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Absence of remotely triggered large earthquakes beyond the mainshock region

Nature Geoscience
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1110

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Abstract

Large earthquakes are known to trigger earthquakes elsewhere. Damaging large aftershocks occur close to the mainshock and microearthquakes are triggered by passing seismic waves at significant distances from the mainshock. It is unclear, however, whether bigger, more damaging earthquakes are routinely triggered at distances far from the mainshock, heightening the global seismic hazard after every large earthquake. Here we assemble a catalogue of all possible earthquakes greater than M 5 that might have been triggered by every M 7 or larger mainshock during the past 30 years. We compare the timing of earthquakes greater than M 5 with the temporal and spatial passage of surface waves generated by large earthquakes using a complete worldwide catalogue. Whereas small earthquakes are triggered immediately during the passage of surface waves at all spatial ranges, we find no significant temporal association between surface-wave arrivals and larger earthquakes. We observe a significant increase in the rate of seismic activity at distances confined to within two to three rupture lengths of the mainshock. Thus, we conclude that the regional hazard of larger earthquakes is increased after a mainshock, but the global hazard is not.
Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Absence of remotely triggered large earthquakes beyond the mainshock region
Series title Nature Geoscience
DOI 10.1038/ngeo1110
Volume 4
Issue 5
Year Published 2011
Language English
Publisher Nature Publishing Group
Publisher location London, U.K.
Contributing office(s) Earthquake Science Center
Description 5 p.
Larger Work Type Article
Larger Work Subtype Journal Article
Larger Work Title Nature Geoscience
First page 312
Last page 316
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