Collaborative Research: A Study of Transient Aseismic Slip and Non-Volcanic Tremor in Southern Mexico With Large Aperture Seismic and GPS Arrays

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Intellectural merit: Funds are requested for a joint geodetic and seismic study ofthe Oaxaca-Guerrero segment of the Middle America subduction zone, one of the few placeson earth where land-based GPS and seismic observations can be used to study both thelocked, seismogenic area of a subduction interface and region of deeper transitionalslip, where episodic tremor and slip may originate. The principal scientific goal isto better understand the recently discovered phenomenon of episodic slip transientsand its role in either relieving or increasing strain accumulating along the seismogenicportion of a subduction interface. A pilot study during the past year shows that suchtransients are occurring as frequently as every 12-24 months in this region, thatsome transients (1998 and 2004) originate far outside the Guerrero seismic gap, andthat the transients may be accompanied by non-volcanic seismic tremors. Based on thesepreviously unrecognized results, deployment for 24 months of an 8-station broadbandseismic array and expansion of a regional continuous GPS array to include 4 criticallylocated stations in a region where the transients appear to occur are planned. Thenew seismic array, which will span abroad gap between two dense seismic transects being installed as part of the alreadyfunded Caltech/UNAM Middle America Seismic Experiment, will allow detection and locationof any episodic tremors in the study area. Continuous GPS measurements from thepre-existing GPS stations and nine new stations constructed by this group andcollaborator Enrique Cabral of UNAM will provide critical complementary informationabout the source regions, magnitude, and timing of episodic slip. Data from an existingsmaller-footprint 30-station continuous and campaign GPS array that DeMets and Cabraloperate in Oaxaca above the Cocos-North America subduction interface will also be usedto study in more detail deformation within a conspicuous seismic gap analogous to,but smaller than the well-known Guerrero seismic gap. The combined GPS and seismicarrays will be a powerful tool for studying subduction transients and non-volcanictremor, and for imaging spatial and temporal variations in frictional couplingalong the locked and transitional zones beneath our network. Brudzinski, who will bea new faculty member at Miami University of Ohio in August of 2005, will purchase thenecessary seismic equipment with start-up funds from his faculty position and willhave it prepared for a two-year deployment in early 2006. DeMets at UW-Madison willcoordinate the GPS station installation with Dr. Cabral, as well as a modest expansionof the Oaxaca GPS network to improve coverage of the aforementioned seismic gap. TheUW-Madison geophysics group has a long history of deploying seismic and GPS networksand will provide at no cost two expert technicians to help build and maintain thecombined seismic and GPS network. Responsibilities for modeling of the geodetic andseismic observations will lie respectively with DeMets and Brudzinski.Broader impacts: Episodic tremor and slip are a newly observed phenomenon that appearsto be related to many different aspects of earth science (seismology, tectonics,petrology, and geodynamics), with possible ramifications for understanding triggeringof megathrust earthquakes. Students at Miami University will be offered a unique opportunityto participate in a field workshop course that will coincide with the initial seismicdeployment, thereby exposing students to a geophysics field research. Broader impacts atUW-Madison will include education of Mexican graduate student Francisco Correa-Mora,who will do a substantial portion of his dissertation research on the mechanics ofsubduction along the Middle America trench. The availability of new continuous andcampaign GPS and seismic data to the broader geophysical community will alsoextend the impact of this work beyond our group, particularly once future transientslip episodes and/or tremor sequences are recorded.