@article{WeissQiuBarbotetal.2019, author = {Weiss, Jonathan R. and Qiu, Qiang and Barbot, Sylvain and Wright, Tim J. and Foster, James H. and Saunders, Alexander and Brooks, Benjamin A. and Bevis, Michael and Kendrick, Eric and Ericksen, Todd L. and Avery, Jonathan and Smalley, Robert and Cimbaro, Sergio R. and Lenzano, Luis Eduardo and Baron, Jorge and Carlos Baez, Juan and Echalar, Arturo}, title = {Illuminating subduction zone rheological properties in the wake of a giant earthquake}, series = {Science Advances}, volume = {5}, journal = {Science Advances}, number = {12}, publisher = {American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science}, address = {Washington}, issn = {2375-2548}, doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aax6720}, pages = {11}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Deformation associated with plate convergence at subduction zones is accommodated by a complex system involving fault slip and viscoelastic flow. These processes have proven difficult to disentangle. The 2010 M-w 8.8 Maule earthquake occurred close to the Chilean coast within a dense network of continuously recording Global Positioning System stations, which provide a comprehensive history of surface strain. We use these data to assemble a detailed picture of a structurally controlled megathrust fault frictional patchwork and the three-dimensional rheological and time-dependent viscosity structure of the lower crust and upper mantle, all of which control the relative importance of afterslip and viscoelastic relaxation during postseismic deformation. These results enhance our understanding of subduction dynamics including the interplay of localized and distributed deformation during the subduction zone earthquake cycle.}, language = {en} } @article{MelnickMorenoQuinterosetal.2017, author = {Melnick, Daniel and Moreno, Marcos and Quinteros, Javier and Carlos Baez, Juan and Deng, Zhiguo and Li, Shaoyang and Oncken, Onno}, title = {The super-interseismic phase of the megathrust earthquake cycle in Chile}, series = {Geophysical research letters}, volume = {44}, journal = {Geophysical research letters}, number = {2}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0094-8276}, doi = {10.1002/2016GL071845}, pages = {784 -- 791}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Along a subduction zone, great megathrust earthquakes recur either after long seismic gaps lasting several decades to centuries or over much shorter periods lasting hours to a few years when cascading successions of earthquakes rupture nearby segments of the fault. We analyze a decade of continuous Global Positioning System observations along the South American continent to estimate changes in deformation rates between the 2010 Maule (M8.8) and 2015 Illapel (M8.3) Chilean earthquakes. We find that surface velocities increased after the 2010 earthquake, in response to continental-scale viscoelastic mantle relaxation and to regional-scale increased degree of interplate locking. We propose that increased locking occurs transiently during a super-interseismic phase in segments adjacent to a megathrust rupture, responding to bending of both plates caused by coseismic slip and subsequent afterslip. Enhanced strain rates during a super-interseismic phase may therefore bring a megathrust segment closer to failure and possibly triggered the 2015 event.}, language = {en} }