Ya-Ju Hsu

Bio: Ya-Ju Hsu is an academic researcher from Academia Sinica. The author has contributed to research in topics: Slip (materials science) & Fault (geology). The author has an hindex of 26, co-authored 74 publications receiving 2861 citations. Previous affiliations of Ya-Ju Hsu include California Institute of Technology & National Taiwan University.

Frictional Afterslip Following the 2005 Nias-Simeulue Earthquake, Sumatra

Abstract: Continuously recording Global Positioning System stations near the 28 March 2005 rupture of the Sunda megathrust [moment magnitude (M_w) 8.7] show that the earthquake triggered aseismic frictional afterslip on the subduction megathrust, with a major fraction of this slip in the up-dip direction from the main rupture. Eleven months after the main shock, afterslip continues at rates several times the average interseismic rate, resulting in deformation equivalent to at least a M_w 8.2 earthquake. In general, along-strike variations in frictional behavior appear to persist over multiple earthquake cycles. Aftershocks cluster along the boundary between the region of coseismic slip and the up-dip creeping zone. We observe that the cumulative number of aftershocks increases linearly with postseismic displacements; this finding suggests that the temporal evolution of aftershocks is governed by afterslip.

Supporting Online Material for Deformation and Slip Along the Sunda Megathrust in the Great 2005 Nias-Simeulue Earthquake

Abstract: Seismic rupture produced spectacular tectonic deformation above a 400-kilometer strip of the Sunda megathrust, offshore northern Sumatra, in March 2005. Measurements from coral microatolls and Global Positioning System stations reveal trench-parallel belts of uplift up to 3 meters high on the outer-arc islands above the rupture and a 1-meter-deep subsidence trough farther from the trench. Surface deformation reflects more than 11 meters of fault slip under the islands and a pronounced lessening of slip trenchward. A saddle in megathrust slip separates the northwestern edge of the 2005 rupture from the great 2004 Sumatra-Andaman rupture. The southeastern edge abuts a predominantly aseismic section of the megathrust near the equator.

Deformation and Slip Along the Sunda Megathrust in the Great 2005 Nias-Simeulue Earthquake

Abstract: Seismic rupture produced spectacular tectonic deformation above a 400-kilometer strip of the Sunda megathrust, offshore northern Sumatra, in March 2005. Measurements from coral microatolls and Global Positioning System stations reveal trench-parallel belts of uplift up to 3 meters high on the outer-arc islands above the rupture and a 1-meter-deep subsidence trough farther from the trench. Surface deformation reflects more than 11 meters of fault slip under the islands and a pronounced lessening of slip trenchward. A saddle in megathrust slip separates the northwestern edge of the 2005 rupture from the great 2004 Sumatra-Andaman rupture. The southeastern edge abuts a predominantly aseismic section of the megathrust near the equator.

Preseismic deformation and coseismic displacements associated With the 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan, Earthquake

Abstract: The destructive 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan, earthquake ( M w 7.5) produced an approximately 100-km-long surface rupture, mostly along the previously recognized north-south-trending Chelungpu fault. Preseismic deformation in central Taiwan is realized from annually repeated Global Positioning System (GPS) data acquired during the 1992-1999 period. The total WNW-ESE shortening rate in the vicinity of the epicentral region, that is from the west coast to the western boundary of the Central Range, is up to 25 mm/yr. The crustal deformation before the Chi-Chi earthquake was essentially a uniaxial compressional strain of 0.36 μstrain/yr in the direction of 114°. The GPS measurements taken 0.2-2.7 yr before and within 3 months after the mainshock were utilized to estimate the coseismic displacements. Horizontal movements of 1.1-9.1 m in the NW-NNW directions are observed on the hanging wall (eastern side) of the fault. There is a northward-increasing trend in the magnitude of the displacement vectors and a dramatic change in the direction of about 50° toward the east along the fault strike. In contrast, much smaller SE-SEE movements of 0.1-1.5 m are found on the footwall (western side) of the fault. The GPS data show 2.4-10.1 m of total horizontal offsets across the Chelungpu fault. Vertical offsets of 1.2-4.4 m with the eastern side up are also observed along the surface rupture. The uplift on the hanging wall decreases rapidly toward the east. It becomes subsidence at Sun Moon Lake and in the Puli-Wushe area. The stations on the footwall show subsidence of 0.02-0.26 m. The width of the uplift zone increases from about 10 km in the south to approximately 30 km in the north. Manuscript received 13 October 2000.

Fault geometry and slip distribution of the 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan earthquake imaged from inversion of GPS data

Abstract: GPS measurements of coseismic displacements from the 1999, Chi-Chi, Taiwan earthquake are modeled using elastic dislocation theory. We find that a single fault plane cannot fit the data, but rather a curved fault surface consisting of multiple segments dipping 20–25° best fits the observations. The model fault exhibits reverse and left-lateral slip on a 75 km long N-S trending segment and reverse and right-lateral slip on a 25 km E-W trending segment at the northern end of the rupture. The 21° dipping E-W segment is inconsistent with previous interpretations of high angle tear faulting.

Rheology of the Lower Crust and Upper Mantle: Evidence from Rock Mechanics, Geodesy, and Field Observations

Abstract: Rock-mechanics experiments, geodetic observations of postloading strain transients, and micro- and macrostructural studies of exhumed ductile shear zones provide complementary views of the style and rheology of deformation deep in Earth's crust and upper mantle. Overall, results obtained in small-scale laboratory experiments provide robust constraints on deformation mechanisms and viscosities at the natural laboratory conditions. Geodetic inferences of the viscous strength of the upper mantle are consistent with flow of mantle rocks at temperatures and water contents determined from surface heat-flow, seismic, and mantle xenolith studies. Laboratory results show that deformation mechanisms and rheology strongly vary as a function of stress, grain size, and fluids. Field studies reveal a strong tendency for deformation in the lower crust and uppermost mantle in and adjacent to fault zones to localize into systems of discrete shear zones with strongly reduced grain size and strength. Deformation mechanisms ...

Coseismic and postseismic slip of the 2011 magnitude-9 Tohoku-Oki earthquake

Abstract: Detailed analysis of Global Positioning System data from Japan's Geospatial Information Authority network provides a record of coseismic and postseismic slip distribution on the megathrust fault where the magnitude-9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake occurred on 11 March 2011. The coseismic slip area stretches some 400 kilometres along the Japan trench, matching the area of the preseismic locked zone. Afterslip is now overlapping the coseismic slip area and expanding into the surrounding regions. The authors conclude that such geodetic data could help to improve the forecasting of earthquake potential along other subduction zones. In the accompanying News & Views, Jean-Philippe Avouac discusses current models for assessing seismic hazard. Most large earthquakes occur along an oceanic trench, where an oceanic plate subducts beneath a continental plate. Massive earthquakes with a moment magnitude, Mw, of nine have been known to occur in only a few areas, including Chile, Alaska, Kamchatka and Sumatra. No historical records exist of a Mw = 9 earthquake along the Japan trench, where the Pacific plate subducts beneath the Okhotsk plate, with the possible exception of the ad 869 Jogan earthquake1, the magnitude of which has not been well constrained. However, the strain accumulation rate estimated there from recent geodetic observations is much higher than the average strain rate released in previous interplate earthquakes2,3,4,5,6. This finding raises the question of how such areas release the accumulated strain. A megathrust earthquake with Mw = 9.0 (hereafter referred to as the Tohoku-Oki earthquake) occurred on 11 March 2011, rupturing the plate boundary off the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. Here we report the distributions of the coseismic slip and postseismic slip as determined from ground displacement detected using a network based on the Global Positioning System. The coseismic slip area extends approximately 400 km along the Japan trench, matching the area of the pre-seismic locked zone4. The afterslip has begun to overlap the coseismic slip area and extends into the surrounding region. In particular, the afterslip area reached a depth of approximately 100 km, with Mw = 8.3, on 25 March 2011. Because the Tohoku-Oki earthquake released the strain accumulated for several hundred years, the paradox of the strain budget imbalance may be partly resolved. This earthquake reminds us of the potential for Mw ≈ 9 earthquakes to occur along other trench systems, even if no past evidence of such events exists. Therefore, it is imperative that strain accumulation be monitored using a space geodetic technique to assess earthquake potential.

The 2011 Magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake: Mosaicking the Megathrust from Seconds to Centuries

Abstract: Geophysical observations from the 2011 moment magnitude (M_w) 9.0 Tohoku-Oki, Japan earthquake allow exploration of a rare large event along a subduction megathrust. Models for this event indicate that the distribution of coseismic fault slip exceeded 50 meters in places. Sources of high-frequency seismic waves delineate the edges of the deepest portions of coseismic slip and do not simply correlate with the locations of peak slip. Relative to the M_w 8.8 2010 Maule, Chile earthquake, the Tohoku-Oki earthquake was deficient in high-frequency seismic radiation-a difference that we attribute to its relatively shallow depth. Estimates of total fault slip and surface secular strain accumulation on millennial time scales suggest the need to consider the potential for a future large earthquake just south of this event.

An integrated perspective of the continuum between earthquakes and slow-slip phenomena

Abstract: Slow slip, a mechanism by which faults can relieve stress, was thought to be distinct from earthquakes. However, a global review of slow-slip phenomena suggests that instead there is a continuum between the two types of event.

A geodetic plate motion and Global Strain Rate Model

Abstract: We present a new global model of plate motions and strain rates in plate boundary zones constrained by horizontal geodetic velocities. This Global Strain Rate Model (GSRM v.2.1) is a vast improvement over its predecessor both in terms of amount of data input as in an increase in spatial model resolution by factor of ∼2.5 in areas with dense data coverage. We determined 6739 velocities from time series of (mostly) continuous GPS measurements; i.e., by far the largest global velocity solution to date. We transformed 15,772 velocities from 233 (mostly) published studies onto our core solution to obtain 22,511 velocities in the same reference frame. Care is taken to not use velocities from stations (or time periods) that are affected by transient phenomena; i.e., this data set consists of velocities best representing the interseismic plate velocity. About 14% of the Earth is allowed to deform in 145,086 deforming grid cells (0.25° longitude by 0.2° latitude in dimension). The remainder of the Earth's surface is modeled as rigid spherical caps representing 50 tectonic plates. For 36 plates we present new GPS-derived angular velocities. For all the plates that can be compared with the most recent geologic plate motion model, we find that the difference in angular velocity is significant. The rigid-body rotations are used as boundary conditions in the strain rate calculations. The strain rate field is modeled using the Haines and Holt method, which uses splines to obtain an self-consistent interpolated velocity gradient tensor field, from which strain rates, vorticity rates, and expected velocities are derived. We also present expected faulting orientations in areas with significant vorticity, and update the no-net rotation reference frame associated with our global velocity gradient field. Finally, we present a global map of recurrence times for Mw=7.5 characteristic earthquakes.