Seismotectonics of a diffuse plate boundary: Observations off the Sumatra‐Andaman trench

The Diffuse Plate boundary of Nubia and

Structure of the tsunamigenic plate boundary and low-frequency earthquakes in the southern Ryukyu Trench

It has been recognized that even weakly coupled subduction zones may cause large interplate earthquakes leading to destructive tsunamis. The Ryukyu Trench is one of the best fields to study this phenomenon, since various slow earthquakes and tsunamis have occurred; yet the fault structure and seismic activity there are poorly constrained. Here we present seismological evidence from marine obser...

The Relationship between Plate Curvature and Elastic Plate Thickness: a Study of the Peru-chile Trench

The age of the Nazca plate where it enters the Peru and northern Chile trenches varies from 30 Ma in the north to 45 Ma in the south as its dip beneath the South American continent steepens from 13' to 300. If the elastic thickness Te of oceanic lithosphere depends only on its age, and therefore thermal state, we would expect that Te determined from fitting the flexure of the lithosphere over t...

Pacific trench motions controlled by the asymmetric plate configuration

[1] We present a novel explanation for absolute trench-normal motions of slabs surrounding the Pacific. Rapid subduction-zone retreat on the eastern side of the Pacific and slow advance in the west can result from the large-scale asymmetric plate configuration. We use simple fluid dynamics to explain the mechanical background of this hypothesis, and we use the results of a simple finite differe...

Constraints on subducting plate strength within the Kermadec trench

[1] Four specially designed surveys parallel to the Kermadec trench allow localized estimates of plate strength within the subducting Pacific plate to be made. The transfer function between topography and gravity is estimated for five trench-parallel ship tracks at distances of 25–110 km from the trench axis. We find a clear reduction in the magnitude and peak wavelength of the transfer functio...