A strange earthquake reveals a hidden mechanism

Earthquakes in the Shumagin Gap region. The earthquakes shown in blue are the subduction event of July 21 and its aftershocks, and the earthquakes shown in orange are the October Slope earthquake and its aftershocks. The July event occurred at the edge of the Shomagin Gap to alter stress conditions in the gap, favoring an unexpected October earthquake (clearly within the gap), in an area that is not expected to host major earthquakes. Credit: Kevin Furlong, Pennsylvania

The wrong type of earthquake in an area where an earthquake should not have prompted researchers to uncover the cause of this unexpected slip earthquake – where two pieces of crust slide over each other on a fault – in places where subduction zone earthquakes are located – a single geological plate slides beneath Other – a rumor.

Kevin B. Furlong, professor of earth sciences, Pennsylvania: “The first earthquake that occurred in the Shomagen Islands region of Alaska was of the correct type.” “The second one was a sliding earthquake, which makes no sense. That was the part that made us think.”

In subduction zones, where two tectonic plates meet, one plate slides under the other. If the panels slide smoothly, they are considered unlocked or separated. If the plates stop for some time until the forces overcome the friction holding them and then release, causing an earthquake, they are considered closed or coupled. Some parts of the subduction zone may be locked while others may be unlocked.

In 2020, the subduction zone façade earthquake, the type expected in the subduction zone, occurred in the Alaskan Aleutian subduction zone to the east of an area called the Shomagen Gap. This first earthquake happened as other similar earthquakes occurred in the past.

The Shomagin Gap is an area of ​​the subduction zone that is considered unlocked and where geologists assume that no earthquakes will occur. However, in the place where the first earthquake occurred, on the edge of the Shomagin Gap, the subduction zone was closed, and earthquakes occurred there.

In October 2020, an earthquake struck the Pacific plate right in the middle of the gap, which is unexpected.

“There must be a mistake in the subsidence of the Pacific Plate, and we cannot see it,” Furlong said.

He explained that in the oceanic crust there are sliding faults that develop at the ridges in the middle of the ocean. This Shomagine Gap bug might be a remnant of a ridge fault in the middle of the ocean, activated in a different way. Furlong added that he appears to be in the right direction.

To investigate the event, Furlong and Matthew Herman, an assistant professor of geology at California State University, Bakersfield, designed the earthquakes. It also included data from the small tsunami that occurred from the second earthquake. They found that with a crack in the merging plate, the inseparable nature of the Shomagin Gap made an earthquake more likely there than if it connected the area. The researchers announced their results today (March 24, 2021) in Science Advances.

“The possibility of extraordinary earthquakes in these areas makes sense from our computational models,” Hermann said. “ But it still doesn’t make sense that reducing the likelihood of the expected type of earthquakes actually makes other types of large earthquakes more likely.

The researchers found that the tsunami data was helpful, especially in areas where GPS data was not available. The tsunami also allows paleontologists to look back on past events through any deposits left over from previous earthquakes. Previously there was no evidence of major earthquakes in this area from tsunami data.

“It is possible that there will be other areas separated where we assume they are safe from earthquakes, but they are not,” Furlong said. “It is unlikely that they will experience a large subduction earthquake, but they could have a hit earthquake. If there are people in the area, it could cause damage by the vibration and a small tsunami.”

Furlong suggested that there is a growing realization that there are other ways to generate earthquakes at plate boundaries, and that we need more future thinking when we think of earthquakes at these boundaries.

Reference: March 24, 2021, Advances of Science.

The National Science Foundation supported this research.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos