Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Geophysics and Seismology
Determination of the Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary using program LABWA2015
Published: 2018-05-09
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary (LAB) is a lower boundary of the lithospheric plate, so, it is an important tectonic boundary. We present the package of numerical program LABWA2015 developed for simple calculations of position of LAB. It assumes isostatic state and uses gravity as well as topographic data. However, program provides better results if additional geophysical data are used, e.g. [...]
Combined geophysical measurements provide evidence for unfrozen water in permafrost in the Adventdalen valley in Svalbard
Published: 2018-05-07
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Hydrology, Other Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Quantifying the unfrozen water content of permafrost is critical for assessing impacts of surface warming on the reactivation of groundwater flow and release of greenhouse gasses from degrading permafrost. Unfrozen water content was determined along a ~12 km transect in the Adventdalen valley in Svalbard, an area with continuous permafrost, using surface nuclear magnetic resonance and controlled [...]
Identifying causes of ground-penetrating radar reflections using time-domain reflectometry and sedimentological analyses
Published: 2018-05-07
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a geophysical technique widely used to study the shallow subsurface and identify various sediment features that reflect electromagnetic waves. However, little is known about the exact cause of GPR reflections because few studies have coupled wave theory to petrophysical data. In this study, a 100- and 200-MHz GPR survey was conducted on aeolian deposits in a [...]
Tracking CO2 plumes in clay-rich rock by distributed fiber optic strain sensing (DFOSS): a laboratory demonstration
Published: 2018-04-25
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Sciences, Fluid Dynamics, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Hydrology, Mineral Physics, Oil, Gas, and Energy, Optics, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Physics
Monitoring the migration of pore pressure, deformation, and saturation plumes with effective tools is important for the storage and utilization of fluids in underground reservoirs, such as geological stores of carbon dioxide (CO2) and natural gas. Such tools would also verify the security of the fluid contained reservoir–caprock system. Utilizing the swelling strain attributed to pressure [...]
Strain budget of the Ecuador-Colombia subduction zone: a stochastic view
Published: 2018-04-24
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The 2016 Pedernales earthquake (Mw=7.8) ruptured a portion of the Colombia-Ecuador subduction interface where several large historical earthquakes have been documented since the great 1906 earthquake (M=8.6). Considering all significant ruptures that occurred in the region, it has been suggested that the cumulative moment generated co-seismically along this part of the subduction over the last [...]
Detecting lightning infrasound using a high-altitude balloon
Published: 2018-04-17
Subjects: Atmospheric Sciences, Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Meteorology, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Acoustic waves with a wide range of frequencies are generated by lightning strokes during thunderstorms, including infrasonic waves (0.1 to 20 Hz). The source mechanism for these low frequency acoustic waves is still debated and studies have so far been limited to ground-based instruments. Here we report the first confirmed detection of lightning generated infrasound with acoustic instruments [...]
Topography and the shallow slip deficit inference
Published: 2018-04-13
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Images of earthquake slip serve as the foundation for understanding the distribution of coseismic energy release, theories about rupture propagation, and fault mechanics. Geodetic slip images are inferred using elastic models that link surface observations to fault activity at depth. To date, almost all elastic models used for these common calculations [10, 14, 19, 23] include the assumption that [...]
Rapid mantle flow with power-law creep explains deformation after the 2011 Tohoku mega-quake
Published: 2018-04-11
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The deformation transient that follows large subduction zone earthquakes is thought to originate from the interaction of viscoelastic flow in the asthenospheric mantle and slip on the megathrust that are both accelerated by the sudden coseismic stress change. The surface deformation following the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku earthquake provides some of the most comprehensive constraints on surface [...]
Constraints on North Anatolian Fault zone width in the crust and upper mantle from S-wave teleseismic tomography
Published: 2018-04-09
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
We present high resolution S‐wave teleseismic tomography images of the western segment of the North Anatolian Fault (NAFZ) in Turkey using teleseismic data recorded during the deployment period of the DANA array. The array comprised 66 stations with a nominal station spacing of 7 km, thus permitting a horizontal and vertical resolution of approximately 15 km. We use the current S‐wave results [...]
Asthenosphere flow modulated by megathrust earthquake cycles
Published: 2018-04-03
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Subduction megathrusts develop the largest earthquakes, often close to large population centers. Understanding the dynamics of deformation at subduction zones is therefore important to better assess seismic hazards. Here, I develop consistent earthquake cycle simulations that incorporate localized and distributed deformation based on laboratory-derived constitutive laws by combining boundary and [...]
Time-dependent compaction as a mechanism for regular stick-slips
Published: 2018-03-27
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Owing to their destructive potential, earthquakes receive considerable attention from laboratory studies. In friction experiments, stick-slips are studied as the laboratory equivalent of natural earthquakes, and numerous attempts have been made to simulate stick-slips numerically using the Discrete Element Method (DEM). However, while laboratory stick-slips commonly exhibit regular stress drops [...]
Rheological transitions facilitate fault-spanning ruptures on seismically active and creeping faults
Published: 2018-03-27
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The apparent stochastic nature of earthquakes poses major challenges for earthquake forecasting attempts. Physical constraints on the seismogenic potential of major fault zones may aid in improving seismic hazard assessments, but the mechanics of earthquake nucleation and rupture are obscured by the complexity that faults display. In this work, we investigate the mechanisms behind giant [...]
Enhanced velocity based pore pressure prediction using lithofacies clustering: A case study from a reservoir with complex lithology in Dezful Embayment, SW Iran
Published: 2018-03-21
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The primary goal of this paper is to improve accuracy and reliability of the conventional Bowers and Tau methods in a reservoir with complex lithology. We demonstrate the capability of the proposed method through a case study in a reservoir in the Southwest of Iran. Velocity based pore pressure prediction methods are widely accepted as a routine technique in the petroleum industry. Despite recent [...]
Kinematics of the active West Andean fold-and-thrust belt (Central Chile): structure and long-term shortening rate
Published: 2018-03-19
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
West-verging thrusts, synthetic with the Nazca - South America subduction interface, have been recently discovered at the western front of the Andes. At ~33°30’S, the active San Ramón fault stands as the most frontal of these west-verging structures, and represents a major earthquake threat for Santiago, capital city of Chile. Here we elaborate a detailed 3D structural map and a precise [...]
Paleomagnetic Biases Inferred from Numerical Dynamos and the Search for Geodynamo Evolution
Published: 2018-03-19
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The orientation and intensity of the paleomagnetic field is central to our understanding of the history of the Earth. The paleomagnetic signature of the singular most event, inner core nucleation, however, remains elusive. In this study we study numerical dynamo simulations from a paleomagnetic perspective to explore how long observations must be time-averaged to obtain stable virtual [...]