single-dr.php

JDR Vol.9 No.3 pp. 294-302
(2014)
doi: 10.20965/jdr.2014.p0294

Paper:

Pre-, Co-, and Post-Seismic Deformation of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake and its Implication to a Paradox in Short-Term and Long-Term Deformation

Takuya Nishimura

Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan

Received:
January 6, 2014
Accepted:
March 30, 2014
Published:
June 1, 2014
Keywords:
crustal deformation, interplate coupling, GNSS, leveling
Abstract
The 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake caused large eastward displacement and subsidence along the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. This earthquake partly solved a well-known paradox holding that sense and rate of deformation differ greatly between geologic and geodetic estimates. A paradox remains, however, in explaining long-term uplift along the Pacific coast on a geologic time-scale. Geodetic data show that coastal subsidence continued at a nearly constant rate of ∼5 mm/yr with small fluctuations associated with M7-8 interplate earthquakes for ∼120 years before the Tohoku-oki earthquake. In an area near the Oshika Peninsula where coseismic subsidence is largest, extrapolation of a logarithmic function fitting observed postseismic deformation suggests that coseismic subsidence may be compensated for by the postseismic uplift for several decades but it is difficult to expect the postseismic uplift exceeding 2 meters, so it is implausible that the observed rapid subsidence continued throughout an entire interseismic period in a great megathrust earthquake cycle. We propose a hypothetical model in which the sense of vertical deformation changes from uplift to subsidence during the interseismic period. Using simple elastic dislocation theory, this model is explained by the shallow coupled part of a plate interface in an early interseismic period and the deep coupled part of a late interseismic period.
Cite this article as:
T. Nishimura, “Pre-, Co-, and Post-Seismic Deformation of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake and its Implication to a Paradox in Short-Term and Long-Term Deformation,” J. Disaster Res., Vol.9 No.3, pp. 294-302, 2014.
Data files:
References
  1. [1] T. Nishimura, H. Munekane, and H. Yarai, “The 2011 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake and its aftershocks observed by GEONET,” Earth Planets Space, Vol.63, pp. 631-636, 2011.
  2. [2] M. Wang et al., “Far-field coseismic displacements associated with the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake in Japan observed by Global Positioning System,” Chinese Sci. Bull., Vol.56, pp. 2419-2424, 2011.
  3. [3] N. V. Shestakov et al., “Analysis of the far-field crustal displacements caused by the 2011 Great Tohoku earthquake inferred from continuous GPS observations,” Tectonophys., vol.524, pp. 76-86, 2012.
  4. [4] T. Sagiya, “A decade of GEONET: 1994-2003 – The continuous GPS observation in Japan and its imapct on earthquake studies,” Earth Planets. Space, Vol.56, xxix-xli, 2004.
  5. [5] T. Dambara, “Synthetic vertical movements in Japan during the recent 70 years,” J. Geod. Soc. Jpn., Vol.17, pp. 100-108, 1971 (in Japanese with English abstract).
  6. [6] K. Nakane, “Horizontal tectonic strain in Japan (I),” J. Geod. Soc. Jpn., Vol.19, pp. 190-199, 1973 (in Japanese with English abstract).
  7. [7] T. Nishimura, “Crustal deformation of northeastern Japan based on geodetic data for recent 120 years,” J. Geol. Soc. Jpn., Vol 118, pp. 278-293, 2012 (in Japanese with English abstract).
  8. [8] Y. Ikeda, “Implications of active fault study for the present-day tectonics of the Japan arc,” Active Fault Res., Vol.15, pp. 93-99, 1996 (in Japanese with English abstract).
  9. [9] Y. Ikeda, S. Okada, and M. Tajikara, “Long-term strain buildup in the northeast Japan arc-trench system and its implications for gigantic strain-release events,” J. Geol. Soc. Jpn., Vol.118, pp. 204-312, 2012 (in Japanese with English abstract).
  10. [10] T. Nishimura, T. Hirasawa, S. Miyazaki, T. Sagiya, T. Tada, S. Miura, and K. Tanaka, “Temporal change of interplate coupling in northeastern Japan during 1995-2002 estimated from continuous GPS observations,” Geophys. J. Int., Vol.157, pp. 901-916, 2004.
  11. [11] Y. Suwa, S. Miura, A. Hasegawa, T. Sato, and K. Tachibana, “Interplate coupling beneath NE Japan inferred from three-dimensional displacement field,” J. Geophys. Res., Vol.111, B04402, 2006.
  12. [12] H. Suito, T. Nishimura, M. Tobita, T. Imakiire, and S. Ozawa, “Interplate fault slip along the Japan Trench before the occurrence of the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake as inferred from GPS data,” Earth Planets Space, Vol.63, pp. 615-619, 2011.
  13. [13] T. Sagiya, N. Matta, A. Meneses, S. Nomura, S. Suzuki, and Y. Ohta, “Triangulation scale error as a possible cause for overlooking seismic potential along the Japan trench,” Abstract G43B-0933 presented at 2012 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif., 3-7 Dec. 2012.
  14. [14] K. Minoura and S. Nakaya, “Traces of tsunami preserved in intertidal lacustrine and mash deposits: some examples from northeast Japan,” J. Geol., Vol.99, pp. 265-287, 1991.
  15. [15] S. Ozawa et al., “Preceding, coseismic, and postseismic slips of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, Japan,” J. Geophys. Res., Vol.117, B07404, doi:10.1029/2011JB009120, 2012.
  16. [16] T. Kunimi et al., “Vertical crustal movements in Japan estimated from the leveling observations data for the past 100 years,” J. Geograph. Surv. Inst., Vol.96, pp. 23-37, 2001 (in Japanese).
  17. [17] K. Abe, “Tectonic implication of the large Shioya-oki earthquakes of 1938,” Tectonophys., Vol.41, pp. 269-289, 1977.
  18. [18] Geographical Survey Institute, “Crustal Movement in the Tohoku District,” Rep. Coord. Comm. Earthq. Pred., Vol.38, pp. 81-103, 1987 (in Japanese).
  19. [19] S. Toda and H. Tsutsumi, “Simultaneous reactivation of two subparallel, Inland Normal Faults during the Mw6.6 11 April 2011 Iwaki earthquake triggerred by the Mw9.0 Tohoku-oki, Japan, Earthquake,” Bull. Seim. Soc. Am., Vol.103, pp. 1572-1583, 2013.
  20. [20] K. Imanishi, R. Ando, and Y. Kuwahara, “Unusual shallow normalfaulting earthquake sequence in compressional northeast Japan activated after the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake,” Geophys. Res. Lett., Vol.39, L09306, doi:10.1029/2012GL051491, 2012.
  21. [21] Z. K. Shen et al., “Postseismic deformation following the Landers earthquake,” Bull. Seim. Soc. Am., Vol.84, pp. 780-791, 1994.
  22. [22] S. Ergintav et al., “Postseismic deformation near the Ízmit earthquake (17 August 1999, M7.5) rupture zone,” Bull. Seimol. Soc. Am., Vol.92, pp. 1194-1207, 2002.
  23. [23] H. Kimura, B. Miyahara, and K. Miyagawa, “Postseismic deformation following great earthquakes, based on GEONET,” J. Geosp. Info. Auth., Vol.124., pp. 47-55, 2013 (in Japanese).
  24. [24] S. E. Barrientos, G. Plafker, and E. Lorca, “Postseismic coastal uplift in southern Chile,” Geophys. Res. Lett., Vol.19, pp. 701-704, 1992.
  25. [25] H. Suito and J. T. Freymueller, “A viscoelastic and afterslip postseismic deformation model for the 1964 Alaska earthquake,” J. Geophys. Res., Vol.114, B11404, 2009.
  26. [26] J. Paul, C. P. Rajendran, A. R. Lowry, V. Andrade, and K. Rajendran, “Andaman postseismic deformation observations: Still slipping after these years?,” Bull. Seim. Soc. Am., Vol.102, pp. 1343-1351, 2012.
  27. [27] B. F. Atwater et al., “Seventeenth-century uplift in eastern Hokkaido, Japan,” Holocene, Vol.14, pp. 489-501, 2004.
  28. [28] M. Shishikura, O. Fujiwara, Y. Sawai, S. Fujino, and Y. Namegaya, “Forecasting multi-segment earthquakes by coastal paleoseismological survey,” Chishitsu News, No.663, pp. 23-28, 2009 (in Japanese).
  29. [29] T. Sagiya, “A simple model for vertical crustal movement along the Pacific coast of the Tohoku distrcit,” Abstract C22-13 presented at 2012 Fall Meeting, SSJ, Yokohama, 7-9 Oct. 2013.
  30. [30] A. Ito, G. Fujie, S. Miura, S. Kodaira, Y. Kaneda, and R. Hino.“Bending of the subducting oceanic plate and its implication for rupture propagation of lagre interplate earthquakes off Miyagi, Japan, in the Japan Trench subduction zone,” Geophys. Res. Lett., Vol.32, L05310, doi:10.1029/2004GL022307, 2005.
  31. [31] R. Hino et al., “Hypocenter distribution of the main- and aftershocks of the 2005 Off Miyagi Prefecture earthquake located by ocean bottom seimographic data,” Earth Planets Space, Vol.58, pp. 1543-1548, 2006.
  32. [32] Y. Okada, “Surface deformation due to shear and tensile faults in a half-space,” Bull. Seim. Soc. Am., Vol.75, pp. 1135-1154, 1985.
  33. [33] H. Ueda, M. Ohtake, and H. Sato, 2001, “Afterslip of the plate interface following the 1978 Miyagi-Oki, Japan, earthquake, as revealed from geodetic measurement data,” Tectonophys., Vol.338, pp. 45-57, 2001.
  34. [34] J. C. Savage, “A dislocation model of strain accumulation and release at a subduction zone,” J. Geophys. Res., Vol.88(B6), pp. 4984-4996, 1983.
  35. [35] T. Hori and S. Miyazaki, “A possible mechanism of M9 earthquake generation cycles in the area of repeating M7∼8 earthquakes surrounded by aseismic sliding,” Earth Planets Space, Vol.63, pp. 773-777, 2011.
  36. [36] S. Ozawa et al., “Coseismic and postseismic slip of the 2011 magnitude-9 Tohoku-Oki earthquake,” Nature, Vol.475, pp. 373-376, doi:10.1038/nature10227, 2011.
  37. [37] Y. Ota and A. Omura, “Late Quaternary shorelines in the Japanese islands,” Quaternary Res., Vol.30, pp. 175-186, 1991.
  38. [38] T. Nishimura, “Back-arc spreading of the northern Izu-Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands arc clarified by GPS data,” Tectonophys., Vol.512, pp. 60-67, doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2011.09.022, 2011.

*This site is desgined based on HTML5 and CSS3 for modern browsers, e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera.

Last updated on Nov. 01, 2024