Patterns of earthquakes and aseismic slip on a heterogeneous strike-slip
fault with static/kinetic friction and temperature-dependent creep
Abstract
An earthquake simulator is developed to study the dynamics of
seismicity and seismic/aseismic slip partitioning on a heterogeneous
strike-slip fault using a generalized model of a discrete fault governed
by static/dynamic friction and creep in an elastic half-space. Previous
versions of the simulator were shown to produce various realistic
seismicity patterns (e.g., frequency-magnitude event statistics,
hypocenter and slip distributions, temporal occurrence) using friction
levels and creep properties that vary in space but are fixed in time.
The new simulator incorporates frictional heat generation by earthquake
slip leading to temperature rises, subsequent diffusion cooling into the
half space, and time-dependent creep on the fault. The model assumes a
power law dependence of creep velocity on the local shear stress, with
temperature-dependent coefficients based on the Arrhenius equation.
Temperature rises due to seismic slip produce increased aseismic slip,
which can lead to further stress concentrations, aftershocks, and heat
generation in a feedback loop. The partitioning of seismic/aseismic slip
and space-time evolution of seismicity are strongly affected by the
temperature changes on the fault. The results are also affected
significantly by the difference between the static and kinetic friction
levels. The model produces realistic spatio-temporal distribution of
seismicity, transient aseismic slip patterns,
foreshock-mainshock-aftershock sequences, and a bimodal distribution of
earthquakes with background and clustered events similar to
observations. The simulator (EQsim) may be used to clarify relations
between fault properties and different features of seismicity and
aseismic slip, and to improve the understanding of failure patterns
preceding large earthquakes.