Inhaltsbereich
From The Incoming Plate To mega Thrust Earth Quake Processes
TIPTEQ
Convergent continental margins are the site of large earthquakes originating along the interface between the subducting and overriding plates. The site of the strongest historically recorded earthquake (Mw=9.5, 1960) is the study area of the ongoing TIPTEQ project (2004-2007) in Chile.
Here, in southern central Chile the project investigates the controlling parameters of processes leading to earthquakes in the seismogenic coupling zones (add link to more detailed TIPTEQ pages). Along the plate margin the oceanic Nazca plate subducts below the South American continent. Thereby, material is accreted and folded, faults are generated, material is transported to large depths where it is possibly accreteded at the base of the upper plate. These structures and processes are the targets of geophysical imaging and - together with geological surface observations- form the basis for numerical and analog simulations of active margin deformation and the the processes leading to mega-thrust earthquakes.
First pilot studies in 2001 (project SPOC) have shown that the target area is well suited for our investigations.
Our contributions to TIPTEQ:
- Seismic and structural image of the plate interface
- Co-seismic mass transfer and surface processes
- Experimental and numerical analysis of deformation processes Simulation of surface deformation during subduction earthquakes