Do subducting seamounts generate or stop large earthquakes?

Research Article| September 01, 2011 Do subducting seamounts generate or stop large earthquakes? Kelin Wang; Kelin Wang * 1Pacific Geoscience Centre, Geological Survey of Canada, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, British Columbia V8L 4B2, Canada *E-mails: kwang@nrcan.gc.ca; sbilek@nmt.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Susan L. Bilek Susan L. Bilek * 2Department of Earth and Environmental Science, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, New Mexico 87801, USA *E-mails: kwang@nrcan.gc.ca; sbilek@nmt.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Kelin Wang * 1Pacific Geoscience Centre, Geological Survey of Canada, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, British Columbia V8L 4B2, Canada Susan L. Bilek * 2Department of Earth and Environmental Science, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, New Mexico 87801, USA *E-mails: kwang@nrcan.gc.ca; sbilek@nmt.edu. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 26 Oct 2010 Revision Received: 27 Mar 2011 Accepted: 01 Apr 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2011 Geological Society of America Geology (2011) 39 (9): 819–822. https://doi.org/10.1130/G31856.1 Article history Received: 26 Oct 2010 Revision Received: 27 Mar 2011 Accepted: 01 Apr 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Kelin Wang, Susan L. Bilek; Do subducting seamounts generate or stop large earthquakes?. Geology 2011;; 39 (9): 819–822. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G31856.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Seamount subduction is a common process in subduction zone tectonics. Contradicting a widely held expectation that subducting seamounts generate large earthquakes, seamounts subduct largely aseismically, producing numerous small earthquakes. On rare occasions when they do produce relatively large events, the ruptures tend to be complex, suggesting multiple rupture patches or faults. We explain that the seismogenic behavior of these seamounts is controlled by the development and evolution of an adjacent fracture network during subduction and cannot be described using the frictional behavior of a single fault. The complex structure and heterogeneous stresses of this network provide a favorable condition for aseismic creep and small earthquakes but an unfavorable condition for the generation and propagation of large ruptures. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.