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Locking of the Chile subduction zone controlled by fluid pressure before the 2010 earthquake

Authors
/persons/resource/marcos

Moreno,  M.
3.1 Lithosphere Dynamics, 3.0 Geodynamics and Geomaterials, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;
Publikationen aller GIPP-unterstützten Projekte, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;
GEOFON, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

/persons/resource/haber

Haberland,  C.
2.2 Geophysical Deep Sounding, 2.0 Physics of the Earth, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;
Publikationen aller GIPP-unterstützten Projekte, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;
GEOFON, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

/persons/resource/oncken

Oncken,  O.
3.1 Lithosphere Dynamics, 3.0 Geodynamics and Geomaterials, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;
Publikationen aller GIPP-unterstützten Projekte, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;
GEOFON, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

Rietbrock,  Andreas
External Organizations;
Publikationen aller GIPP-unterstützten Projekte, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;
GEOFON, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

/persons/resource/samuel

Angiboust,  S.
3.1 Lithosphere Dynamics, 3.0 Geodynamics and Geomaterials, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;
Publikationen aller GIPP-unterstützten Projekte, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;
GEOFON, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

/persons/resource/heidbach

Heidbach,  O.
2.6 Seismic Hazard and Stress Field, 2.0 Physics of the Earth, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;
Publikationen aller GIPP-unterstützten Projekte, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;
GEOFON, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

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Citation

Moreno, M., Haberland, C., Oncken, O., Rietbrock, A., Angiboust, S., Heidbach, O. (2014): Locking of the Chile subduction zone controlled by fluid pressure before the 2010 earthquake. - Nature Geoscience, 7, 292-296.
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2102


Cite as: https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_377042
Abstract
Constraints on the potential size and recurrence time of strong subduction-zone earthquakes come from the degree of locking between the down-going and overriding plates, in the period between large earthquakes. In many cases, this interseismic locking degree correlates with slip during large earthquakes1, 2, 3, 4 or is attributed to variations in fluid content at the plate interface5. Here we use geodetic and seismological data to explore the links between pore-fluid pressure and locking patterns at the subduction interface ruptured during the magnitude 8.8 Chile earthquake in 2010. High-resolution three-dimensional seismic tomography reveals variations in the ratio of seismic P- to S-wave velocities (Vp/Vs) along the length of the subduction-zone interface. High Vp/Vs domains, interpreted as zones of elevated pore-fluid pressure, correlate spatially with parts of the plate interface that are poorly locked and slip aseismically. In contrast, low Vp/Vs domains, interpreted as zones of lower pore-fluid pressure, correlate with locked parts of the plate interface, where unstable slip and earthquakes occur. Variations in pore-fluid pressure are caused by the subduction and dehydration of a hydrothermally altered oceanic fracture zone. We conclude that variations in pore-fluid pressure at the plate interface control the degree of interseismic locking and therefore the slip distribution of large earthquake ruptures.