Identification of seismogenic structures with influence on the subduction interface in Northern Chile and their signature in seismological data

• Applicant: Dr. Monika Sobiesiak
• Subject Area: Geophysics
• Term: from 2010 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 142091898

Rupture planes of large earthquakes show many irregularities. This heterogeneity is expressed i.e. in inhomogeneous radiation of seismic energy and moment release during rupture propagation resulting in areas of different amount of slip. Following the basic definition of Lay & Kanamori (1981), the areas of largest slip and moment release are called asperities. Up to now a detailed conception on how asperities are generated is missing. Key questions in this context are: a) what can cause asperities, b) how do they interact with a propagating earthquake rupture, c) are they persistent features for several seismic cycles, and d) are they relevant for future earthquakes? In our proposal we aim at the identification of crustal structures and conditions which may cause asperities on the seismogenic interface of the northernmost segment of the Chilean subduction zone (Figure 1). By means of the Iquique Local Network (ILN) (Figure 1), we will monitor the seismic activity related to the subduction interface, in the crust, and along proposed material boundaries. All available seismic stations in the area or the vicinity of the ILN will be used for precise hypocentre determinations (TP1, Kind et al., TP2, H. Kopp, TP4, Shapiro et al.).

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Chile, France
• Participating Persons: Dr. Pascal Benard; Professor Dr. Hans-Jürgen Götze; Professor Andrés Tassara, Ph.D.