Fully-coupled simulations of subduction zone earthquakes and tsunamis
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Tsunamis from subduction zone earthquakes are fairly rare but extremely devastating. In order to prepare our coastlines and develop effective early warning systems for tsunamis, we must have a sufficiently full understanding of the physics of tsunami generation. We develop a model that fully couples dynamic earthquake rupture to the response of the ocean, capturing the full seismic, ocean acoustic, and tsunami wavefield. We first use this model to determine self-consistent initial conditions for tsunami problems, finding that horizontal momentum imparted to the ocean by the earth goes largely into ocean acoustic waves rather than the tsunami. The standard approach of setting initial horizontal velocity in the ocean to zero is correct. We also study the question of how the compliant materials in sedimentary prisms affect earthquake slip and tsunamigenesis, finding that friction, material properties, and prism size all play a role in determining the efficiency of tsunami generation, sometimes in nonintuitive ways. We then use data from seismic surveys, drilling expeditions, and laboratory experiments to construct complex numerical models of real subduction zones. The Japan Trench's small sedimentary prism enhances shallow slip but has only a small effect on tsunami height. In Nankai where there is a prominent splay fault, frictional parameters and off-fault material properties both influence the choice of rupture pathway in complex ways. The splay generates tsunami waves more efficiently than the decollement. Rupture in Cascadia is buried beneath the seafloor but causes a tsunami that is highly complex due to the rough seafloor bathymetry. We demonstrate the effects of using realistic material properties and show how horizontal seafloor motion impacts tsunami generation in realistic subduction zone geometries.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Place | California |
| Place | [Stanford, California] |
| Publisher | [Stanford University] |
| Copyright date | 2018; ©2018 |
| Publication date | 2018; 2018 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Lotto, Gabriel Charles |
|---|---|
| Degree supervisor | Dunham, Eric |
| Thesis advisor | Dunham, Eric |
| Thesis advisor | Beroza, Gregory C. (Gregory Christian) |
| Thesis advisor | Suckale, Jenny |
| Degree committee member | Beroza, Gregory C. (Gregory Christian) |
| Degree committee member | Suckale, Jenny |
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Geophysics. |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|---|
| Genre | Text |
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Gabriel Charles Lotto. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Geophysics. |
| Thesis | Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2018. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2018 by Gabriel Charles Lotto
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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