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Tsunami inundation maps are crucial for understanding the impact of tsunamis and planning mitigation measures. Our research focuses on creating a database of stochastic tsunami scenarios along the Chilean subduction zone and probabilistic inundation maps for 11 coastal cities. We divided the Chile-Perú subduction zone into four seismic segments based on historical seismicity. Stochastic rupture scenarios, ranging from 8.0 to 9.6 magnitudes, were generated using the Karhunen-Loeve expansion. The Stochastic Reduced Order Model (SROM) helped select representative tsunami scenarios for each segment and magnitude bin. We then used the NEOWAVE model to simulate these scenarios to an inundation level, creating probabilistic tsunami maps for various return periods. Our findings reveal that local geography significantly influences tsunami inundation, with some areas facing high inundation risks while others experience minimal impacts. As a result, a uniform planning and design criterion across the entire country is not advisable; site-specific studies are necessary. These probabilistic scenarios can provide tailored solutions for different Chilean coastal cities, enhancing their resilience. Additionally, this research marks the first comprehensive probabilistic tsunami hazard analysis for the Chilean coast, considering multiple seismic sources, marking a crucial step toward full tsunami risk assessment for coastal communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A moderate size earthquake (ML 5.9) occurred near Mechuka in Siang Valley on 23rd April 2019 at 20:15:50.00 UTC in the rupture zone of the great Assam earthquake of 15th August 1950. This shallow-focused earthquake occurred close to NE trending Main Central Thrust has a thrust fault mechanism striking parallel to this major tectonics of the Himalaya. Including this event, a dataset of 46 local, micro and low magnitude earthquakes (1.5 ≤ ML ≤ 5.9) of the Siang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, NE India, are evaluated for the characteristics of the earthquake source, seismicity, stress drop and tectonic structures. The earthquake events were recorded by a close digital network of eight broadband seismic stations installed in December 2018 in the Siang Valley. The stress drop (Δσ) obtained for the Mechuka earthquake in the Siang Valley is 114.71 bars, the seismic moment (Mo) of 6.86E + 16 Nm and the source radius (r) of 1392.41 m. The seismic moments obtained from the microearthquakes vary between 2.44E + 11 and 6.86E + 16 Nm, and the source radius varies from 172.90 to 1392.41 m based on Brune's circular source model 1970. The corner frequencies (fc) of the events range from 1.03 to 8.04 Hz. Seismically intense clustering of microearthquakes has a low-stress drop below 10 bar except for the Mechuka earthquake, which varies from 0.05 to 114.72. This high-stress drop of moderate earthquake compared to its low values of lower magnitude earthquakes indicates that the earthquake of 23rd April 2019 is associated with high-strength material accumulating high strain during the earthquake-building process. Moment magnitude of whole data set ranges from 1.52 to 5.16. The scaling relationship between Mo and fc is obtained as 9.089E + 16fc–9.52, and for Mo and Δσ are modelled to be related as Mo = 8.96E + 10Δσ2.86. Evaluated low-stress drop for the smaller size of earthquakes shows brittleness of the upper crustal region. Research highlights: Modelling of earthquake source parameters to obtain scaling relations for Siang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh. The estimated Mo, fc, r, ∆σ and Mw are 2.44 × 1011 to 6.86 × 1016 Nm, 1.03–8.04 Hz, 172.90–1392.41 m, 0.05–114.71 bar and 1.52–5.16, respectively. Scaling relation between Mo and fc, Mo and Δσ and Mw and fc is Mo = 9.089E + 16fc−9.52, Mo = 8.96E + 10 Δσ2.86 and Log fc = –0.39Mw + 2.39, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake Tennyson's basin and sedimentary record were assessed for multiple branches of paleoenvironmental research. A geophysical investigation of the lake depositional setting was supported by physical and chemical analysis of multiple sediment cores. The basin reaches 60 m depth and several subaerial landforms identified were likely deposited from seismic activity. Deformed sediments and turbidites in gravity cores are attributed to one or more large (pre)historic earthquakes, and episodic grain size changes in sediment cores are related to either seismic and/or climatic/meteorological processes. A hummocky slump deposit located on the western lake bed margin is linked to widespread sediment deformation that was likely caused by movement of the Awatere Fault. Radiocarbon dating constrains the most recent major deformation event between the late thirteenth century CE and mid-twentieth Century. Folded turbidites in the stratigraphy suggest multiple sedimentary deformation episodes occurred during the last millennium. Micro-XRF elemental signatures suggest proxies of past water column mixing (windiness proxy) can be reconstructed via identification of changing redox conditions. Records from Lake Tennyson show potential for several palaeoenvironmental research applications, and combining them with basin morphostratigraphy and land-based palaeoclimate and palaeoseismic evidence can enhance understanding of environmental change in the northern South Island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North China is one of the high-risk areas for destructive and strong earthquakes in mainland China and has experienced numerous strong historical earthquakes. An earthquake of magnitude MW 5.5 struck Pingyuan County, Dezhou city, in Shandong Province, China, on 6 August 2023. This earthquake was the strongest in the eastern North China Craton since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. Since the earthquake did not produce surface ruptures, the seismogenic structure for fault responsible for the Pingyuan MW 5.5 earthquake is still unclear. To reveal the subsurface geological structure near the earthquake epicenter, this study used high-resolution two-dimensional (2D) seismic reflection profiles and constructed a three-dimensional (3D) geometric model of the Tuqiao Fault by interpreting the faults in the seismic reflection profiles. This study further combined focal mechanism solutions, aftershock clusters, and other seismological data to discuss the seismogenic fault of the Pingyuan MW 5.5 earthquake. The results show that the Tuqiao Fault is not the seismogenic fault of the MW 5.5 earthquake. The actual seismogenic structure may be related to the NE-oriented high-angle strike-slip blind fault developed in the basement. We further propose three possible fault models for the strong seismogenic structure in North China to discuss the potential seismotectonics in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mariana subduction system is an ideal place for ocean–ocean convergence boundary research. As a typical example of an extensional subduction model, the subduction process, subduction mechanism and subduction effect of this system have long been popular research topics. The seismic reflection information of oceanic sedimentary layers shown on multichannel seismic profiles is an intuitive record of small‐ to medium‐scale structural activity and sedimentary sequence evolution and is an important source for studying plate‐coupling processes and tectonic dynamic action. This paper is based on the raw multichannel seismic data of MGL1204 in the Mariana arc forearc region; these data were obtained by using linear interference filter technique noise attenuation technology and multiple velocity iterations to accurately image the oceanic sedimentary layer, and the imagery is used to study the Cenozoic fracture activity and residual strata thickness distribution characteristics of the middle part of the Mariana forearc region and to explore the tectonic migration characteristics of the Cenozoic sedimentary basins. We believe that due to the influence of regional stress field changes caused by the movement directions of the Pacific Plate and Philippine Sea Plate towards the Eurasian Plate, the development of secondary structures in the western Pacific subduction zone shows a characteristic west‐to‐east migration, and the structural characteristics of the Mariana forearc Cenozoic sedimentary basin are consistent with the regional tectonic features. The faults, stratigraphy and depocentres of the oceanic sedimentary layer show a migration pattern from west to east and from north to south overall; 25 and 13 Ma are identified as two key tectonic migration periods, and the tectonic migration characteristics and time records of the basin also provide direct evidence for the plate reconstruction model of trench retreat and Philippine Sea plate rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coseismic slip on the Patton Bay splay fault system during the 1964 Mw 9.2 Great Alaska Earthquake contributed to local tsunami generation and vertically uplifted shorelines as much as 11 m on Montague Island in Prince William Sound (PWS). Sudden uplift of 3.7–4.3 m caused coastal lagoons along the island's northwestern coast to gradually drain. The resulting change in depositional environment from marine lagoon to freshwater muskeg created a sharp, laterally continuous stratigraphic contact between silt and overlying peat. Here, we characterize the geomorphology, sedimentology, and diatom ecology across the 1964 earthquake contact and three similar prehistoric contacts within the stratigraphy of the Hidden Lagoons locality. We find that the contacts signal instances of abrupt coastal uplift that, within error, overlap the timing of independently constrained megathrust earthquakes in PWS—1964 Common Era, 760–870 yr BP, 2500–2700 yr BP, and 4120–4500 yr BP. Changes in fossil diatom assemblages across the inferred prehistoric earthquake contacts reflect ecological shifts consistent with repeated draining of a lagoon system caused by >3 m of coseismic uplift. Our observations provide evidence for four instances of combined megathrust‐splay fault ruptures that have occurred in the past ∼4,200 years in PWS. The possibility that 1964‐style combined megathrust‐splay fault ruptures may have repeated in the past warrants their consideration in future seismic and tsunami hazards assessments. Plain Language Summary: During the Mw 9.2 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake, both the subduction zone and the crustal faults connected to the subduction zone (called splay faults) slipped, lifting shorelines up to 11 m on Montague Island in Prince William Sound (PWS) and contributing to local tsunami generation. The sudden uplift cut off tidal connection to coastal lagoons on Montague Island's northwest coast, producing a change to a drier, freshwater environment. The sudden environmental change created a clear sedimentary change from pre‐earthquake lagoon silt to post‐earthquake rooted soil in the stratigraphy of a study site known as Hidden Lagoons. Using the stratigraphic evidence of the 1964 uplift as a guide, we investigated deeper into the subsurface of Hidden Lagoons to see if there were previous instances of subduction zone and splay fault activation. We discovered three previous stratigraphic boundaries marking times when earthquakes uplifted the land. Changes in the species of diatoms across these boundaries show that the marine lagoon system was repeatedly drained by earthquakes causing over 3 m of uplift. These uplift events match the timing of four of the eight known prehistoric subduction zone earthquakes in PWS, suggesting that splay faults have slipped with the subduction zone multiple times over the past ∼4,200 years. Key Points: We find widespread stratigraphic evidence for the 1964 M9.2 earthquake and three prehistoric earthquake contacts on Montague Island, AlaskaStratigraphic and diatom analyses suggest ruptures of splay faults may have occurred in conjunction with 4 of 8 documented Alaska‐Aleutian subduction zone earthquakesHazard assessments may want to consider the tsunami potential with possible future 1964‐style combined megathrust‐splay fault ruptures [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying the activity and seismic recurrence behavior of active faults is essential for assessing seismic risk. A reliable chronology of faulting events is necessary, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating is a robust technique that offers advantages for situations where materials for radiocarbon dating are unavailable. However, OSL dating of young events (<5 kyr) can be challenging due to a variety of reasons, incomplete signal resetting, low OSL grain sensitivity, and signal instability, particularly in fluvial, colluvial, and alluvial settings. These factors also limit broader applications of OSL technique in Late Quaternary geology studies. Recent efforts to overcome these limitations have included modified protocols and statistical approaches, such as pulsed infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signal method and the modified unlogged three- and four-parameter minimum age (MAM) models. The agreement of OSL dating results with independent age control, such as 14C dating, verifies its effectiveness and reliability in providing timing constraints of faulting events. New techniques and methods, such as pulsed photon-stimulated luminescence (PPSL) and rock surface luminescence dating (RSLD), are gaining momentum, expanding the horizon of conventional OSL dating as a significant tool for the Late Quaternary timescale. Future development of OSL techniques for dating active faults and paleo-earthquakes will prioritize the accuracy and precision of OSL results for short time scales and the development of new softwares for analyzing OSL datasets in complex settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shrinking of intermontane basins and expansion of their flanking ranges by reverse faulting and backthrusting in two counter-dipping systems is a typical mechanism of crustal shortening and mountain building in Central Asia. This mechanism is realized along the Kurai Fault Zone (southeastern Gorny Altai). Motions on two reverse fault systems maintained thrusting of the Kurai Range and the Kubadru Uplift on the Kurai Basin sediments and caused the growth of a foreberg before the mountain front. Forberg separates narrow Aktash Basin from the Kurai Basin. The paleoearthquakes were generated by reverse faults that delineate the foreberg. Analysis of the QuickBird satellite images, drone imagery, trenching, archaeoseismological research, radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology, and previous results show that eleven large (МW = 6.5–7.6) paleoearthquakes left traces as surface ruptures along the Kurai Fault Zone: twice before 7.5 ka BP, three events between 7.5 and 5.9 ka BP (7.0, 6.3, and 5.9–5.8 ka BP), one from 5.8 to 4.6 ka BP, four more at 4.6, 3.2, 1.5, and 1.3–1.2 ka BP, and the ultimate earthquake no older than 1450–1650 AD. The time difference between large earthquakes was from 200 to 1700 years. Surface faulting occurred mainly along the northern border of the foreberg where fault scarps are progressively younger northward and the Cenozoic sediments of the Aktash Basin thus become involved into uplift. GPR data to a depth of 12 m confirm the complex structure and slip geometry of the observed surface ruptures. The fault scarps are located < 1 km from the planned route of the gas pipeline from Russia to China, and the potential seismic hazard has to be taken into account in its design and construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a Bayesian approach we compare anecdotal tsunami runup observations from the 29 December 1820 Flores Sea earthquake with close to 200 000 tsunami simulations to determine the most probable earthquake parameters causing the tsunami. Using a dual hypothesis of the source earthquake either originating from the Flores Thrust or the Walanae/Selayar Fault, we found that neither source perfectly matches the observational data, particularly while satisfying seismic constraints of the region. Instead both posteriors have shifted to the edge of the prior indicating that the actual earthquake may have run along both faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of the processes producing soft‐sediment deformation structures, common in siliciclastic deposits and less abundant in carbonate successions, is complex, because different processes may produce similar structures. Thus, interpreting the origin of these structures may be challenging: it requires both a detailed sedimentological study, and the knowledge of the depositional environment and stratigraphic evolution, in order to provide hints to identify the processes affecting sediments after deposition. Among the potential causes of the formation of soft‐sediment deformation structures, seismic shock is one of the possibilities, but their origin could be also related to other triggering mechanisms, such as volcanic activity, sediment loading, salt tectonics, fluid expulsion, meteorite impacts and mass movements. Although it is a plausible option, the interpretation of these structures as 'seismites' is not obvious: it must be supported by different lines of evidence, considering that the correct interpretation of soft‐sediment deformation structures as a consequence of seismic shocks acquires important implications in palaeoseismology studies. The occurrence of diverse soft‐sediment deformation structures in a fault‐controlled basin (i.e. in a geological setting characterized by syndepositional tectonics) preserved in different subenvironments of a Norian carbonate system in the Southern Alps of Italy provides the chance to characterize different types of soft‐sediment deformation structures along a platform‐to‐basin depositional profile. Presence of pseudonodules in basinal resedimented limestone, sedimentary dykes and clinostratified breccias with unlithified clasts in slope settings and liquefaction of inner platform facies at the platform top testify to an origin compatible with multiple seismic shocks, repetitively affecting the same stratigraphic intervals. The diverse types of soft‐sediment deformation structures in the studied carbonate system provide a rich catalogue of structures related to seismic shocks, representing a possible reference for other similar settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

East Java is one of the seismically active regions in part of the Sunda Arc whose seismicity pattern must be studied. Therefore, a spatio-temporal analysis of seismicity between 2002 - 2022 in East Java has been conducted. This analysis aims to investigate the seismotectonic conditions in the East Java region over the last twenty years, especially the seismicity patterns associated with significant earthquakes in East Java. The analysis was carried out by quantifying the spatial and temporal variations of seismicity parameters using b-value and z-value. The used data used are earthquake data from the USGS earthquake catalog during 2002 - 2022 in the East Java region. The analysis was performed using the ZMAP 6.0 program code using the maximum likelihood method. The results of the temporal analysis of b-values show that almost all significant earthquakes in East Java were characterized by a decrease in b-values of up to 0.2. Spatially, the significant earthquake on 10 April 2021 was associated with a low b-value (0.9). Temporal z-value analysis shows that the significant East Java earthquake was preceded by a quiet period (positive z-value) between 4 - 5 years (2003 - 2008 and 2012 - 2016). Spatial analysis of the z-value in the last 7 shows an increase in the z-value before the significant earthquakes occurred on 16 July 2019, 18 March 2020, and 10 April 2021. Therefore, the results of this study indicate that the b-value and z-value potentially can be used as precursors of the significant East Java earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing the absolute age of palaeoearthquakes is of great significance for the assessment of the seismicity and seismic hazards of a region. As such, several different geochronological techniques to date earthquake-related material have been developed to provide answers on the time of past earthquakes. The present study is part of a wider palaeoseismic research project conducted in the Nojima Fault Zone (NFZ), where the 1995 Mw 6.9 Kobe (Japan) earthquake was triggered, to assess the suitability of the isothermal thermoluminescence (ITL) dating technique on fine-grained quartz and medium-grained feldspar and to provide a sequence of ages for fault-rock samples separated from a drilled core that was retrieved from a depth of ~506 m. Our analysis reveals that ITL can produce consistent dating results and can be considered a reliable luminescence technique for the absolute dating of fault-gouge material. The produced ITL ages signified the existence of repeated seismic events within the NFZ that took place through the late Pleistocene period, with gouge ages spanning from 78.6 ± 4.2 to 13.4 ± 1.4 ka; however, overestimation of the produced ITL dating results may be apparent. Nonetheless, even though some degree of overestimation is considered, ITL dating results denote the oldest possible age boundary of formation (or luminescence signal resetting) of the collected fault-gouge layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On March 18, 2021, at 00:04 UTC, a strong earthquake (Mw 6.0) hit Bejaia city, 200 km east of Algiers. Its epicenter was 15 km northeast of Cap Carbon in Bejaia Bay, making it the largest earthquake recorded offshore since the devastating earthquake (Mw 6.8) in Boumerdes on May 21, 2003. The earthquake had a maximum intensity of VII (EMS 98), triggering hundreds of aftershocks and damaging 2000 houses and social infrastructures, as well as causing several rock falls along the rocky coastline, but no human casualties were reported. The waveform inversion and spectral analysis of the mainshock and its largest aftershocks indicate an alignment along an E-W thrust fault plane offshore, dipping southward, the mainshock seismic moment of M0 = 9.7e + 17 N.m. corresponding to a magnitude Mw = 6.0. The aftershocks illuminated a surface 22 km long (N–S) and 12 km wide; their statistical parameters were assessed by Guttenberg–Richter relationship, Omori decay, and temporal clustering. The b-value is estimated at 0.83, the p value at 0.95, and the n-value at 0.75 (i.e., 75% triggered events), which follows classical patterns of aftershock sequences and suggests the sequence tectonic genesis. Furthermore, previous studies showed that the epicentral area was positively charged by coseismic static stresses transferred from recent events in the Bejaia–Jijel margin. Exactly one year later, on March 19, 2022, a moderate earthquake struck the same epicentral zone, 3 km NW of the first shock, generating a moment M0 = 8.5e + 16 N.m. corresponding to a magnitude Mw = 5.3; its focal mechanism also revealed an E–W striking reverse fault with a small strike-slip component. The present-day local stress field is characterized by a contractional tectonic regime (R′ = 2.99 ± 0.24) and σ1 orientation (N345°E) consistent with the maximum regional compressive stress direction (NNW–SSE). The 2021–2022 Bejaia Bay seismic sequence underlined the active tectonics linking the major E–W offshore thrust fault system and the NW–SE strike-slip Babors Transverse Fault system. This sequence, along with a number of other earthquakes that occurred around the Lesser Kabylia Block (LKB) over the last decade, likely highlights the ongoing incipient subduction process between Africa and Eurasia along the northern Algerian margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on synthesizing research on the seismotectonics of the San Andreas Fault System within the San Gorgonio Pass region of Southern California. It explores the complex fault geometry, slip distribution, and seismic hazard implications through multidisciplinary studies, including geology, geophysics, and modeling. It aims to enhance understanding of fault behavior and earthquake risk assessment, serving as a model for studying restraining bends in strike-slip faults globally.

Signal formation in a microstructured semiconductor neutron detector is more complex than in planar diode geometry. Three-dimensional microstructures are laterally smaller than the ionization cloud length, and the electric fields may be weak enough to exhibit plasma time effects. This work is the first detailed treatment of charge carrier motion in these complex semiconductor devices to replicate the time profile and signal magnitude. Simulations were performed using COMSOL Multiphysics to investigate various parameters that affect the propagation of the charge cloud. It was observed that the size of the simulated three-dimensional structure had an impact on the induced current pulse, indicating the importance of simulation geometry optimization to accurately simulate charge cloud expansion. COMSOL Multiphysics was used to replicate accurate charge creation profiles using energy deposition information imported from radiation transport codes. A detailed simulation methodology is presented to benchmark preamplifier event pulses along with complexities in modeling the charge carrier motion along the etched microstructured trenches with Si–SiO2 boundary conditions, including fixed oxide charge and interface trapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycenae, one of the most important cities and sacred sites of antiquity in Greece, was built on a tectonic horst uplifted by active normal faults, and both faults show geologic evidence of recent coseismic slip. The Lion Gate fault, affecting the west slope of Mycenae, is described here through geological and archaeoseismological investigation. The tectonic offset since the Pliocene-Pleistocene sequence is 13-14 m. A 4-5-m-high scarp of the major splay of this fault, well preserved inside the Shaft Grave Circle A, exhibits tectonic geomorphological aspects typical of recent surface faulting. Mycenae experienced two earthquakes in ∼60 yr during its climax, one around 1250 B.C. and the other around 1190 B.C. Seismic damage at Shaft Grave Circle A was found to have occurred on more than one occasion. One event occurred with the earthquake of 1190 B.C., or more likely with a much later one, which cut the circular parapet. Heavy damages were also registered with the earthquake of 1250 B.C. An episode of surface faulting appears to have occurred shortly before the early graves were created in Shaft Grave Circle A (late seventeenth century B.C., Middle/Late Helladic period). The integration of available data suggests that the cults at Mycenae, particularly at Shaft Grave Circle A, deliberately chose specific sites or traits of the seismic fault as the central hub of their main sanctuaries. This occurrence was the result of a deliberate choice dictated by the fact that those sites along the fault trace were considered to be sacred and believed to be gateways to Hades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau (NE Tibetan Plateau) exhibits active geological structures and has experienced multiple strong earthquakes, with M ≥ 7, throughout history. Particularly noteworthy is the 1920 M81/2 earthquake in the Haiyuan region that occurred a century ago and is documented as one of the deadliest earthquakes. Consequently, analyzing seismic risks in the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau holds significant importance. The b value, a crucial parameter for seismic activity, plays a pivotal role in seismic hazard analyses. This study calculates the spatial b values in this region based on earthquake catalogs since 1970. The study area encompasses several major active faults, and due to variations in b values across different fault types, traditional grid-search methods may introduce significant errors in calculating the spatial b value within complex fault systems. To address this, we employed the hierarchical space–time point–process (HIST-PPM) method proposed by Ogata. This method avoids partitioning earthquake samples, optimizes parameters using Akaike's Bayesian Information Criterion (ABIC) with entropy maximization, and theoretically allows for a higher spatial resolution and more accurate b value calculations. The results indicate a high spatial heterogeneity in b values within the study area. The northwestern and southeastern regions exhibit higher b values. Along the Haiyuan fault zone, the central rupture zone of the Haiyuan earthquake has relatively higher b values than other regions of this fault zone, which is possibly related to the sufficient release of stress during the main rupture of the Haiyuan earthquake. The b values vary from high in the west to low in the east along the Zhongwei fault. On the West Qinling fault zone, the epicenter of the recent Minxian–Zhangxian earthquake is associated with a low b value. In general, regions with low b values correspond well to areas with moderate–strong seismic events in the past 50 years. The spatial differences in b values may reflect variances in seismic hazards among fault zones and regions within the same fault zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the recent developments in machine-learning technology, its application has rapidly progressed in various fields of earthquake seismology, achieving great success. Here, we review the recent advances, focusing on catalog development, seismicity analysis, ground-motion prediction, and crustal deformation analysis. First, we explore studies on the development of earthquake catalogs, including their elemental processes such as event detection/classification, arrival time picking, similar waveform searching, focal mechanism analysis, and paleoseismic record analysis. We then introduce studies related to earthquake risk evaluation and seismicity analysis. Additionally, we review studies on ground-motion prediction, which are categorized into four groups depending on whether the output is ground-motion intensity or ground-motion time series and the input is features (individual measurable properties) or time series. We discuss the effect of imbalanced ground-motion data on machine-learning models and the approaches taken to address the problem. Finally, we summarize the analysis of geodetic data related to crustal deformation, focusing on clustering analysis and detection of geodetic signals caused by seismic/aseismic phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐resolution present‐day earth surface deformation maps from satellites provide important data constraints, which help us better understand tectonic processes and analyze seismic hazards. Here, we use Sentinel‐1 Radar images (2014–2020) and accurate positioning measurements (2009–2019) to get a high‐resolution three‐dimensional earth surface velocity map for the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, and we invert the slip rate and coupling ratio of major regional faults. We find ∼4 mm/yr uplift along an arc from the Qilianshan to Lajishan, relative to the neighboring low‐elevation area to the east, which indicates ongoing rapid orogeny. We find transient deformation along the Laohushan and 1920 M8.5 Haiyuan rupture segments of the Haiyuan fault, whereas the western Haiyuan, southern Liupanshan, central Lajishan and central‐western West Qinling faults are essentially locked above 15–20 km, suggesting a potentially high seismic hazard. Plain Language Summary: The northeast Tibetan Plateau, which is impeded by the tectonically stable Ordos block, continues to grow in response to the far‐field India‐Eurasia collision. This region has several large‐scale active faults that hosted some destructive earthquakes in the last 100 years. Although intensively studied, the fault kinematics of those seismogenic faults are still not clear, mainly because of poor observational constraints. Hence, high‐resolution present‐day deformation maps are essential to answering this question, either of scientific or societal concern. We provide satellite‐based ground deformation rate maps with mm‐accuracy for this region. They show shallow fault creep along some segments of the Haiyuan fault which is better constrained than previous results, active tectonic uplift in the Lajishan. Our work gives new constraints for the seismic hazard for the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau case. Key Points: We derive a new high‐resolution three‐dimensional present‐day deformation map for the Northeastern Tibetan PlateauGeodetic data reveals ongoing rapid uplift along an accurate orogenic belt from the eastern Qilianshan and LajishanNew constraints for the seismic hazard analysis for the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geometric complexities of a fault system have a significant impact on the rupture behavior of the fault. The 2021 Mw7.4 Maduo earthquake occurred on a multi-segmented complex sinistral fault in the interior of the Bayan-Har block in the northern Tibetan Plateau. Here, we integrate centimeter-resolution surface rupture zones and Sentinel-2 optical displacement fields to accurately determine the geometric parameters of the causative fault in detail. An adaptive quadtree down-sampling method for interferograms was employed to enhance the reliability of the coseismic slip model inversion for interferograms. The optimal coseismic slip model indicated a complex non-planar structure with varying strike and dip angles. The largest slip of ~6 m, at a depth of ~7 km, occurred near a 6 km-wide stepover (a geometric complexity area) to the east of the epicenter, which occurred at the transition zone from sub-shear to super-shear rupture suggested by seismological studies. Optical and SAR displacement fields consistently indicated the local minimization of effective normal stress on releasing stepovers, which facilitated rupture through them. Moreover, connecting intermediate structures contributes to maintaining the rupture propagation through wide stepovers and may even facilitate the transition from subshear to supershear. Our study provides more evidence of the reactivation of a branched fault at the western end during the mainshock, which was previously under-appreciated. Furthermore, we found that a strong asymmetry in slip depth, stress drop, and rupture velocity east and west of the epicenter was coupled with variations in geometric and structural characteristics of fault segments along the strike. Our findings highlight the sensitivity of rupture behaviors to small-scale details of fault geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scientific goal of the Anninghe seismic array is to investigate the detailed geometry of the Anninghe fault and the velocity structure of the fault zone. This 2D seismic array is composed of 161 stations forming sub-rectangular geometry along the Anninghe fault, which covers 50 km and 150 km in the fault normal and strike directions, respectively, with ~ 5 km intervals. The data were collected between June 2020 and June 2021, with some level of temporal gaps. Two types of instruments, i.e. QS-05A and SmartSolo, are used in this array. Data quality and examples of seismograms are provided in this paper. After the data protection period ends (expected in June 2024), researchers can request a dataset from the National Earthquake Science Data Center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismotectonic and seismoacoustic studies carried out during an expedition onboard the R/V Akademik Boris Petrov in the Pechora Sea revealed a paleoseismic dislocation confined to a fault zone tracing the North Ural seismic lineament. The amplitude of this dislocation (the relative displacement of its sides) makes it possible to estimate the magnitude of the paleoearthquake that occurred within the North Ural lineament. This magnitude was used to estimate the maximum seismic impacts on offshore oil and gas facilities already in operation and those being designed for construction in the northeastern Pechora Sea. These estimates differ significantly from estimates made previously. The method of searching for paleoseismic dislocations using seismoacoustic methods, as well as lineament analysis, can be used for initial assessment seismic impacts in water areas, including the Laptev Sea, as the most seismically active region of the Arctic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquakes involve mass redistribution within the solid Earth and the ocean, and as a result, perturb the Earth's gravitational field. For most of the shallow (<60 km) earthquakes with Mw > 8.0, the GRACE satellite gravity measurements suggest considerable volumetric disturbance of rocks. At a spatial scale of hundreds of km, the effect of volumetric change exceeds gravity change by vertical deformation; for example, negative gravity anomalies associated with volumetric expansion are characteristic patterns after shallow thrust events. In this study, however, we report contrasting observations of gravity change from two intermediate‐depth (100–150 km) earthquakes of 2016 & 2017 Mw 8.0 (two combined) Papua New Guinea thrust faulting events and 2019 Mw 8.0 Peru normal faulting and highlight the importance of compressibility in earthquake deformation. The combined 2016/17 thrust events resulted in a positive gravity anomaly of 5–6 microGal around the epicenter, while the 2019 normal faulting produced a negative gravity anomaly of 3–4 microGal. Our modeling found that these gravity changes are manifestation of vertical deformation with limited volumetric change, distinct from gravity changes after the shallow earthquakes. The stronger resistance of rocks to volume change at intermediate‐depth results in largely incompressible deformation and thus in a gravity change dominated by vertical deformation. In addition, malleable rocks under high pressure and temperature at depth facilitated substantial afterslip and/or fast viscoelastic relaxation causing additional vertical deformation and gravity change equivalent to the coseismic change. For the Papua New Guinea events, this means that postseismic relaxation enhanced coseismic uplift and relative sea level decrease. Plain Language Summary: For the last two decades, changes in the global gravity field have been measured by the US‐German Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow‐On satellites. The data quantify surface mass redistribution associated with water and ice mass changes as well as solid Earth mass changes such as earthquake deformation. From the GRACE data at a scale of several hundreds of km, we inferred that gravity changes after shallow (<60 km) earthquakes involve significant volumetric changes within the crust as well as vertical deformation. By contrast, in this study, we report gravity changes following two thrust faulting intermediate‐depth (100–150 km) earthquakes in Eastern Papua New Guinea in 2016 and 2017, combining to Mw 8.0, and a normal faulting one in 2019 Peru (Mw 8.0), which differ significantly from the signals following shallow events. Our numerical modeling of coseismic and postseismic processes suggests that the deformation associated with these intermediate‐depth earthquakes was largely incompressible due to higher resistance of rocks to volume change. Gravity changes observed by the satellites was due to vertical deformation, with little effect from volume change. This study demonstrates the contrasting examples of gravity changes depending on depth of ruptures (compressibility of rocks) and reiterates the importance of volume change in large‐scale gravity changes. Key Points: Gravity changes after the intermediate‐depth earthquakes are unexpectedly large and different from those of shallow eventsStronger resistance of rocks to volume change at intermediate‐depth results in highly incompressible deformation and gravity changesTwo Mw 8.0 intermediate‐depth earthquakes of 2016 & 2017 Papua New Guinea and 2019 Peru highlight compressibility in gravity change [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Central Andes subduction has been the theater of numerous large earthquakes since the beginning of the 21st Century, notably the 2001 Mw = 8.4 Arequipa, 2007 Mw = 8.0 Pisco and 2014 Mw = 8.1 Iquique earthquakes. We present an analysis of 47 permanent and 26 survey global navigation satellite system (GNSS) measurements acquired in Central‐South Peru between 2007 and 2022 to better understand the frictional properties of the megathrust interface. Using a trajectory model that mimics the different phases of the cycle, we extract a coherent interseismic GNSS field at the scale of the Central Andes from Lima to Arica (12–18.5°S). Interseismic models on a 3D slab geometry indicate that the locking level is relatively high and concentrated between 20 and 40‐km depth. Locking distributions indicate a high spatial variability of the coupling along the trench, with the presence of many locked patches that spatially correlate with the seismotectonic segmentation. Our study confirms the presence of a creeping segment where the Nazca Ridge is subducting; we also observe a lighter apparent decrease of coupling related to the Nazca Fracture Zone (NFZ). However, since the Nazca Ridge appears to behave as a strong barrier, the NFZ is less efficient to arrest seismic rupture propagation. Considering various uncertainty factors, we discuss the implication of our coupling estimates with size and timing of large megathrust earthquakes considering both deterministic and probabilistic approaches. We estimate that the South Peru segment could have a Mw = 8.4–9.0 earthquake potential depending principally on the considered seismic catalog and the seismic/aseismic slip ratio. Plain Language Summary: Using dense global navigation satellite system (GNSS) data collected in the South‐Central Peru, we extracted a large scale interseismic velocity (surface velocity between two earthquakes) field at the scale of the Central Andes of Peru, where the oceanic Nazca plate goes under the continental South America plate at a velocity of about 6 cm/yr. This area has been the theater of several great subduction earthquakes and tsunamis, then estimating the stress build‐up on the subduction interface is key to better anticipate future large earthquakes. Through a modeling of the GNSS velocities on a 3D slab geometry, we were able to obtain useful informations on the location, size, magnitude and return period of future great earthquakes in South Peru. Thereby, we obtained a very heterogeneous spatial distribution of interseismic coupling (degree of locking between the two tectonic plates), with low‐coupled areas where the Nazca Ridge and the Nazca Fracture Zone are subducting, but highly‐coupled areas close to the coasts of Lima and Arequipa. Finally, we estimate that the South Peru segment between the Nazca Ridge and the Arica band could have the potential to host a Mw = 8.4 to Mw = 9.0 earthquake, with a one century and one millennial recurrence time respectively. Key Points: We present a dense interseismic velocity field at the scale of the South Peruvian Andes, from new decadal global navigation satellite system data at 73 locationsLow locking (∼0.4) is estimated along the Nazca Ridge and the Nazca Fracture Zone, delimiting wide patches of high locking (∼0.9)Moment budget analysis shows that the South Peru segment could host a Mw = 8.4–9.0 earthquake with a 100 to 1,000 years recurrence time [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myanmar bears a high risk of destructive earthquakes, yet detailed seismicity catalogs are rare. We designed a deep‐learning‐based data processing pipeline and applied it to the data recorded by a large‐aperture (∼400 km) seismic array in central Myanmar to produce a high‐resolution earthquake catalog. We precisely located 1891 earthquakes at shallow (<50 km) depth, a 2‐fold increase compared to the traditional procedures. The new catalog reveals the Kabaw Fault seismicity disappears south of ∼22.8°N, where the deeper (20–40 km) seismicity appears west of the southern Kabaw Fault. Such seismicity contrast along the strike of the Kabaw Fault possibly implies an along‐strike change of deformation responses to the shortening process by the India plate oblique subduction. The middle segment of the Sagaing Fault is likely locked and prone to hosting large earthquakes according to the derived low b‐value. Plain Language Summary: Myanmar is a highly seismically active region, yet fault geometry and activities remain poorly understood because of limited modern seismological investigations. Here, we designed a set of machine‐learning algorithms to detect small earthquakes and determine their locations precisely. The seismic data are recorded by a temporary seismic network deployed in central Myanmar. We obtained twice as many earthquakes as the previous research used the regular procedure. Our improved earthquake data set unveils seismic activity changes along the Kabaw Fault through the changes in earthquake locations, depths, and magnitude‐frequency relations. Kabaw Fault is an import boundary fault in the subduction system of the Indo‐Burma Range. This subtle change was not previously observed but means a significant alternation in deformation style along the subduction strike. Moreover, our improved data set indicates that the Sagaing Fault, the most active fault in Myanmar, is prone to generating large earthquakes in the future. This implication warns the nearby populated cities, like Mandalay, of a significant megaquake threat. Key Points: We detect 1891 shallow earthquakes in Myanmar with a deep‐learning‐empowered pipeline, a 2‐fold increase against the routine procedureN‐S seismicity discrepancy is observed near the Kabaw Fault and may imply different responses to E‐W shortening by the Indian subductionLow b‐value derived from the new catalog on the middle Sagaing Fault indicates a high risk of destructive earthquakes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 6 February 2023, two large earthquakes (moment magnitude 7.8 and 7.6) shocked a vast area of southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria, leading to heavy casualties and economic loss. To investigate the rupture process over multiple fault segments, we performed a comprehensive analysis of local seismic and geodetic data and determined supershear ruptures on the initial branch and the Pazarcık and Erkenek segments and subshear ruptures on the Amanos segment of event 1. The bilateral rupture of event 2 also presents distinct sub- and supershear velocities. The dynamic stress of the branch fault rupture triggered the Pazarcık segment initial rupture at a point 9 kilometers west of the junction of these two faults, boosting the supershear rupture of the Pazarcık segment of the main fault. The geometry and prestress level of multiple segments controlled the rupture behaviors and influenced the ground shaking intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southward expansion of East Asian farmers profoundly influenced the social evolution of Southeast Asia by introducing cereal agriculture. However, the timing and routes of cereal expansion in key regions are unclear due to limited empirical evidence. Here we report macrofossil, microfossil, multiple isotopic (C/N/Sr/O) and paleoproteomic data directly from radiocarbon-dated human samples, which were unearthed from a site in Xingyi in central Yunnan and which date between 7000 and 3300 a BP. Dietary isotopes reveal the earliest arrival of millet ca. 4900 a BP, and greater reliance on plant and animal agriculture was indicated between 3800 and 3300 a BP. The dietary differences between hunter-gatherer and agricultural groups are also evident in the metabolic and immune system proteins analysed from their skeletal remains. The results of paleoproteomic analysis indicate that humans had divergent biological adaptations, with and without farming. The combined application of isotopes, archaeobotanical data and proteomics provides a new approach to documenting dietary and health changes across major subsistence transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pore fluids are ubiquitous throughout the lithosphere and are commonly invoked as the cause of induced seismicity and slow earthquakes. We perform lab experiments to address these questions for drained fault conditions and low pore pressure. We shear simulated faults at effective normal stress σn′ $\left({\sigma }_{n}^{\prime }\right)$ of 20 MPa and pore pressures Pp from 1 to 4 MPa. We document the full range of lab earthquake behaviors from slow slip to elasto‐dynamic rupture and show that slow slip can be explained by the slip rate dependence of the critical rheologic stiffness without dilatancy hardening or other fluid effects. Our fault permeabilities ranges from 10−18 to 10−17 m2 with an initial porosity of 0.1 and estimated fluid diffusion time ≈1 s. Slow slip and quasi‐dynamic fault motion may arise from high Pp at higher pressures but dilatancy strengthening is not a general requirement. Plain Language Summary: Earthquakes begin and propagate within the fluid‐saturated rocks of Earth's crust. Many investigators have suggested that high pore fluid pressure (Pp) is essential for slow earthquakes and tremor. These studies rely on the idea that changes in Pp can impact rupture propagation speed by dilatant volume increase during faulting with concurrent increases in fault effective normal stress. Thus, understanding the processes that produce slow‐slip versus dynamically propagating rupture is integral to seismic hazard forecasting. Here, we describe experiments on granular faults that produce the full spectrum of slip observed in nature. We measure the mechanical and hydraulic behavior of the faults and determine that frictional and fluid‐driven processes occur in conjunction. Importantly, we demonstrate that frictional processes are sufficient to explain slow‐slip when fluid migration is not inhibited. We demonstrate that for low pore fluid pressures, the full transition from slow slip to dynamic rupture events can be explained as a frictional effect via the critical rheologic stiffness. Key Points: The frictional stability transition does not require dilatant hardening for granular fault zones sheared at low pore pressuresSlow earthquakes and quasi‐dynamic fault slip can be explained by the strain‐rate dependence of the critical fault stiffness (Kc)For the effective normal stresses studied, pore pressure has a negligible impact on frictional stability and the mode of fault slip [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first MW 7.7 and second MW 7.6 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes were the strongest tectonic events in Eastern Türkiye since the MW 7.9 Erzincan earthquake in 1939. The first and second events occurred on the Pazarcık and Çardak segments of the East Anatolian Fault System, respectively. A subsequent significant earthquake of MW 6.4 occurred in the Antakya fault zone. We summarize preliminary earthquake data and share our previous field observations to better understand the mechanism and provide scientific consequences for future investigations and layout planning. After combining the field observations, kinematic analysis of fault surfaces, investigations of orthophotos, characteristics of mainshocks, and differential interferometry analysis of Sentinel-1A synthetic aperture radar images are used to evaluate the surface deformation from an earth sciences point of view. As a result, field data, paleostress analysis, and deformation zones are found to be completely consistent with the focal mechanism solutions of recent earthquakes. Furthermore, the first MW 7.7 event would have been caused by motion along the Pazarcık and Amanos segments at the same time as a single seismic segment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local earthquake tomography (LET) is a popular method for inverting arrival time picks of local-regional earthquakes for P - and S -wave velocities and hypocentre parameters in seismically active regions. This popularity is due to some robust and well-documented open-source codes that are sometimes used as black boxes. The availability of a very complete time-pick database on the Western Alps gives us a chance to thoroughly investigate the influence of the numerous processes and parameters involved when applying LET to the Western Alps or similar targets. From a subset of high-quality manual picks (1989–2014), we compute preliminary P and S velocity models that are used to predict arrival times for later events and allow the selected fusion of picks downloaded from different seismological agencies for a consistent 33-yr database (1989–2021). Different model reconstructions are proposed by selecting different subsets of the arrival time data set. Aside data input into the LET, influence of initial stratified or 3-D velocity models and related initial earthquake locations is investigated together with grid discretization, Laplacian smoothing and damping parameters in the standard penalty approach commonly used by LET codes. These numerical parameters account for the expected limited resolution of seismic waves due to their finite-frequency content. Parameter selection is handled by the user, whereas frequency impact is only implicit in the onset picks. The earthquake distribution allows a reconstruction down to 40-km depth over an area of ∼500 × 500 km2. Robust features such as the high-velocity Ivrea body anomaly, and a deep low-velocity anomaly associated with crustal thickening underneath the mountain belt survive whatever the tomography strategy and parameters. Finally, a comparison with previous LET reconstructions suggests that finite-frequency content be explicitly incorporated through wave equation tomography to improve spatial resolution. This would fully exploit observables collected from seismograms, albeit with a significant increase in computer costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A destructive Mw = 6.2 earthquake struck NW Croatia on 29 December 2020, ranking among the most hazardous events in the country in the last century. This study assesses the impact of the earthquake on the permanent geodetic stations of the Croatian national positioning system. Using a novel approach, we combined positioning station data with satellite radar data for the first time in a geodynamic study across Croatia. The analysis involved collecting daily solutions data from 11 nearby network stations as well as multi-temporal satellite images before and after the earthquake. The results reveal a significant co-seismic shift, with the Sisak reference station experiencing the largest displacement of 5 cm to the southeast. Stations up to 100 km from the epicenter exhibited horizontal shifts between 1 and 2.5 cm and vertical shifts between 2 and 4 cm. Satellite images confirmed the co-seismic effects on the permanent stations. The study establishes a strong correlation between geodetic and geological findings, suggesting that vertical displacements result from superficial deposit consolidation in the river plains due to the earthquake shaking, while positional displacement reflects tectonic block movements along the activated strike-slip fault system. The late 2020 earthquake may have further relaxed the accumulated strain on the Mt. Medvednica thrust fault system, which had ruptured in early 2020 with a lower magnitude than expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repeating earthquakes repeatedly rupture the same fault asperities, which are likely loaded to failure by surrounding aseismic slip. However, repeaters occur less often than would be expected if these earthquakes accommodate all of the long‐term slip on the asperities. Here, we assess a possible explanation for this slip discrepancy: partial ruptures. On asperities that are much larger than the nucleation radius, a fraction of the slip could be accommodated by smaller ruptures on the same asperities. We search for partial ruptures of repeating earthquakes in Parkfield using the Northern California earthquakes catalog. We find 3991 individual repeaters which have 4468 partial ruptures. The presence of partial ruptures suggests that the asperities of repeating earthquakes are much larger than the nucleation radius. However, we find that partial ruptures could accommodate only around 25% of the slip on repeating earthquake patches. A 25% increase in the slip budget can explain only a small portion of the long recurrence intervals of repeating earthquakes. Plain Language Summary: Repeating earthquakes happen on the same fault patch over and over again. They are thought to happen on locked patches surrounded by a slowly moving section of the fault. This slow‐moving fault loads the patch to failure. However, the observed slip on the repeating earthquake patches does not match the long‐term slip on the surrounding fault. This slip deficit means the time between earthquakes is longer than expected. We explore the possibility that some of the slip deficit is explained by slip happening in smaller earthquakes ("partial ruptures") in between the time of the larger magnitude repeating earthquakes. We search for partial ruptures in Parkfield, California using the Northern California earthquakes catalog, which contains many well‐located repeating earthquake sequences. We find that partial ruptures could accommodate up to 25% of the slip on repeating earthquake patches, but this is still not enough slip to explain why small repeating earthquakes occur about five times less often than one would expect. Key Points: We search for partial ruptures of repeating earthquakes in Parkfield, CaliforniaWe find partial ruptures, which suggests repeating earthquake asperities are many times larger than the nucleation radiusIncluding partial ruptures in the slip budget does not account for the repeaters' surprisingly long recurrence intervals [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use new paleoseismic data and lidar to reassess late Quaternary activity of the NW (northwest) Cardrona Fault, a ∼60 km long range-bounding fault in Otago. Paleoseismic investigations of the NW Cardrona Fault were conducted in the 1980s, but findings were limited by a paucity of materials suitable for dating. Here, re-exposure and re-assessment of a 1980s trench at Macdonalds Creek provide stratigraphic evidence for two surface rupturing earthquakes on the NW Cardrona Fault. Through Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating and OxCal modelling, we estimate these earthquakes occurred at (mean ± 2 standard deviations, σ) 20.5 ± 7.8 ka and 8.7 ± 6.6 ka. The timings of these earthquakes are consistent with those proposed from re-interpretation of another 1980s trench on the NW Cardrona Fault in the Kawarau River valley, ∼25 km farther south. The slip rate and recurrence interval derived from the Macdonalds Creek trench data are 0.13 ± 0.05 mm/yr and 11,800 ± 5100 years (2σ error) respectively. These estimates imply lower slip rates and longer earthquake recurrence intervals on the NW Cardrona Fault than previously assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key challenge in paleoseismology is constraining the timing and occurrence of past earthquakes to create an earthquake history along faults that can be used for testing or building fault-based seismic hazard assessments. We present a new methodological approach and accompanying code (Paleoseismic EArthquake CHronologies, PEACH) to meet this challenge. By using the integration of multi-site paleoseismic records through probabilistic modeling of the event times and an unconditioned correlation, PEACH improves the objectivity of constraining paleoearthquake chronologies along faults, including highly populated records and poorly dated events. Our approach reduces uncertainties in event times and allows increased resolution of the trench records. By extension, the approach can potentially reduce the uncertainties in the estimation of parameters for seismic hazard assessment such as earthquake recurrence times and coefficient of variation. We test and discuss this methodology in two well-studied cases: the Paganica Fault in Italy and the Wasatch Fault in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently no active fault map for the intraplate western Quebec seismic zone (WQSZ) in eastern Canada, and consequently, no detailed finite-fault source models, which are critical for seismic hazard assessments in this region with a rapidly growing population. While previous numerical stress modelling studies have shown that mostly NNW–SSE to NW–SE-striking faults exhibit the highest potential for reactivation under the present-day tectonic stress field, such modelling is unable to take into account the interaction of faults and earthquakes. This study attempts to identify possible future rupture zones using Coulomb stress analysis. We explore the static stress transfer caused by the 1935 MW 6.1 Témiscaming, 1944 MW 5.8 Cornwall–Massena, and 2013 MW 4.7 Ladysmith earthquakes, which are proximal to faults in the WQSZ that exhibit a relatively high reactivation potential, to determine whether these faults have an increased potential for failure. The significance of Coulomb stress changes (ΔCFS) observed on the nearby "receiver" faults varied widely. Among the events analyzed in this study, only the 1935 MW 6.1 Témiscaming earthquake caused extensively positive ΔCFS (≥0.1 bar) on its receiver fault. The areal extent of the receiver fault that has been promoted to failure suggests that earthquakes with a comparable magnitude to the 1935 event can be triggered. This work is the first attempt to provide a physical basis for seismic hazard assessment input parameters in the WQSZ based on the results of numerical stress modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using different methods for processing SAR images from the Sentinel-1A satellite, the displacement fields were determined in the region of the East Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ) and the Sürgü-Çardak faults, as well as a small fault on the continuation of the East Hatay fault zone, which rupture initiated a series of catastrophic earthquakes in Turkey on February 6, 2023. DInSAR and offset methods were applied. The most detailed data on the displacements were obtained by the offset method using images from the descending orbit. When constructing the model from the available SAR data, the data with the maximum signal-to-noise ratio were selected. For the northern part of the region, above 37.4° N, the range displacements obtained by the offset method from a descending orbit were used. South of parallel 37.0° N, we used azimuth displacements from the same descending orbit. The model of the seismic rupture was constructed on the basis of solution of (Pollitz, 1996) of the problem of deformations at the surface of a layered spherical Earth caused by along dip and strike displacements on a rectangular fault located inside the planet. Pollitz (1996) demonstrated that ignoring the radial layering of the planet leads to errors up to 20%, with the largest errors occurring in the presence of a large strike-slip component. Ignoring sphericity also introduces an error when using the solution in the framework of the idealization of an elastic homogeneous half-space with a flat free surface (Okada, 1985) which was used when constructing USGS and (Barbot et al., 2023) models. In our model the surfaces of seismic rupture are approximated by 19 rectangular elements along the strike, divided into three levels along the dip. Another element approximated a rupture along the extension of the East Hatay Fault Zone. As in the models of other authors (USGS; Barbot et al., 2023), in our model in the southern part of the EAFZ, the displacements increase from south to north, and are mainly concentrated in the upper part of the Earth's crust to a depth of 10 km. At the southern end of this rupture, displacements in our model with an amplitude of up to 2 m are obtained at the lower levels of the model, and at its upper level, the displacements were only 0.11 m, and in this area on February 20, 2023 an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 occurred with a hypocenter depth of 11.5 km. The main displacements on the EAFZ are determined on its central segment. Here, the displacements go to a greater depth, their value reaches 10.2 m. On the Sürgü-Çardak fault, significant displacements occurred down to a depth of 20 km; displacements exceeded 10.2 m. In our model, at the northeast end of the seismic rupture along the EAFZ, a displacement area of 6.8 m overlaps with the southwest end of the seismic rupture model of the Doğanyol-Sivrice earthquake of January 24, 2020 with Mw 6.7, published on the USGS website. Therefore, our model does not confirm the hypothesis of the presence of a seismic gap here, which, according to (Barbot et al., 2023), is a zone of a possible nearest earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we kinematically analyze the movements of plates and blocks of the region of southeastern Turkey, where strong earthquakes occurred on February 6, 2023, based on a homogeneous database of displacement velocities of GNSS permanent monitoring stations. Along the East Anatolian fault zone from 2008 to 2018, the Arabian Plate was established to shift relative to the Anatolian Plate, which corresponds to a left shift (without a normal component) at a rate from 1 cm/yr in the eastern part to 0.8 cm/yr in the western part. Along the Chardak fault, displacements corresponding to the left shift occurred at a rate of less than 0.7 cm/year. The revealed kinematics is confirmed by focal mechanisms and cosesismic displacements of the studied earthquakes. The M7.5 earthquake that occurred directly on the Chardak fault is not an aftershock of the M7.8 earthquake, but is a relatively independent event. An analysis of the seismic regime shows that the stresses on the East Anatolian fault after the main M7.8 event are relieved by the first large latitudinal fault zone (the Chardak fault). The results of our study suggest that the counterclockwise rotation of the Anatolian and Arabian plates associated with the opening of the Red Sea Rift is most likely decisive for the general kinematics of the plates in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we describe and interpret disturbances in the sedimentary records of four lakes on the western flank of Lake Imandra (NE Fennoscandia, Kola Peninsula). The research framework comprises sedimentological and textural criteria for a visual description of sedimentary structures sediment core data, chronological (radiocarbon dating) data, and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data. Disturbances preserved in lake sequences contain a mixture of chaotic fragments of sand, silt, polychromatic gyttja, peat, and wood fragments embedded in the organogenic matrix. The synchronicity of disturbances, fast sediment accumulation in lakes, relationship with Quaternary faults, the observed mass movements in lake sediments are interpreted as potential consequences of the earthquake shaking. A seismic event with a magnitude Mw no less than 4.5–5 and intensity of shaking I 0 = IV–VI took place in the Middle Holocene, 6400–6100 cal. yr BP. Our studies show that although this area is not seismically active today, some of the main fault zones experienced short periods of reactivation also in the postglacial time, when glacioisostatic rebound after the ice retreat was already very low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Türkiye-Syria earthquake doublet of 6 February 2023 (Mw 7.8 at 01:17 UTC and Mw 7.6 at 10:24 UTC) resulted in extensive damage and tens of thousands of casualties. We present the surface displacements of the two earthquakes from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) offset tracking measurements. We extracted the geometric parameters of the rupture faults from the surface displacements and early aftershock distribution, based on which we inverted the coseismic slip distributions. We then calculated Coulomb stress to investigate the triggering relationship between the earthquakes and stress transfer to neighbouring faults and regions. The coseismic ruptures of the earthquake doublet were predominantly left-lateral strike-slip motions distributed between 0 and 15 km depth. The maximum fault slip reached > 8 m (Mw 7.8) and almost 10 m (Mw 7.6). The coseismic deformation and fault slip motion are consistent with the overall westward extrusion of the Anatolian Plate relative to the Eurasian and Arabian plates. The Mw 7.8 earthquake increased Coulomb failure stress at the hypocenter of the Mw 7.6 earthquake, implying that the Mw 7.8 event had a strong positive causative effect. Moreover, coseismic stress perturbations revealed a positive Coulomb stress effect on the middle Puturge Fault, northern Dead Sea Fault Zone (DSFZ), Yesemek Fault, Antakya Fault, and Turkoglu Fault, indicating an increasing seismic hazard in these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations of seismicity prior to large earthquakes show that the slope of a Gutenberg‐Richter magnitude‐frequency relation, referred to as a b‐value, sometimes decreases with time to the mainshock. Yet, underlying physical processes associated with the temporal change of a b‐value remain unclear. Here we utilize continuum models of fully dynamic earthquake cycles with fault frictional heterogeneities and aim to simulate the temporal variation of a b‐value. We first identify a parameter regime in which the model gives rise to an active and accelerating foreshock behavior prior to the mainshock. We then focus on the spatio‐temporal pattern of the simulated foreshocks and analyze their statistics. We find that the b‐value of simulated foreshocks decreases with time prior to the mainshock. A marked decrease in the resulting b‐value occurs over the duration of less than a few percent of the mainshock recurrence interval, broadly consistent with foreshock behaviors and b‐value changes as observed in nature and laboratory, rock‐friction experiments. In this model, increased shear stresses on creeping (or velocity‐strengthening) fault patches resulting from numerous foreshocks make these creeping patches more susceptible to future coseismic slip, increasing the likelihood of large ruptures and leading to a smaller b‐value with time. This mechanism differs from a widely invoked idea that the decrease of a b‐value is caused by a rapid increase in shear stress that promotes micro‐crack growth, and offers a new interpretation of b‐value changes prior to a large earthquake. Plain Language Summary: Foreshocks are earthquakes that occur before a large earthquake (i.e., a mainshock) and are related to the mainshock in both time and space, but the mechanism of foreshock generation is not well understood. Analysis of foreshock statistics for many large earthquakes showed that larger foreshocks tend to occur more frequently in the time leading to the mainshock, a phenomenon known as the temporal decrease of a Gutenberg‐Richter b‐value. For example, the temporal decrease of a b‐value in the hypocentral region of the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku‐Oki earthquake was observed prior to the mainshock, indicating the potential usefulness of b‐values for earthquake forecasting. However, the physical mechanism behind such observations is still unclear. Here, we develop a physics‐based model of fault slip evolution and successfully simulate a temporal decrease in the b‐value of foreshocks. In this model, an increased stress level in slowly slipping parts of a fault facilitates earthquake rupture growth, resulting in the temporal decrease of a b‐value prior to the mainshock. The model results, which are broadly consistent with foreshock behaviors and b‐value changes as observed in nature and laboratory experiments, have important implications for the mechanism of foreshock generation and earthquake forecasting. Key Points: Temporal decrease of a b‐value is found in continuum models of rate‐and‐state faults with frictional heterogeneitiesChange in a b‐value is caused by the reduction of rupture barrier effectiveness due to increasing shear stresses within creeping regionsAseismic slip facilitated by frictional heterogeneities is a key process controlling the temporal decrease of a b‐value [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural-geomorphological and paleoseismological methods were used to study morphostructures on the southern slope of the Kungei Ala-Too mountain range and in its southern foothills (adyrs). An analysis of radioisotope dates (radiocarbon and infrared luminescence) in paleoseismological trenches shows a lateral migration of vigorous seismic activity along the Kultor fault zone in the northern Issyk-Kul region. It has been confirmed that the contemporary high seismic activity concentrates in the adyr zone, and is confined to adyr faults. At least seven morphogenic earthquakes have occurred along this fault zone during Holocene time. The repeat time of morphogenic earthquakes was 200‒300 years in our era. It seems that this fault generated great seismic disasters with М ~ 7.5 (Io = Х) in the 7th and 15th centuries, with the rupture zones emerging at the surface and producing fault scarps up to 70‒80 km in length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the behavior of several seismic precursors prior to the 2016–2019 activation in an area of a complex geodynamic setting at the boundary of the Pacific, North American, and Eurasian plates. We used an integrated approach to combine identified precursors with a view to getting more accurate locations of possible rupture zones of future large earthquakes. The precursors include quiescence based on the RTL parameter and the "Z-function", variations in the slope of the earthquake recurrence graph (γ-value), and the areas of seismic ruptures dS. For the first time in Kamchatka, we analyze anomalies in the parameter dS interpreted as seismic activations to show the presence of a precursory component before the onset of the foreshock activation. Examples include increases in the values of that parameter before events that were the largest for the areas where they occurred: the Near-Islands Aleutian earthquake of July 17, 2017, Mw = 7.8 and the Uglovoe Podnyatie earthquake of December 20, 2018, Mw = 7.3. The overall extent of the anomalous area, which still exists and includes consecutive quiescence and foreshock phases, is ~900 km, which creates conditions for possible occurrence of a new great earthquake in the junction zone of the three plates with a magnitude that can exceed whatever has been recorded in the region so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chuya earthquake of 2003 exerted an appreciable influence on the seismicity of the entire Altai. This paper presents data on variations in the Altai seismicity from 2003 to 2021. It is shown that earthquakes of the first half-year after the major earthquake of 2003 had their rupture zones in the epicentral zone, while the other Altai structures were aseismic. After 2009 we saw changes both in the near zone that encompasses geological structures that were adjacent to the epicenter (with distances of 60‒80 km from the mainshock epicenter), such as the Aigulak, Kurai, South Chuisky and North Chuisky mountain ranges, and in the far zone at distances of 250‒450 km from the epicenter and in different directions from it. The Aigulak earthquake of 2019 gave rise to an aftershock process that displaced the center of Altai seismicity to the eponymous mountain range. There are no data on large earthquakes during the historical period for many Altai structures which have been activated following the Chuya earthquake, either from seismological or from paleo-geological evidence. One could explain the evolution of seismicity around the rupture zone of the Chuya earthquake in space, and with time delays of some years, invoking the influence of a large earthquake on a medium involving plasticity. We know of nonlinear models that hold promise for future research concerning the influence of large earthquakes on the evolution of seismicity in geological media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geomorphic mapping and paleoseismologic data reveal evidence for a late Holocene multifault surface rupture along the Calico-Hidalgo fault system of the southern Eastern California Shear Zone (ECSZ). We have identified ~18 km of continuous surface rupture along the combined Calico and Hidalgo faults in the vicinity of Hidalgo Mountain in the southern Mojave Desert. Based on the freshness of geomorphic fault features and continuity of surface expression, we interpret this feature to reflect a simultaneous paleorupture of both faults. Displacement along the paleorupture is defined by 39 field measurements to be generally pure right-slip with a mean offset of 2.3 m. Scaling relationships for this offset amount imply that the original surface rupture length may have been ~82 km (corresponding to a M7.4 earthquake) and that much of the rupture trace was erased by subsequent erosion of sandy and unconsolidated valley alluvium. Eight luminescence ages from a paleoseismic trench across the paleorupture on the Hidalgo fault bracket the timing of the most recent rupture to 0.9-1.7 ka and a possible penultimate event at 5.5-6.6 ka. This timing is generally consistent with the known earthquake clusters in the southern ECSZ based on previous paleoseismic investigations. The ages of these earthquakes also overlap with the age brackets of the most recent events on the Calico fault 42 km to the north and the Mesquite Lake fault 40 km to the south from earlier work. Based on these age constraints and the expected surface rupture length, we propose that the Calico fault system experienced a major, multifault rupture that spanned the entire length of the fault system between the historical Landers and Hector Mine ruptures but preceded these events by ~1-2 k.y. Coulomb stress change modeling shows that the Calico paleorupture may have delayed the occurrence of the Landers-Hector Mine cluster by placing their respective faults in stress shadows and may have also prevented a triggered event from occurring on the Calico fault following the historic events. This work implies that closely spaced ruptures in complex shear zones may repel each other and thereby stretch out the duration of major earthquake clusters. These results also suggest that complex multifault ruptures in the ECSZ may not follow simple, repeatable patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palaeoseismological studies play a crucial role in the seismic characterization of regions with slow moving faults. This is the case of the Central Betic Cordillera, a highly populated area where the record of prehistoric earthquakes is very scarce, despite of being one of the regions with the highest seismic hazard in Spain. We present here a palaeoseismological characterization of the Galera Fault, one of the active faults accommodating deformation in the Central Betic Cordillera. We excavated and analysed several trenches along the fault trace. We quantitatively correlate the results from these trenches, resulting in a surface rupture history involving 7 or 8 events (accounting for the epistemic uncertainties) during the last ca. 24000 yr, with a recurrence interval ranging between 1520 and 1720 yr. Further analysis of this surface rupture history seems to indicate that the Galera Fault is prone to produce earthquakes clusters, as we recorded five events in ca. 400 yr (ca. 1536-1126 BC), and only two events in the next ca. 3200 yr. Using the fault geometry and palaeoseismological data, we also carried out a seismogenic characterization of the fault. This analysis yielded a maximum expected magnitude of 6.7 ± 0.3 and a recurrence interval of 1857 yr. Furthermore, we also present a geodetic rupture scenario for the maximum expected event, involving displacements of up to 0.5 m. Finally, we discuss the possible impact of the deduced palaeoearthquakes in the development of Bronze Age human settlements located in the vicinity of the fault. Other than their intrinsic value, our results will be the basis for future seismic hazard assessment carried out in the Central Betic Cordillera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new locality in Central Europe (Krosinko, Poland) yields a rich fossil material of great taxonomical variety. Its location in the Warsaw–Berlin ice-marginal valley, where it forms a 1-m horizon at a the depth of 6–8 m, is suited to a taphonomic analysis aimed at reconstructing the paleoevents and depositional history of the late Pleistocene (MIS 3–2). Our analysis revealed that the material accumulated as the result of high-energy fluvial transport. This transport disturbed the original bone associations, as indicated by the lack of articulation, low refitting, and bone surface modification. During water movement, the bones were polished, abraded, pitted, and fragmented. Prior to that, however, taphonomic signatures were left behind by predators, humans, and plant roots. This is the first time that unquestionable burning marks have been found on woolly rhino remains from Poland. The secondary context of the faunal assemblage was confirmed by neodymium isotope studies of the faunal fragments and sediment. Given the results of sedimentological analysis from previous studies, these sediments can be associated with a high-energy braided river. The remains were moved along with paleobotanical material and flints in a westerly direction; this is suggested by the direction of water flows in the valley and the river waters supplying it. The deposition occurred within a single geologic event around 26 ka BP, as indicated by the youngest radiocarbon date of the remains, or ca. 19 ka BP, considering the geochronological constraints for the local LGM ice margin position in central and eastern Poland ∼22–18 ka, and the specified accumulation time of the sediments in which they were found. Secondary mineralization of manganese and iron on the bones was the final taphonomical process that impacted the remains. The combined taphonomic, palaeozoological, isotopic and geological results show for the first time for a Polish paleontological site how data integration improves interpretation and highlights the advantages of a multiproxy approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of a fault's frictional strength during the interseismic period is a critical component of the earthquake cycle, yet there have been relatively few studies that examine the time‐dependent evolution of strength at conditions representative of seismogenic depths. Using a simulated fault in Westerly granite, we examined how frictional strength evolves under hydrothermal conditions up to 250°C during slide‐hold‐slide experiments. At temperatures ≤100°C, frictional strength generally increases with hold duration but, at 200 and 250°C, an initial increase in strength transitions to rapid time‐dependent weakening for holds longer than 14 hr. Forward modeling of long hold periods at 250°C using the rate and state friction constitutive equations requires a second, strongly negative, state variable with a long evolution distance. This implies that significant hydrothermal alteration is occurring at 250°C, consistent with microstructural observations of dissolution and secondary mineral precipitation. Plain Language Summary: A fault can regain strength following an earthquake. The rates, conditions, and mechanisms by which this recovery of strength occurs are not well understood but they are critical to understanding earthquake recurrence and induced seismicity. By conducting a series of experiments in which a simulated fault alternates between shear displacement and quasi‐stationary hold periods, we examine how fault strength evolves with time at temperatures up to 250°C. At elevated temperatures the fault initially strengthens but then weakens over long timescales. This weakening appears to be due to hydrothermal alteration, potentially including the precipitation of secondary minerals in the fault. Relating this observed weakening behavior and associated mechanisms to constitutive equations will facilitate modeling earthquake behavior in different materials and at variety of environmental conditions. Key Points: Time‐dependent weakening of simulated fault surfaces at hydrothermal conditions is observedWeakening mechanism is water‐assisted, temperature‐dependent, and depends on host rock compositionCapturing frictional behavior across all time scales requires a rate and state model with two state variables and a time delay parameter [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Manawatu region experiences deep tremor and long‐term slow slip events (SSEs); however, tremor is adjacent to, and not co‐located with, long‐term SSEs. Observations of episodic tremor and slip (ETS) elsewhere suggest it is possible smaller short‐term SSEs below the current detection threshold occur where tremor is observed. Therefore, we sought to determine if small SSEs occurred with Manawatu tremor. We decomposed GNSS data using times of tremor to assess average surface displacements and performed a static slip inversion to model the displacement during tremor. The slip inversion suggested small slow slip partially coincided with tremor and long‐term SSEs may influence these small SSEs by increasing slip rates. We suggest that the interface below deep long‐term SSEs may slip often, in small ETS‐like SSEs that are not individually detectable geodetically. The question remains as to the nature of the strong variability in SSE behavior with depth and duration in the southern Hikurangi margin. Plain Language Summary: In between the Earth's tectonic plates, energy builds over time and can be released along faults suddenly (seconds‐minutes; i.e., earthquakes) or slowly (weeks‐years; i.e., slow slip events). Slow slip often happens with low‐frequency earthquakes (i.e., tectonic tremor). The North Island, New Zealand features two colliding tectonic plates with the potential to generate large earthquakes. The interface between these plates has both deep tectonic tremor and large, long‐lasting slow slip, but the tectonic tremor is deeper on the fault than the large slow slip. Studies have suggested small, short‐lasting slow slip, usually not able to be detected, occur where tectonic tremor is found. In this study we tried a different approach to find the small slow slip. While small slow slip are not detected by themselves, we were able to detect their cumulative effect in the tectonic tremor area. We modeled small slow slip during tectonic tremor to find the mean sliding rate on the fault that is between the tectonic plates. The large long‐lasting slow slip may drive this smaller slow slip by making them slip faster. The question remains as to the cause of the many types of slow slip in New Zealand. Key Points: GNSS data indicates newly detected short‐term slow slip in region of deep tremorLong‐term slow slip events may influence these small slow slip events by increasing slip ratesThree types of slow slip overlap along‐strike in Hikurangi margin: shallow, short‐term; deep, long‐term; deeper, short‐term with tremor [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable palaeoseismological data are crucial for understanding the rupture history and seismic hazard assessment of a specific seismogenic structure. Many large earthquakes occurred around the Ordos Block of northern China. However, due to insufficient age data and event interpretations, the rupture patterns of the block are still poorly known. This study focuses on the central section of the Serteng Shan fault that is situated at the north margin of the Ordos Block. We present palaeoseismic sequence of faults using trenches combined with dating methods, including optically stimulated luminescence and 14C dating. We collected eleven optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and seven radiocarbon samples to constrain the timing of palaeoseismic events in the excavated trench exposures along the fault strand. The results show that the studied samples were deposited since the latest Pleistocene, and the ages are, within uncertainty, in the stratigraphic order. The cause of the most recent surface rupture is still not clear. Four other older events, which occurred in 3.1–3.9 ka, 5.8−6.5 ka, 10.8–13.1 ka, and 14.2–16.5 ka, likely extended at different lengths along the Serteng Shan fault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]