformation mechanisms accommodated slip at low effective stresses. Material heterogeneity and the geometric complexity of structures that formed at different inferred strain rates are common to faults and shear zones in multiple tectonic environments, and might represent key limiting factors of slow earthquake slip rates. Further geological work is needed to resolve how the spectrum of slow earthquake slip rates can arise from different grain-scale deformation mechanisms and whether there is one universal rate-limiting mechanism that defines slow earthquake slip.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Earth and Environmental Sciences
Publisher:	Nature
ISSN:	2662-138X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	1 April 2021
Date of Acceptance:	3 February 2021
Last Modified:	24 Nov 2024 21:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/140270

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