Active Protothrusts and Fluid Highways: Seismic Noise Reveals Hidden Subduction Dynamics in Cascadia

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Kidiwela, Maleen, Denolle, Marine A., Wilcock, William S. D., Feng, Kuan-Fu
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Kidiwela, Maleen
Denolle, Marine A.
Wilcock, William S. D.
Feng, Kuan-Fu
author_facet Kidiwela, Maleen
Denolle, Marine A.
Wilcock, William S. D.
Feng, Kuan-Fu
contents Complex interactions between strain accumulation, fault slip, and fluid migration influence shallow subduction zone dynamics. Using a decade of continuous ambient seismic data from Cascadia seafloor observatories, we identified distinct regional variations in subduction dynamics. Northern Cascadia exhibits a fully locked megathrust with persistent strain accumulation, while central Cascadia displays a slow slip event on protothrusts and rapid fluid migration along fault systems in the overriding plate. Effective fluid transport through the decollement and the Alvin Canyon Fault likely modulates the earthquake behavior but does not cause slow slip events on the megathrust and likely stabilizes large earthquakes, promoting rupture arrest.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_15731
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Active Protothrusts and Fluid Highways: Seismic Noise Reveals Hidden Subduction Dynamics in Cascadia
Kidiwela, Maleen
Denolle, Marine A.
Wilcock, William S. D.
Feng, Kuan-Fu
Geophysics
Complex interactions between strain accumulation, fault slip, and fluid migration influence shallow subduction zone dynamics. Using a decade of continuous ambient seismic data from Cascadia seafloor observatories, we identified distinct regional variations in subduction dynamics. Northern Cascadia exhibits a fully locked megathrust with persistent strain accumulation, while central Cascadia displays a slow slip event on protothrusts and rapid fluid migration along fault systems in the overriding plate. Effective fluid transport through the decollement and the Alvin Canyon Fault likely modulates the earthquake behavior but does not cause slow slip events on the megathrust and likely stabilizes large earthquakes, promoting rupture arrest.
title Active Protothrusts and Fluid Highways: Seismic Noise Reveals Hidden Subduction Dynamics in Cascadia
topic Geophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.15731