Non-volcanic tremor and slow slip in subduction zones (Dragert and Obara)
Tremor no volcánico y deslizamiento lento en zonas de subducción (Dragert y Obara)
- Date
- 2001-2002 · confidence high
- Place
- Shikoku, Japan
- Credited to
- Herb Dragert and Kazushige Obara
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
Dragert (Cascadia, 2001) detected with GPS slow-slip episodes lasting days on the subducting plate, and Obara (2002) found in southwest Japan a tremor unrelated to volcanoes that accompanies them. It revealed a new mode of deformation between normal and seismic slip.
Cascadia and southwest Japan were discovered almost simultaneously; both contributions are cited together. The location is the Shikoku region, approximate.
What it led to
- understanding of the transition zone in subduction
- monitoring of megaquake risk
- a new branch of seismology: tectonic tremor