Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Aftershocks of megathrust earthquakes undergo a central shutdown and surrounding activation

  • Research Briefing
  • Published:

From Nature Geoscience

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Megathrust aftershocks can be highly destructive if they strike close to shore. Here, we show that aftershocks on the rupture surface have an initially high rate but shut down within several years, potentially for centuries. However, aftershocks also surround the rupture, where they persist for up to 60 years.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1: The distribution of megathrust aftershocks.

References

  1. Thatcher, W. Order and diversity in the modes of Circum-Pacific earthquake recurrence. J. Geophys. Res. 95, 2609–2623 (1990). Conflicting aftershock observations with respect to the rupture area.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Stein, R. S. The role of stress transfer in earthquake occurrence. Nature 402, 605–609 (1999). An explanation of the Coulomb stress transfer hypothesis.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Toda, S., Stein, R. S., Beroza, G. & Marsan, D. Aftershocks halted by static stress shadows. Nat. Geosci. 5, 410–413 (2012). An analysis of a delayed aftershock shutdown.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Obana, K. et al. Earthquake activity in northern Cascadia subduction zone off Vancouver Island revealed by ocean‐bottom seismograph observations. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer. 105, 489–495 (2014). An alternative explanation for the seismicity shutdown in Cascadia.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Scholz, C. H. Mechanisms of seismic quiescences. Pure Appl. Geophys. 126, 701–718 (1988). A qualitative description of transform earthquake seismicity that resembles our core/corona concept.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: Toda, S. & Stein, R. S. Central shutdown and surrounding activation of aftershocks from megathrust earthquake stress transfer. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00954-x (2022).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Aftershocks of megathrust earthquakes undergo a central shutdown and surrounding activation. Nat. Geosci. 15, 438–439 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00955-w

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00955-w

  • Springer Nature Limited

Search

Navigation