Off-fault damage controls near-surface rupture behaviour in soft sediments.

ABSTRACT: Surface-rupturing faults represent some of the most devastating examples of earthquake-related hazards. Near surface rupture behaviour is poorly understood, due to limited information concerning the amount of off-fault energy dissipated in a volume surrounding the propagating rupture tip. Here, we show that the energy dissipated by off-fault damage in shallow seismic faults can slow down and arrest ruptures in the near surface regions. We integrate experimental results with field measurements from near-surface seismic faults in the Dead Sea, to estimate that off-fault damage is up to 85% of the total fracture energy dissipated during a M_w ≈ 6 rupture events. Analytical modeling of the studied faults demonstrates that increased fracture energy from off-fault damage energy dissipa

SUBMITTER: De Paola N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12722718 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature