Acccretionary Wedge Aseismicity: The Seismic Front and Failure Modes of Sedimentary Rocks

对变形行为的基本认识， 沉积物和多孔岩石的破坏模式是重要的， 了解地震活动的分布在一些 地质环境 尤其是在最深处， 加积楔的弧形端， 许多汇聚的向陆斜坡下的增生沉积物 板块边界 这个问题在增生楔中特别重要 因为它们的抗震性，因为它们的重要性， 了解“地震前沿”的性质，这标志着 板块边界逆冲地震的向沟界限 楔子的背面。 虽然较低的，热控制， 逆冲地震孕育带的边界是合理的 理解，浅的限制没有得到适当的解释。 由于板块边界的倾角很小， 浅的深度，这导致了很大的不确定性， 孕震区的总宽度，在此基础上， 可能的地震规模取决于很大程度。

A fundamental understanding of the deformation behavior and failure modes of sediments and porous rocks is important in understanding the distribution of seismicity in a number of geological settings. This is particularly true of the deepest, arcward ends of accretionary wedges, the aseismic masses of accreted sediments beneath the landward slopes of many convergent plate boundaries. This problem is particularly important in accretionary wedges because of their aseismicity, and because of the importance of understanding the nature of the 'seismic front', which marks the trenchward limit of plate-boundary thrust earthquakes at or near the back of the wedge. Although the lower, thermally controlled, boundary of the thrusting seismogenic zone is reasonably well understood, the shallow limit has not been properly explained. Because of the very small dip of the plate boundary at such shallow depths, this leads to a great deal of uncertainty about the total width of the seismogenic zone, upon which the maximum possible earthquake size depends very strongly.