Crustal earthquake triggering by pre-historic great earthquakes on subduction zone thrusts

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth
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Abstract

Triggering of earthquakes on upper plate faults during and shortly after recent great (M>8.0) subduction thrust earthquakes raises concerns about earthquake triggering following Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes. Of particular regard to Cascadia was the previously noted, but only qualitatively identified, clustering of M>~6.5 crustal earthquakes in the Puget Sound region between about 1200–900 cal yr B.P. and the possibility that this was triggered by a great Cascadia thrust subduction thrust earthquake, and therefore portends future such clusters. We confirm quantitatively the extraordinary nature of the Puget Sound region crustal earthquake clustering between 1200–900 cal yr B.P., at least over the last 16,000. We conclude that this cluster was not triggered by the penultimate, and possibly full-margin, great Cascadia subduction thrust earthquake. However, we also show that the paleoseismic record for Cascadia is consistent with conclusions of our companion study of the global modern record outside Cascadia, that M>8.6 subduction thrust events have a high probability of triggering at least one or more M>~6.5 crustal earthquakes.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Crustal earthquake triggering by pre-historic great earthquakes on subduction zone thrusts
Series title Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth
DOI 10.1002/2013JB010635
Volume 119
Issue 2
Year Published 2014
Language English
Contributing office(s) Earthquake Science Center
Description 22 p.
Larger Work Type Article
Larger Work Subtype Journal Article
Larger Work Title Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth
First page 1273
Last page 1294
Country United States
Other Geospatial Cascadia;Puget Sound
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