Project Description
Recent observations of faults in the shallow regions of subduction zones – where one tectonic plate dives under another – have revealed a variety of behaviors. These include tsunami earthquakes, shallow slow slip events, and the extension of fast coseismic slip to the seafloor. How subduction zones produce this range of fault behaviors is still poorly understood.
In this project, I explore whether interactions between faults and the seafloor can help to explain the observed range of behaviors. I use a combination of theoretical analysis and numerical simulations to determine how sliding stability of faults are controlled by interactions between frictional and elastic properties and effective stress with the wedge taper angle and distance on the fault from the trench. These analyses will help answer important questions about the slip behavior of subduction zones, including: How does fault zone geometry control the sliding stability of thrust faults? How do shallow slip events nucleate and propagate within a subduction zone fault network over multiple seismic cycles?