Focal mechanism variations reveal mechanical controls on segmentation at oceanic transform faults
Fengzhou Tan, Wenyuan Fan, Peter M Shearer, Mark D Behn, Jeffrey J McGuire · 2026
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Description
Fengzhou Tan and colleagues study quakes along an undersea fault in a 2026 paper. Oceanic transform faults slide sideways, but not evenly: some stretches creep quietly while others lock and snap in big quakes. At the Gofar fault on the East Pacific Rise, the creeping stretches act as barriers that stop ruptures. Why the fault splits this way was unclear.
The team spent a year listening with seafloor instruments and catalogued more than two thousand small quakes. Only about a third were pure sideways slips; many slipped at angles, and some pushed up or dropped down. The angled and pushing types clustered inside the barrier zones. Modeling pointed to high water pressure and weak rock within those barriers. A large 2008 quake also stirred secondary cracks across the fault. The authors argue local rock properties, not chance, set where ruptures stop.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Fengzhou Tan, Wenyuan Fan, Peter M Shearer, Mark D Behn, Jeffrey J McGuire |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 51 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |