Notably omitted from your list of West Coast subduction settings is the Rivera Plate. It’s obviously a small contributor to Eastern Pacific seismic activity yet it has been the source of very large earthquakes and is very dangerous.
Question: As to any relationship of Slow Slip and EQs
I wonder if in trying to understand any possible relationship of Slow Slip and EQs it becomes imperative to abandon attempting to employ language such as “trigger” that may inadequately describe a possible relationship.
I suggest/agree that words such as “predict and “trigger” aren’t valid.
But I wonder if as more data is carefully gathered it may be established that slow slip informs us not just that energy “has been released” on the unlocked plates contact, but it also may point to the state of accumulated stress “intra” the subducting plate.
Even in the case of EQs prior to slow slip, is it possibly the case that the EQ is releasing one form of stored energy on one fault structure inside the plate that’s a consequence of plate movement below the locked portion while the energy that slow slip will release isn’t affected by that rupture?
Since “triggering” of EQs by slow slip seems safely abandoned, so probably is triggering of slow slip by EQs.
Not being a geo-scientist, and being long retired, I don’t have the means to thoroughly closely watch slip and try to construct a framework representing a possible relationship, but under south Puget Sound there’s a potential seismological Petri dish for watching and gathering data.
In the modern geological era, since the introduction of seismographs, there have been 4 moderately large Benioff events near and north of Olympia, Washington. The largest was a Mw7 in 1949, the year I was born, and the most recent, a Mw6.8 was in 2001. All occurred before Sloow Slip science was established. South PS presents an interesting environment to continue to examine this question because since August 2008 PNSN has been collecting and making available Slow Slip data. ETS events happen on average every 10-14 months under PS. But Slow Slip also occurs in isolated areas all year, some of that in the area of the large, infrequent Benioff events.
Obviously it can’t be said that Slip “triggers” EQs but is it possible that in some areas such as S PS we eventually may learn from slip about the IntraPlate accumulation of stress and learn to construct forecasts, not predictions, that narrow down the known windows of dangerous EQ occurrence?
Notably omitted from your list of West Coast subduction settings is the Rivera Plate. It’s obviously a small contributor to Eastern Pacific seismic activity yet it has been the source of very large earthquakes and is very dangerous.
https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/132168/4/Gorriz_Trabajo_Master_2015.pdf
Ah, of course you are right! We have edited the text, crediting you. Thanks for highlighting this omission!
Nice summary. Thanks.
Question: As to any relationship of Slow Slip and EQs
I wonder if in trying to understand any possible relationship of Slow Slip and EQs it becomes imperative to abandon attempting to employ language such as “trigger” that may inadequately describe a possible relationship.
I suggest/agree that words such as “predict and “trigger” aren’t valid.
But I wonder if as more data is carefully gathered it may be established that slow slip informs us not just that energy “has been released” on the unlocked plates contact, but it also may point to the state of accumulated stress “intra” the subducting plate.
Even in the case of EQs prior to slow slip, is it possibly the case that the EQ is releasing one form of stored energy on one fault structure inside the plate that’s a consequence of plate movement below the locked portion while the energy that slow slip will release isn’t affected by that rupture?
Since “triggering” of EQs by slow slip seems safely abandoned, so probably is triggering of slow slip by EQs.
Not being a geo-scientist, and being long retired, I don’t have the means to thoroughly closely watch slip and try to construct a framework representing a possible relationship, but under south Puget Sound there’s a potential seismological Petri dish for watching and gathering data.
In the modern geological era, since the introduction of seismographs, there have been 4 moderately large Benioff events near and north of Olympia, Washington. The largest was a Mw7 in 1949, the year I was born, and the most recent, a Mw6.8 was in 2001. All occurred before Sloow Slip science was established. South PS presents an interesting environment to continue to examine this question because since August 2008 PNSN has been collecting and making available Slow Slip data. ETS events happen on average every 10-14 months under PS. But Slow Slip also occurs in isolated areas all year, some of that in the area of the large, infrequent Benioff events.
Obviously it can’t be said that Slip “triggers” EQs but is it possible that in some areas such as S PS we eventually may learn from slip about the IntraPlate accumulation of stress and learn to construct forecasts, not predictions, that narrow down the known windows of dangerous EQ occurrence?