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Influence of fault steps on rupture termination of strike-slip earthquake faults

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Abstract

A statistical analysis was completed on the rupture data of 29 historical strike-slip earthquakes across the world. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of fault steps on the rupture termination of these events. The results show good correlations between the type and length of steps with the seismic rupture and a poor correlation between the step number and seismic rupture. For different magnitude intervals, the smallest widths of the fault steps (Lt) that can terminate the rupture propagation are variable: Lt = 3 km for Ms 6.5~6.9, Lt = 4 km for Ms 7.0~7.5, Lt = 6 km for Ms 7.5~8.0, and Lt = 8 km for Ms 8.0~8.5. The dilational fault step is easier to rupture through than the compression fault step. The smallest widths of the fault step for the rupture arrest can be used as an indicator to judge the scale of the rupture termination of seismic faults. This is helpful for research on fault segmentation, as well as estimating the magnitude of potential earthquakes, and is thus of significance for the assessment of seismic risks.

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Acknowledgments

We thank editors and an anonymous reviewer for helpful comments. This work was supported by Earthquake Industry Special Grant Study on Key Technology of Seismic Safety Evaluation of Hydropower Project in Nanjia Bawa Area (201508024).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Active Tectonics and Volcano, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Huayanli A1, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China

    Zhengfang Li & Bengang Zhou

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  1. Zhengfang Li
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  2. Bengang Zhou
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Correspondence to Zhengfang Li.

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Li, Z., Zhou, B. Influence of fault steps on rupture termination of strike-slip earthquake faults. J Seismol 22, 487–498 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-017-9719-4

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