Modeling of Subduction Zone Fluid Flow and Slow Earthquakes (In-person presentation)
No webcast
This seminar is not available to view online.
So Ozawa
Stanford University
- Date & Time
- Location
- In-person presentation (online via Microsoft Teams)
- Host
- Curtis Baden
- Summary
Various types of observations suggest that fluids play an important role in generating slow earthquakes in subduction zones. A quantitative modeling approach is essential to gain a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between fluids and slow earthquakes. In the first part of the talk, we demonstrate that by ”fault-valve mechanism," where fault slip and permeability in the fault zone are coupled, steady sliding with background fluid flow becomes destabilized and leads to slow slip events even under conditions of velocity-strengthening friction. In the second part, we quantify the depth distribution of fluid production in the Cascadia subduction zone based on the thermodynamic equilibrium of rocks and the temperature-pressure conditions within the subduction zone. By combining this fluid production path with a hydraulic model, we estimate the distribution of pore fluid pressure, frictional strength, and viscous strength along the plate boundary.