Ylona Van Dinther

Abstract Conventional studies suggest that faults in the shallow subsurface resist earthquake nucleation, because their frictional strength increases as slip accelerates (i.e., velocity-strengthening friction). Contrary to this widely held notion, such nominally stable faults frequently host earthquakes induced by human activities. Here, we resolve this contradiction using numerical models that simulate both geological and earthquake timescales using rate-and-state friction.

Correlations between geodynamic parameters and interplate seismicity characteristics in subduction zones are generally weak due to the short instrumental record and multi-parameter influences. To investigate the role of subduction velocity Vs and the width of the seismogenic zone W on maximum magnitude Mmax, seismic rate ?, charateristic recurrence rate ?