Slow slip near the trench at the Hikurangi subduction zone, New Zealand

Laura M. Wallace, Spahr C. Webb, Yoshihiro Ito, Kimihiro Mochizuki, Ryota Hino, Stuart Henrys, Susan Y. Schwartz, Anne F. Sheehan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

214 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The range of fault slip behaviors near the trench at subduction plate boundaries is critical to know, as this is where the world's largest, most damaging tsunamis are generated. Our knowledge of these behaviors has remained largely incomplete, partially due to the challenging nature of crustal deformation measurements at offshore plate boundaries. Here we present detailed seafloor deformation observations made during an offshore slow-slip event (SSE) in September and October 2014, using a network of absolute pressure gauges deployed at the Hikurangi subduction margin offshore New Zealand. These data show the distribution of vertical seafloor deformation during the SSE and reveal direct evidence for SSEs occurring close to the trench (within 2 kilometers of the seafloor), where very low temperatures and pressures exist.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)701-704
Number of pages4
JournalScience
Volume352
Issue number6286
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016 May 6

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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