Intermediate-Depth Earthquakes Controlled by Incoming Plate Hydration Along Bending-Related Faults

Yuval Boneh*, Emily Schottenfels, Kevin Kwong, Iris van Zelst, Xinyue Tong, Melody Eimer, Meghan S. Miller, Louis Moresi, Jessica M. Warren, Douglas A. Wiens, Magali Billen, John Naliboff, Zhongwen Zhan

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    32 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Intermediate-depth earthquakes (focal depths 70–300 km) are enigmatic with respect to their nucleation and rupture mechanism and the properties controlling their spatial distribution. Several recent studies have shown a link between intermediate-depth earthquakes and the thermal-petrological path of subducting slabs in relation to the stability field of hydrous minerals. Here we investigate whether the structural characteristics of incoming plates can be correlated with the intermediate-depth seismicity rate. We quantify the structural characteristics of 17 incoming plates by estimating the maximum fault throw of bending-related faults. Maximum fault throw exhibits a statistically significant correlation with the seismicity rate. We suggest that the correlation between fault throw and intermediate-depth seismicity rate indicates the role of hydration of the incoming plate, with larger faults reflecting increased damage, greater fluid circulation, and thus more extensive slab hydration.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)3688-3697
    Number of pages10
    JournalGeophysical Research Letters
    Volume46
    Issue number7
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 16 Apr 2019

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