Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Geophysics and Seismology
A discontinuous Galerkin method for sequences of earthquakes and aseismic slip on multiple faults using unstructured curvilinear grids
Published: 2022-01-18
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology
Physics-based simulations provide a path to overcome the lack of observational data which is hampering a holistic understanding of earthquake faulting and crustal deformation across the vastly varying space-time scales governing the seismic cycle. However, simulations of sequences of earthquakes and aseismic slip (SEAS) including more than one fault, complex geometries, and elastic [...]
Resolving the location of small intracontinental earthquakes using Open Access seismic and geodetic data: lessons from the 18 January 2017 mb 4.3 Tenere, Niger, earthquake
Published: 2022-01-14
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology, Tectonics and Structure
A low-magnitude earthquake was recorded on January 18, 2017, in the T\'{e}n\'{e}r\'{e} desert in Niger. This intraplate region is exceptionally sparsely covered with seismic stations and the closest open seismic station, G.TAM in Algeria at a distance of approximately 600 km, was unusually and unfortunately not operational at the time of the event. Body-wave magnitude estimates range from $m_b [...]
Variations in Earth's 1D viscosity structure in different tectonic regimes
Published: 2022-01-14
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
Past estimates of Earth’s mantle viscosity profile using the long-wavelength geoid suggest an increase in viscosity from the upper to lower mantle of roughly 2-3 orders of magnitude. We use a spatio-spectral localization technique with the geoid to estimate a series of locally constrained viscosity profiles covering two unique regions, the Pacific and Atlantic hemispheres. The Pacific region [...]
Experimental multiblast craters and ejecta — seismo-acoustics, jet characteristics, craters, and ejecta deposits and implications for volcanic explosions
Published: 2022-01-08
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
Blasting experiments were performed that investigate multiple explosions that occur in quick succession in unconsolidated ground and their effects on host material and atmosphere. Such processes are known to occur during phreatomagmatic eruptions at various depths, lateral locations, and energies. The experiments follow a multi-instrument approach in order to observe phenomena in the atmosphere [...]
Seismic velocity recovery in the subsurface: transient damage and groundwater drainage following the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, Nepal
Published: 2022-01-04
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology, Other Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Shallow earthquakes frequently disturb the hydrological and mechanical state of the subsurface, with consequences for hazard and water management. Transient post-seismic hydrological behaviour has been widely reported, suggesting that the recovery of material properties (relaxation) following ground shaking may impact groundwater fluctuations. However, the monitoring of seismic velocity [...]
Structural traps and seals for expanding CO2 storage in the northern Horda Platform, North Sea
Published: 2021-12-24
Subjects: Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Oil, Gas, and Energy, Other Earth Sciences, Other Environmental Sciences, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure
The maturation of geological CCS along the Norwegian Continental Shelf is ongoing in the Norwegian North Sea, however, more storage sites are needed to reach climate mitigation goals by 2050. In order to augment the Aurora site and expand CO2 storage in the northern Horda Platform, regional traps and seals must be assessed to better understand the area’s potential. Here, we leverage wellbore and [...]
Imaging evolution of Cascadia slow-slip event using high-rate GPS
Published: 2021-12-24
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Tectonics and Structure
The slip history of short-term slow slip event (SSE) is typically inferred from daily Global Positioning System (GPS) data, which, however, cannot image the sub-daily processes, leaving the underlying mechanisms of SSEs elusive. To address the temporal resolution issue, we attempted to employ the kinematic subdaily GPS analysis, which has never been applied to SSE studies because its [...]
Matched Field Processing accounting for complex Earth structure: method and review
Published: 2021-12-16
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology
Matched Field Processing (MFP) is a technique to locate the source of a recorded wavefield. It is the generalization of plane-wave beamforming, allowing for curved wavefronts. In the standard approach to MFP, simple analytical Green's functions are used as synthetic wavefields that the recorded wavefields are matched against. We introduce an advancement of MFP by utilizing Green's functions [...]
Thermochemical structure and evolution of cratonic lithosphere in central and southern Africa
Published: 2021-12-10
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geophysics and Seismology, Mineral Physics, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
The thermochemical structure of the subcontinental mantle holds information on its origin and evolution that can inform energy and mineral exploration strategies, natural hazard mitigation and evolutionary models of the Earth. However, imaging the fine-scale thermochemical structure of continental lithosphere remains a major challenge. Here we combine multiple land and satellite datasets via [...]
External surface water influence on explosive eruption dynamics, with implications for stratospheric sulfur delivery and volcano-climate feedback
Published: 2021-12-09
Subjects: Fluid Dynamics, Geophysics and Seismology, Volcanology
Explosive volcanic eruptions can inject sulfur dioxide (SO2) into the stratosphere to form aerosol particles that modify Earth’s radiation balance and drive surface cooling. Eruptions involving interactions with shallow layers (< 500 m) of surface water and ice modify the eruption dynamics that govern the delivery of SO2 to the stratosphere. External surface water potentially controls the [...]
Deep Coseismic Slip in the Cascadia Megathrust can be Consistent with Coastal Subsidence
Published: 2021-12-08
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
At subduction zones, the down-dip limit of slip represents how deep an earthquake can rupture. For hazards it is important - it controls the intensity of shaking and the pattern of coseismic uplift and subsidence. In the Cascadia Subduction Zone, because no large magnitude events have been observed in instrumental times, the limit is inferred from geological estimates of coastal subsidence during [...]
Spatio-temporal clustering of seismicity enabled by off-fault plasticity
Published: 2021-12-06
Subjects: Applied Mechanics, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dynamics and Dynamical Systems, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Engineering Mechanics, Engineering Science and Materials, Geophysics and Seismology, Mechanical Engineering, Mechanics of Materials, Other Mechanical Engineering, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tribology
While significant progress has been made in understanding earthquake source processes in linear elastic domains, the effect of more realistic rheologies including plasticity is poorly understood. Here, we simulate sequence of earthquake and aseismic slip of a 2D antiplane rate-and-state fault embedded in a full-space elastic-plastic bulk. We show that off-fault plasticity may lead to partial [...]
Can machine learning improve carbon storage? Synergies of deep learning, uncertainty quantification and intelligent process control
Published: 2021-12-02
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Sustainability
As we transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy, negative emission technologies, such ascarbon capture and storage (CCS), can help us reduce CO2 emissions. Effective CO2 storage requires: (1) detailed site characterization, (2) regular, integrated risk assessment, and (3) flexible design and operation. We believe that recent advances in machine learning coupled with uncertainty [...]
Sensitivity of horizontal surface deformation to mantle dynamics from 3D instantaneous dynamics modeling of the eastern Mediterranean region
Published: 2021-11-29
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology, Tectonics and Structure
Geodetically estimated surface motions contain contributions to crustal deformation from coupled geodynamic processes active at all spatial scales and constitute key data for lithosphere dynamics research. Data interpretation methods should therefore account for the full range of possible processes, otherwise risking misinterpretation of data signal and incorrect estimation of lithosphere [...]
An optimization method for paleomagnetic Euler pole analysis
Published: 2021-11-15
Subjects: Geology, Geophysics and Seismology
Owing to the axial symmetry of the Earth’s magnetic field, paleomagnetic data only directly record the latitudinal and azimuthal positions of crustal blocks in the past, and paleolongitude cannot be constrained. An ability to overcome this obstacle is thus of fundamental importance to paleogeographic reconstruction. Paleomagnetic Euler pole (PEP) analysis presents a unique means to recover such [...]