Thread: SSA session: Observations and the Physics Behind Complex Earthquakes

Dear Colleagues,

The SSA abstract submission deadline (01/24) is approaching! We would like to bring to your attention our SSA session “Observations and the Physics Behind Complex Earthquakes”. Please consider submitting an abstract and look forward to seeing you at Miami.

Observations and the Physics Behind Complex Earthquakes
New observations of large earthquakes are challenging the simple model of a smoothly expanding rupture on a planar fault. Some recent events have involved multiple faults (e.g., 2012 M 8.6 Sumatra, 2016 M 7.8 Kaikoura, New Zealand), re-rupturing of a single fault patch (e.g., 2015 M 7.5 Hindu Kush), dynamic triggering of later sub-events (e.g., 1997 M 7.1 Harnai, Pakistan) and the interaction between intraplate and interplate faults (e.g., 2009 M 8.1 Samoa-Tonga, 2016 M 7.9 Papua New Guinea). Are these earthquakes outliers? Or does our increased ability to resolve a detailed picture capture a new norm? How can we define a new common behavior? What are the physical mechanisms that control the signatures of complex earthquakes? We welcome contributions on geodetic, seismic and field observations of complex earthquakes, new source inversion/imaging techniques, as well as physical analysis and simulation of complex earthquakes.
Session Conveners
Zhongwen Zhan, California Institute of Technology, <zwzhan<at>gps.caltech.edu <zwzhan<at>gps.caltech.edu>>
Gavin Hayes, U.S. Geological Survey NEIC, <ghayes<at>usgs.gov <ghayes<at>usgs.gov>>
Marine Denolle, Harvard University, <mdenolle<at>fas.harvard.edu <mdenolle<at>fas.harvard.edu>>