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Abstract Seismic faults are surrounded by damaged rocks with reduced rigidity and enhanced attenuation. These damaged fault zone structures can amplify seismic waves and affect earthquake dynamics, yet they are typically omitted in physics‐based regional ground motion simulations. We report on the significant effects of a shallow, flower‐shaped fault zone in foreshock‐mainshock 3D dynamic rupture models of the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. We find that the fault zone structure both amplifies and reduces ground motions not only locally but at distances exceeding 100 km. This impact on ground motions is frequency‐ and magnitude‐dependent, particularly affecting higher frequency ground motions from the foreshock because its corner frequency is closer to the fault zone's fundamental eigenfrequency. Within the fault zone, the shallow transition to a velocity‐strengthening frictional regime leads to a depth‐dependent peak slip rate increase of up to 70% and confines fault zone‐induced supershear transitions mostly to the fault zone's velocity‐weakening roots. However, the interplay of fault zone waves, free surface reflections, and rupture directivity can generate localized supershear rupture, even in narrow velocity‐strengthening regions, which are typically thought to inhibit supershear rupture. This study demonstrates that shallow fault zone structures may significantly affect intermediate‐ and far‐field ground motions and cause localized supershear rupture penetrating into velocity‐strengthening regions, with important implications for seismic hazard assessment.
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Ground motion characteristics of subshear and supershear ruptures in the presence of sediment layers
SUMMARY We investigate the impact of sediment layers on ground motion characteristics during subshear and supershear rupture growth. Our findings suggest that sediment layers may lead to local supershear propagation, affecting ground motion, especially in the fault parallel (FP) direction. In contrast to homogeneous material models, we find that in the presence of sediment layers, a larger fault normal (FN) compared to FP particle velocity jump, reflects shear propagation at depth but does not rule out shallow supershear propagation. Conversely, a large FP compared to FN particle velocity jump indicates supershear propagation at depth. In the presence of a shallow layer, we also uncover a non-monotonic behaviour in the sediment’s influence on supershear transition and ground motion characteristics. During supershear propagation at depth we observe that sediment layers contribute to enhancing FP velocity pulses while minimally affecting the FN component. Furthermore, in the limit of global supershear propagation we identify local supersonic propagation within the sediment layers that significantly alters the velocity field around the rupture tip as observed on the free surface, creating both dilatational and shear Mach cones. In all our models with sediments we also find a significant enhancement in the fault vertical component of ground velocity. This could have particular implications for hazard assessments, such as in applications related to linear infrastructure, or a higher propensity to tsunami wave generation. Our research unravels the importance of considering heterogeneous subsurface material distribution in our physical models as they can have drastic implications on earthquake source physics.
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- PAR ID:
- 10560949
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford University Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Geophysical Journal International
- Volume:
- 240
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0956-540X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 967-987
- Size(s):
- p. 967-987
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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