Effects of Contact Geometry of Faults on Transmission Waves

—?In order to clarify the effects of contact geometry of faults on transmission waves, we have performed a series of experiments in which P and S waves with known wavelength were transmitted through an artificial fault. A pair of piezo-electric transducers (PZT) with various resonant frequency were used for the transmitter and the receiver. Parallel grooves were cut on disk surfaces and two disks were placed face to face with the grooves on one disk being perpendicular to those on the other disk. This yields evenly spaced square contacts on the fault. We regard the square contacts as asperity contacts, the size and the height of which were controlled by changing the width and the depth of the grooves. We found that the transmissivity of the waves is solely determined by the ratio of the groove depth/width to wavelength. The shallower and the narrower the groove depth and width are, the larger the amplitude of first arrival is for both P and S waves. When the groove depth is shallower than a quarter of wavelength, the effect of groove depth is negligible; deeper grooves significantly reduce the amplitude. We have made a mathematical model based on the stiffness of fault. By comparing the model calculations with the observation we found that the model has a limit at which the prediction by the model deviates from the data. The deviation occurs when the ratio of the groove depth/width to wavelength becomes 0.25. We refer to the wavelength as the critical wavelength. When the wavelength is larger than the critical wavelength, the observed data can be well explained by the model. Above this threshold, the model no longer fits the data. In this range, the amplitude of transmitted waves is found to be proportional to the real contact area. Although it is a kind of paradox that the amplitude, not the energy, is proportional to the real contact area, it is possibly explained by taking a non-uniform distribution of stress on the surface of the receiver PZT into account.     

Temporal Variations of Seismic Wave Velocity Associated with 1998 M6.1 Shizukuishi Earthquake

—?We attempt to detect temporal variations of seismic wave velocity before and after 1998 M6.1 Shizukuishi, northeastern Japan, earthquake by using waveform data from explosions and earthquake doublets spanning the period immediately before and after the earthquake. Direct P waves of the second explosion are delayed by ～20 ms at observation stations with epicentral distances less than 15 km. This tendency does not change if the analysis frequency band is changed. Our result suggests that the P-wave velocity decreased by at least 1% in the extremely shallow region of the hanging wall of the M6.1 thrust event after its occurrence. On the other hand, there was the frequency dependence of the coda wave delays for both artificial sources and for natural events. At 5–10 Hz, immediate sharp increases by more than 20 ms in time delays and lower coherency were observed at several stations. We estimated the region in which P-wave velocity might have decreased after the M6.1 earthquake. Maximum depth of the region is 13 km. The region includes the aftershock area of the M6.1 earthquake, but is eccentric to the earthquake in the west. Considering the frequency band analyzed (5–10 Hz), the scale of the spatial inhomogeneity which led to the coda wave delay is several hundreds meters. We investigated candidates for the cause of the direct P-wave and coda wave delay. Observed direct P-wave delay can be partly explained by the stress changes caused by coseismic fault slip. However, the coda wave delay cannot be explained by the stress changes that are limited to the superficial area. Crustal heterogeneity should have changed at coseismic time in the deeper area where aftershocks of the M6.1 earthquake occurred.     

Groundwater microtemperature in earthquake regions

Microtemperature measurements of groundwater with a relative precision better than 1/1000°C have been made in several seismically active areas in Japan. The measured temperatures show clear coseismic signals as well as a correlation with atmospheric pressure. Simultaneous observations at various depths have shown that these temperature changes were not induced by simple groundwater level changes. Also, distinctive signals occurred before several earthquakes and seem to be caused by a different mechanism than the coseismic signals. The microtemperature at some observation sites shows excellent correlation with records of nearby sensitive borehole strainmeters. Simultaneous recording of microtemperature and strain has been initiated in some boreholes.     

Three-dimensional antidunes coexisting with alternate bars

Antidunes are fluvial bedforms that form in rivers with supercritical flows. The water surface over antidunes is strongly in phase with the bed surface, and the water surface is amplified to produce large surface waves. Many experimental studies have addressed antidunes; however, the shapes of three-dimensional antidunes in a wide channel with alternate bars have not yet been appropriately understood. In this study, we experimentally investigated the streamwise and transverse length scales of antidunes under conditions with a large width–depth ratio. Our experimental results provide evidence for the coevolution of antidunes and free alternate bars, and show for the first time that the development of free bars greatly alters the three-dimensional shape of water surface waves over antidunes. In the absence of free bars in a wide channel, multiple longitudinal wave trains form, and the number of wave trains counted in the transverse direction increases with increases in the width–depth ratio. However, the presence of free bars affects the local flow characteristics, resulting in a decrease of the number of wave trains in the transverse direction. Therefore, we propose a simple model for predicting the reduction in the number of wave trains by combining two previous theories for antidunes and free bars. Results obtained by the model were found to largely agree with experimental observations. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Physical conditions producing slab stagnation: Constraints of the Clapeyron slope, mantle viscosity, trench retreat, and dip angles

Recent seismic tomography has revealed various morphologies in the subducted lithosphere. In particular, significant flattening and stagnation of slabs around the 660-km boundary are seen in some areas beneath the northwestern Pacific subduction zones. We examined the cause of slab stagnation in terms of the Clapeyron slope of the phase transformation from ringwoodite to perovskite + magnesiowüstite, trench retreat velocity, dip angles, and high viscosity of the lower mantle based on two-dimensional (2-D) numerical simulations of thermal convection. In particular, we examined the conditions necessary for slab stagnation assuming a very small absolute value of the Clapeyron slope, which were proposed based on recent high-pressure, high-temperature (high P–T) experiments. Our calculations show that slabs tend to stagnate above the 660-km boundary with an increasing absolute value of the Clapeyron slope, viscosity jump at the boundary, and trench retreat velocity and a decreasing initial dip angle. Stagnant slabs could be obtained numerically for a realistic range of parameters obtained from high P–T experiments and other geophysical observations combining buoyancy, high lower-mantle viscosity, and trench retreat. We found that a low dip angle of a descending slab at the bottom of the upper mantle plays an important role in slab stagnation. Two main regimes underlie slab stagnation: buoyancy-dominated and viscosity-dominated regimes. In the viscosity-dominated regime, it is possible for slabs to stagnate above the 660-km boundary, even when the value of the Clapeyron slope is 0 MPa/K.     

Geochemical indicators and seismic phenomena

Bulletin of Volcanology - The results obtained from the study of the Atami Geyser. of Hakone Volcano fumaroles, and of Kagai hot springs can be used for the geochemical prediction of ‘great...     

Configuration of the subducting Philippine Sea slab in the eastern part of southwestern Japan with seismic array and Hi-net data

It is important to know the shape of a subducting slab in order to understand the mechanisms of inter-plate earthquakes and the process of subduction. Seismicity data and converted phases have been used to detect plate boundaries. The configuration of the Philippine Sea slab has been obtained at the western part of southwestern Japan. At the eastern part of southwestern Japan, however, the configuration of the Philippine Sea slab has not yet been confirmed. A spatially high-density seismic network makes it possible to detect the boundaries of the Philippine Sea slab. We used a spatially high-density temporal seismic array in the area. The configuration of the Philippine Sea plate is obtained at the eastern part of southwestern Japan using the temporal seismic array and permanent seismic network data and comparing the seismic structure obtained from the results of refraction surveys. The configuration of the Philippine Sea plate obtained by this study does not bend sharply compared to previous models obtained from receiver function analyses. We delineated the upper boundary of the slab to a depth of about 45 km. The weak image of the boundary, which corresponds to the upper mantle reflector beneath the source area of the 2000 Western Tottori earthquake, was detected using the spatially dense array.