Deep Dehydration as a Plausible Mechanism of the 2013 Mw 8.3 Sea of Okhotsk Deep-Focus Earthquake

Hao Zhang; Suzan van der Lee; Craig R. Bina; Zengxi Ge

doi:10.3389/feart.2021.521220

Deep Dehydration as a Plausible Mechanism of the 2013 Mw 8.3 Sea of Okhotsk Deep-Focus Earthquake

Hao Zhang^*, Suzan van der Lee, Craig R. Bina, Zengxi Ge

^*Corresponding author for this work

Earth and Planetary Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The rupture mechanisms of deep-focus (>300 km) earthquakes in subducting slabs of oceanic lithosphere are not well understood and different from brittle failure associated with shallow (<70 km) earthquakes. Here, we argue that dehydration embrittlement, often invoked as a mechanism for intermediate-depth earthquakes, is a plausible alternative model for this deep earthquake. Our argument is based upon the orientation and size of the plane that ruptured during the deep, 2013 Mw 8.3 Sea of Okhotsk earthquake, its rupture velocity and radiation efficiency, as well as diverse evidence of water subducting as deep as the transition zone and below. The rupture process of this earthquake has been inferred from back-projecting dual-band seismograms recorded at hundreds of seismic stations in North America and Europe, as well as by fitting P-wave trains recorded at dozens of globally distributed stations. If our inferences are correct, the entirety of the subducting Pacific lithosphere cannot be completely dry at deep, transition-zone depths, and other deep-focus earthquakes may also be associated with deep dehydration reactions.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	521220
Journal	Frontiers in Earth Science
Volume	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.521220
State	Published - Aug 4 2021

Funding

We thank Trevor Bollmann, Michael Witek, and Emily Wolin for polishing this manuscript as well as Harry Green II, Emile A. Okal, Anthony Sladen, Zhongwen Zhan, and Heidi Houston for constructive comments and helpful discussion. We also thank Wessel and Smith (1995), as all the figures in this manuscript were plotted using their Generic Mapping Tools (GMT). Waveform data at the European (doi:10.14470/TR560404), USArray Transportable Array Seismic Networks (https://doi.org/10.7914/SN/TA), and the Global Seismic Network (https://doi.org/10.7914/SN/IU) were downloaded from the IRIS-DMC (http://ds.iris.edu). Ge Z. is supported by National key research and development program (Grant No. 2018YFC1504203) and the National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41774047). We thank Trevor Bollmann, Michael Witek, and Emily Wolin for polishing this manuscript as well as Harry Green II, Emile A. Okal, Anthony Sladen, Zhongwen Zhan, and Heidi Houston for constructive comments and helpful discussion. We also thank Wessel and Smith (1995), as all the figures in this manuscript were plotted using their Generic Mapping Tools (GMT). Waveform data at the European (doi:10.14470/TR560404), USArray Transportable Array Seismic Networks (https://doi. org/10.7914/SN/TA), and the Global Seismic Network (https:// doi.org/10.7914/SN/IU) were downloaded from the IRIS-DMC (http://ds.iris.edu). Ge Z. is supported by National key research and development program (Grant No. 2018YFC1504203) and the National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41774047).

Keywords

2013 okhotsk deep-focus earthquake
P wave
deep dehydration
multi-array, multiband back projection
multi-subevent model
rupture velocity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Earth and Planetary Sciences

Access to Document

10.3389/feart.2021.521220

Cite this

@article{c77c9a41d73a4278b3a2d29b7036d92a,

title = "Deep Dehydration as a Plausible Mechanism of the 2013 Mw 8.3 Sea of Okhotsk Deep-Focus Earthquake",

abstract = "The rupture mechanisms of deep-focus (>300 km) earthquakes in subducting slabs of oceanic lithosphere are not well understood and different from brittle failure associated with shallow (<70 km) earthquakes. Here, we argue that dehydration embrittlement, often invoked as a mechanism for intermediate-depth earthquakes, is a plausible alternative model for this deep earthquake. Our argument is based upon the orientation and size of the plane that ruptured during the deep, 2013 Mw 8.3 Sea of Okhotsk earthquake, its rupture velocity and radiation efficiency, as well as diverse evidence of water subducting as deep as the transition zone and below. The rupture process of this earthquake has been inferred from back-projecting dual-band seismograms recorded at hundreds of seismic stations in North America and Europe, as well as by fitting P-wave trains recorded at dozens of globally distributed stations. If our inferences are correct, the entirety of the subducting Pacific lithosphere cannot be completely dry at deep, transition-zone depths, and other deep-focus earthquakes may also be associated with deep dehydration reactions.",

keywords = "2013 okhotsk deep-focus earthquake, P wave, deep dehydration, multi-array, multiband back projection, multi-subevent model, rupture velocity",

author = "Hao Zhang and {van der Lee}, Suzan and Bina, {Craig R.} and Zengxi Ge",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Copyright {\textcopyright} 2021 Zhang, van der Lee, Bina and Ge.",

year = "2021",

month = aug,

day = "4",

doi = "10.3389/feart.2021.521220",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "9",

journal = "Frontiers in Earth Science",

issn = "2296-6463",

publisher = "Frontiers Research Foundation",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Deep Dehydration as a Plausible Mechanism of the 2013 Mw 8.3 Sea of Okhotsk Deep-Focus Earthquake

AU - Zhang, Hao

AU - van der Lee, Suzan

AU - Bina, Craig R.

AU - Ge, Zengxi

PY - 2021/8/4

Y1 - 2021/8/4

N2 - The rupture mechanisms of deep-focus (>300 km) earthquakes in subducting slabs of oceanic lithosphere are not well understood and different from brittle failure associated with shallow (<70 km) earthquakes. Here, we argue that dehydration embrittlement, often invoked as a mechanism for intermediate-depth earthquakes, is a plausible alternative model for this deep earthquake. Our argument is based upon the orientation and size of the plane that ruptured during the deep, 2013 Mw 8.3 Sea of Okhotsk earthquake, its rupture velocity and radiation efficiency, as well as diverse evidence of water subducting as deep as the transition zone and below. The rupture process of this earthquake has been inferred from back-projecting dual-band seismograms recorded at hundreds of seismic stations in North America and Europe, as well as by fitting P-wave trains recorded at dozens of globally distributed stations. If our inferences are correct, the entirety of the subducting Pacific lithosphere cannot be completely dry at deep, transition-zone depths, and other deep-focus earthquakes may also be associated with deep dehydration reactions.

AB - The rupture mechanisms of deep-focus (>300 km) earthquakes in subducting slabs of oceanic lithosphere are not well understood and different from brittle failure associated with shallow (<70 km) earthquakes. Here, we argue that dehydration embrittlement, often invoked as a mechanism for intermediate-depth earthquakes, is a plausible alternative model for this deep earthquake. Our argument is based upon the orientation and size of the plane that ruptured during the deep, 2013 Mw 8.3 Sea of Okhotsk earthquake, its rupture velocity and radiation efficiency, as well as diverse evidence of water subducting as deep as the transition zone and below. The rupture process of this earthquake has been inferred from back-projecting dual-band seismograms recorded at hundreds of seismic stations in North America and Europe, as well as by fitting P-wave trains recorded at dozens of globally distributed stations. If our inferences are correct, the entirety of the subducting Pacific lithosphere cannot be completely dry at deep, transition-zone depths, and other deep-focus earthquakes may also be associated with deep dehydration reactions.

KW - 2013 okhotsk deep-focus earthquake

KW - P wave

KW - deep dehydration

KW - multi-array, multiband back projection

KW - multi-subevent model

KW - rupture velocity

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85113133422&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85113133422&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3389/feart.2021.521220

DO - 10.3389/feart.2021.521220

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85113133422

SN - 2296-6463

VL - 9

JO - Frontiers in Earth Science

JF - Frontiers in Earth Science

M1 - 521220

ER -

Deep Dehydration as a Plausible Mechanism of the 2013 Mw 8.3 Sea of Okhotsk Deep-Focus Earthquake

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this