Collaborative Research: Analysis of Seismicity Associated with the Mw=8.8 2010 Maule Earthquake and Implications for Subduction Processes

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The Mw=8.8 Maule earthquake off the coast of Chile onFebruary 27, 2010 is the 5th largest megathrust earthquake ever to be recorded and the 2ndlargest to be recorded by modern digital seismic networks. Immediately following theMaule earthquake, teams of seismologists from Germany, France, the UK, and the US,working with seismologists in Chile, coordinated resources to deploy both broadband andshort period seismometers and accelerometers above the rupture zone to captureaftershocks associated with this significant earthquake. Data recorded from these stationswill be combined to produce an open international community data volume providing anunprecedented opportunity to investigate processes associated with great earthquakes andto image the anatomy of a subduction zone. A defining characteristic of the Maule aftershock investigationshas been collaboration, at both national and international levels. The original involvementin the data collection by US teams grew voluntarily out of the IRIS community, and therationale of greater efficiencies through cooperation was readily adapted by the fiveinternational groups working in the region.In this project the researchers will carry out a broad butinterrelated spectrum of seismic analyses to the Maule international seismic data set,along with a reanalysis of a selection of data collected in the rupture zone prior to theearthquake, to address some of the fundamental scientific objectives that motivated theinitial data collection. These objectives fall into two general categories: (1) ruptureprocesses of megathrusts, and (2) active tectonics and dynamics of an oceanic-continental(Andean) margin. They intend to produce an internally consistent set of data products across a range ofanalytical techniques. The PIs will share graduate students and scheduling extended visits to each others labs, thereby exposing students to a significantly broader range of experience than most students typically enjoy. Finally, they plan to engage our international colleagues by sharing some analysis tasks of mutualinterest. Data products generated by this study will be made available to the broaderinternational community via a dedicated web site.