Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
ScS-triggered slip on megathrust interfaces after the 2011 MW 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. |
| Authors: |
Park, Sunyoung (AUTHOR), Kanamori, Hiroo (AUTHOR), Rivera, Luis (AUTHOR) |
| Source: |
Science. 6/18/2026, Vol. 392 Issue 6804, p1297-1301. 5p. |
| Subjects: |
Shear waves, Ground motion, Earthquake aftershocks, Earthquake hazard analysis, Plate tectonics, Sendai Earthquake, Japan, 2011 |
| Geographic Terms: |
Tōhoku Region (Japan), Japan |
| Abstract: |
We report an extraordinary observation of ground motion in Japan after the moment magnitude (MW) 9.0 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake attributed to a multiplate-interface slip event triggered by shear wave that traveled to the Earth's core and back. The megathrust earthquake generated a strong ScS phase with a peak-to-peak amplitude exceeding 1 centimeter in Japan. Superposed on this waveform, an eastward steplike displacement of up to 5 to 6 millimeters was recorded in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data throughout Japan. This likely originated from slip on the megathrust interfaces triggered by the nearly simultaneous arrival of the ScS wave across Japan. Such an ScS triggering is a previously unrecognized source of seismic hazard, which can potentially (re)activate the mainshock area and the broader surrounding megathrust interfaces. Editor's summary: Large earthquakes are often followed by events that cause additional slip and ground motion, which can be related to the mainshock or its aftershocks. Using satellite data to study the 2011 moment magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake, Park et al. instead detected an eastward, step-like shift across Japan about 13 minutes after the mainshock and unrelated to any aftershocks. The motion corresponded with arrival of an ScS waveform, a shear phase that had reflected off of Earth's core. The earthquake's power returned in this wave, having traveled thousands of hard kilometers to reactivate plate boundaries and move Japan. —Angela Hessler [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
