TY - JOUR

T1 - Have the 1999 Izmit-Düzce earthquakes influenced the motion and seismicity of the Anatolian microplate

AU - Martin De Blas, J.

AU - Iaffaldano, G.

AU - Calais, E.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Royal Astronomical Society.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - In the current plate tectonics paradigm, relative plate motions are assumed to remain unperturbed by temporal stress changes occurring during the seismic cycle, whereby stress slowly built up along tectonic plate boundaries is suddenly released by rapid fault slip during earthquakes. However, direct observations that could challenge such a tenet have not been identified so far. Here we show that the rigid motion of the whole Anatolian microplate, measured using space geodetic techniques, was altered by the stress released during the 1999 Izmit-Düzce earthquakes, which ruptured along the North Anatolian Fault. This kinematic change requires a torque change that is in agreement with the torque change imparted upon the Anatolian microplate by the Izmit-Düzce coseismic stress release. This inference holds across realistic ranges of data noise and controlling parameters, and is not hindered by active deformation in western Anatolia. These results suggest the existence of a whole-plate kinematic signal associated with the stress released by large earthquakes.

AB - In the current plate tectonics paradigm, relative plate motions are assumed to remain unperturbed by temporal stress changes occurring during the seismic cycle, whereby stress slowly built up along tectonic plate boundaries is suddenly released by rapid fault slip during earthquakes. However, direct observations that could challenge such a tenet have not been identified so far. Here we show that the rigid motion of the whole Anatolian microplate, measured using space geodetic techniques, was altered by the stress released during the 1999 Izmit-Düzce earthquakes, which ruptured along the North Anatolian Fault. This kinematic change requires a torque change that is in agreement with the torque change imparted upon the Anatolian microplate by the Izmit-Düzce coseismic stress release. This inference holds across realistic ranges of data noise and controlling parameters, and is not hindered by active deformation in western Anatolia. These results suggest the existence of a whole-plate kinematic signal associated with the stress released by large earthquakes.

KW - Dynamics of lithosphere and mantle

KW - Plate motions

KW - Satellite geodesy

KW - Seismic cycle

U2 - 10.1093/gji/ggac020

DO - 10.1093/gji/ggac020

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85126097987

VL - 229

SP - 1754

EP - 1769

JO - Geophysical Journal International

JF - Geophysical Journal International

SN - 0956-540X

IS - 3

ER -