A new study found a link between error roughness and earthquake magnitude

A new study led by McGill University found that underground tectonic plates can exhibit varying degrees of roughness and can help explain why some earthquakes are stronger than others.

Earthquakes occur when rocks break below the surface of the Earth along geological fault lines and slip between them. The characteristics of these defects – such as the roughness of their surface – can have an impact on the magnitude of seismic events, but their study has been difficult because they are buried deep under the surface of the earth.

In order to gain a better understanding of the properties of these errors, researchers from McGill University, the University of California Santa Cruz and the Ruhr Bochum University in Germany used high-resolution seismic reflection data to draw and measure the roughness of 350 km2 of a boundary fault plate located off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

“We already knew that the roughness of the error was an important factor, but we did not know the extent of the faulty faults in the ground, nor the extent of the roughness of one error,” says James Kirkpatrick, professor at McGill Department. Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Coarser surfaces may explain the magnitude of the earthquake

In a study recently published in Nature Geoscience, Kirkpatrick and his colleagues were able to show that some parts of the studied defect have a rougher surface than others.

Historically, earthquakes in this part of the world have been moderately large (M7) and Kirkpatrick, who is also the author of the first study, believes that the coarse spots that they found may have been the cause.

“These rough spots are stronger and more resistant to seismic slip,” he says. “The historical record of earthquakes is relatively short, so we cannot say with certainty that larger earthquakes have not occurred. Future seismic events in the region, which will be recorded with modern equipment, should help us determine whether they show the same limited number of magnitude.”

Kirkpatrick and colleagues also hope to apply their methods to other subduction regions where similar geophysical data are available to begin assessing whether their findings are generally applicable.

“This correlation between error roughness and earthquake magnitude may one day help us understand the magnitude and pattern of earthquakes that are likely to cause a specific error.”

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About this study

“Substance heterogeneity variance characterized by 3D seismic data” by Kirkpatrick et al. It was published in Nature Geoscience.

This work received financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the National Science Foundation.

About McGill University

Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, McGill University is the highest-ranked medical doctoral university in Canada. McGill is consistently ranked as one of the best universities nationally and internationally. It is a world-renowned institution of higher education with research activities spanning two campuses, 11 colleges, 13 vocational schools, 300 study programs and more than 40,000 students, including more than 10,200 graduate students. McGill attracts students from more than 150 countries around the world, and 12,800 international students make up 31% of the student body. Over half of McGill students claim a first language other than English, including about 19% of our students who say French is their native language.

Contacts:

Cynthia Lee
McGill Media Relations Office
514-398-6754
[email protected]

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