RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Illuminating subduction zone rheological properties in the wake of a giant earthquake
JF Science Advances
JO Sci Adv
FD American Association for the Advancement of Science
SP eaax6720
DO 10.1126/sciadv.aax6720
VO 5
IS 12
A1 Weiss, Jonathan R.
A1 Qiu, Qiang
A1 Barbot, Sylvain
A1 Wright, Tim J.
A1 Foster, James H.
A1 Saunders, Alexander
A1 Brooks, Benjamin A.
A1 Bevis, Michael
A1 Kendrick, Eric
A1 Ericksen, Todd L.
A1 Avery, Jonathan
A1 Smalley, Robert
A1 Cimbaro, Sergio R.
A1 Lenzano, Luis E.
A1 Barón, Jorge
A1 Báez, Juan Carlos
A1 Echalar, Arturo
YR 2019
UL http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/12/eaax6720.abstract
AB Deformation associated with plate convergence at subduction zones is accommodated by a complex system involving fault slip and viscoelastic flow. These processes have proven difficult to disentangle. The 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule earthquake occurred close to the Chilean coast within a dense network of continuously recording Global Positioning System stations, which provide a comprehensive history of surface strain. We use these data to assemble a detailed picture of a structurally controlled megathrust fault frictional patchwork and the three-dimensional rheological and time-dependent viscosity structure of the lower crust and upper mantle, all of which control the relative importance of afterslip and viscoelastic relaxation during postseismic deformation. These results enhance our understanding of subduction dynamics including the interplay of localized and distributed deformation during the subduction zone earthquake cycle.