Fast and slow earthquakes emerge due to fault geometrical complexity

Abstract

Active faults release elastic strain energy via a whole continuum of modes of slip, ranging from devastating earthquakes to Slow Slip Events and persistent creep. Understanding the mechanisms controlling the occurrence of rapid, dynamic slip radiating seismic waves (i.e. earthquakes) or slow, silent slip (i.e. SSEs) is a fundamental point in the estimation of seismic hazard along subduction zones. On top of showing slower rupture propagation velocity than earthquakes, SSEs exhibit different scaling relationships, which could reflect either different physical mechanisms or an intriguing lack of observations. Like earthquakes, SSEs are bound to occur along unstable portions of active faults, raising the question of the physical control of the mode of slip (seismic or aseismic) along these sections. Here, we use the numerical implementation of a simple rate-weakening fault model to explain the spontaneous occurrence, the characteristics and the scaling relationship of SSEs and earthquakes. We show that the simplest of fault geometrical complexities with uniform friction properties can reproduce slow and fast earthquakes without appealing to complex rheologies or mechanisms. Our model helps resolve many of the existing paradoxes between observations and physical models of earthquakes and SSEs.