Tectonic control on great earthquake periodicity in south-central Chile

Abstract Multi-millennial records of great megathrust earthquakes have highlighted differences in periodicity and recurrence behavior. Understanding tectonic processes responsible for these differences is relevant for fault mechanics and hazard models. Here, we present a paleoseismic record inferred...

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Main Authors: Diego Aedo, Daniel Melnick, Marco Cisternas, Dominik Brill
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-11-01
Series:Communications Earth & Environment
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01834-5
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author Diego Aedo
Daniel Melnick
Marco Cisternas
Dominik Brill
author_facet Diego Aedo
Daniel Melnick
Marco Cisternas
Dominik Brill
author_sort Diego Aedo
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Multi-millennial records of great megathrust earthquakes have highlighted differences in periodicity and recurrence behavior. Understanding tectonic processes responsible for these differences is relevant for fault mechanics and hazard models. Here, we present a paleoseismic record inferred from raised beach ridges in the 2010 Maule earthquake (Mw 8.8) segment in south-central Chile that includes 24 interseismic intervals over 4.5 kyr suggesting a weakly-periodic recurrence behavior. In turn, great earthquakes in the adjacent 1960 Valdivia earthquake (Mw 9.5) segment occurred with periodic recurrence over the same time span. Both segments have similar trench sediments thicknesses as well as rheological and geometrical boundary conditions, but Maule has a wider frontal accretionary wedge and several splay faults rooted in the seismogenic zone whereas Valdivia lacks splay faults and trench sediments are mostly subducted and underplated. These differences may have an impact on upper-plate compliance and megathrust friction, affecting earthquake size and recurrence periodicity.
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spelling doaj-art-a775ebb4e8af415ea1275097e23e68e42024-11-17T12:50:24ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352024-11-01511910.1038/s43247-024-01834-5Tectonic control on great earthquake periodicity in south-central ChileDiego Aedo0Daniel Melnick1Marco Cisternas2Dominik Brill3Universidad de Concepción, Departamento Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias QuímicasMillennium Nucleus the Seismic Cycle Along Subduction Zones CYCLOMillennium Nucleus the Seismic Cycle Along Subduction Zones CYCLOUniversity of Cologne, Institute of GeographyAbstract Multi-millennial records of great megathrust earthquakes have highlighted differences in periodicity and recurrence behavior. Understanding tectonic processes responsible for these differences is relevant for fault mechanics and hazard models. Here, we present a paleoseismic record inferred from raised beach ridges in the 2010 Maule earthquake (Mw 8.8) segment in south-central Chile that includes 24 interseismic intervals over 4.5 kyr suggesting a weakly-periodic recurrence behavior. In turn, great earthquakes in the adjacent 1960 Valdivia earthquake (Mw 9.5) segment occurred with periodic recurrence over the same time span. Both segments have similar trench sediments thicknesses as well as rheological and geometrical boundary conditions, but Maule has a wider frontal accretionary wedge and several splay faults rooted in the seismogenic zone whereas Valdivia lacks splay faults and trench sediments are mostly subducted and underplated. These differences may have an impact on upper-plate compliance and megathrust friction, affecting earthquake size and recurrence periodicity.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01834-5
spellingShingle Diego Aedo
Daniel Melnick
Marco Cisternas
Dominik Brill
Tectonic control on great earthquake periodicity in south-central Chile
Communications Earth & Environment
title Tectonic control on great earthquake periodicity in south-central Chile
title_full Tectonic control on great earthquake periodicity in south-central Chile
title_fullStr Tectonic control on great earthquake periodicity in south-central Chile
title_full_unstemmed Tectonic control on great earthquake periodicity in south-central Chile
title_short Tectonic control on great earthquake periodicity in south-central Chile
title_sort tectonic control on great earthquake periodicity in south central chile
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01834-5
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AT dominikbrill tectoniccontrolongreatearthquakeperiodicityinsouthcentralchile