GeoPRISMS Synthesis Workshop: The Geological Fingerprints of Slow Earthquakes

慢震是一类与常规地震相似的事件，但发生的速度较慢。它们通常不会引起我们与常规地震联系在一起的地面震动，而且在其他方面是无害的。然而，这些事件确实对地震灾害具有重要意义。近20年前，缓慢地震的发现彻底改变了我们对板块运动是如何在主要构造边界被调节的理解，因为它们可以和常规地震一样大。然而，对缓慢地震的物理理解仍然遥不可及。对慢震的了解对于更好地控制区域地震灾害至关重要，可以告诉我们深部的物理条件和断层加载率，因此对我们理解板块边界断层和剪切带力学至关重要。这笔拨款将支持一个多学科地球科学家小组的综合研讨会，讨论和辩论如何利用地质观测来检验有关缓慢地震发生和特征的相互竞争的假设。这次研讨会将使科学进步朝着新的方向前进，并使人们更好地理解这些神秘的断层过程。将强调早期职业研究人员和来自地球科学领域代表性不足群体的研究人员的参与。本次研讨会的目的是：(1)为慢滑和震颤的地质表现及其机制的跨学科讨论提供一个基于实地的学术论坛。(2)利用基于实地的例子，在不同学科之间就我们目前所知道的关于慢震条件下俯冲板块边界结构的共同理解。(3)利用发掘出的俯冲板块边界，确定测试不同慢滑模型所需的结构数据，以指导讨论。(4)讨论多种潜在的潜在地质过程，并通过确定需要哪些新的观察和约束来制定未来的研究策略。(5)促进学科间更好的交流，形成新的多学科合作。这次为期数天的会议将包括一次实地考察，利用岩石记录中记录的过程来检验和辩论不同的假设。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Slow earthquakes are a family of events similar to regular earthquakes, but which occur more slowly. They typically do not cause the ground shaking that we associate with regular earthquakes, and are otherwise innocuous. However, these events do have important implications for earthquake hazards. The discovery of slow earthquakes nearly two decades ago has revolutionized our understanding of how plate motions are accommodated at major tectonic boundaries because they can be as large as regular earthquakes. Yet a physical understanding of slow earthquakes remains out of reach. The understanding of slow earthquakes is critical to better constraining regional seismic hazards, can inform us of the physical conditions and fault loading rates at depth, and is therefore central to our understanding of plate boundary fault and shear zone mechanics. This grant will support a synthesis workshop for a multi-disciplinary group of geoscientists to discuss and debate how geological observations may be used to test competing hypotheses for slow earthquake occurrence and characteristics. This workshop will allow scientific progress to advance in new directions, and allow for a better understanding of these enigmatic fault processes. The participation of early career researchers and those from underrepresented groups within the geosciences will be emphasized.The objectives of this workshop are to: (1) Provide a field-based and academic forum for cross-disciplinary discussions of the geological expressions of slow slip and tremor, and their mechanisms. (2) Use field-based examples to develop a common understanding amongst different disciplines of what we currently know about the structures of subduction plate boundaries at slow earthquake conditions. (3) Determine the structural data needed to test different models for slow slip using an exhumed subduction plate boundary to guide discussions. (4) Discuss multiple potential underlying geological processes and formulate future research strategies by identifying what new observations and constraints are needed. (5) Promote better communication between disciplines and forge new multidisciplinary collaborations. The multi-day conference will include a field trip to examine and debate different hypotheses using processes recorded in the rock record.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.