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Short-Term Interaction between Silent and Devastating Earthquakes in Mexico
  • +10
  • Víctor M. Cruz-Atienza,
  • Josué Tago,
  • Carlos Villafuerte,
  • Meng Wei,
  • Ricardo Garza-Girón,
  • Luis A. Dominguez,
  • Vladimir Kostoglodov,
  • Takuya Nishimura,
  • Sara Franco,
  • Jorge Real,
  • Miguel A. Santoyo,
  • Yoshihiro Ito,
  • Ekaterina Kazachkina
Víctor M. Cruz-Atienza
Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Josué Tago
Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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Carlos Villafuerte
Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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Meng Wei
Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, USA, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, USA, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, USA
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Ricardo Garza-Girón
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA
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Luis A. Dominguez
Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
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Vladimir Kostoglodov
Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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Takuya Nishimura
Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan
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Sara Franco
Instituto de Geofísica, Instituto de Geofísica, Instituto de Geofísica
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Jorge Real
Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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Miguel A. Santoyo
Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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Yoshihiro Ito
Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan
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Ekaterina Kazachkina
Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico., Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico., Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.
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Abstract

The triggering of large earthquakes on a fault hosting aseismic slip or, conversely, the triggering of slow slip events (SSE) by passing seismic waves involves seismological questions with important hazard implications. Just a few observations plausibly suggest that such interactions actually happen in nature. In this study we show that three recent devastating earthquakes in Mexico are likely related to SSEs, describing a cascade of events interacting with each other on a regional scale via quasi-static and/or dynamic perturbations. Such interaction seems to be conditioned by the transient memory of Earth materials subject to the “traumatic” stressing produced by the seismic waves of the great 2017 (Mw8.2) Tehuantepec earthquake, which strongly disturbed the aseismic slip beating over a 650 km long segment of the subduction plate interface. Our results imply that seismic hazard in large populated areas is a short-term evolving function of seismotectonic processes that are often observable.
12 Apr 2021Published in Nature Communications volume 12 issue 1. 10.1038/s41467-021-22326-6