iPlex Lunch fall-2017

The temporal evolution of earthquake rupture is relatively well constrained by seismological observations, and contains a wealth of information on earthquake rupture processes. Here we study i) short distance (<25km) seismic recordings of shallow crustal earthquakes, and ii) source time functions derived from teleseismic recordings of shallow subduction megathrust events. We use these observations to compile an empirical description of rupture evolution that includes both the typical rupture behavior, as well the deviations from it. With both data types we find well-defined typical patterns, which are incompatible with widely used standard source models, such as self-similar pulses and cracks. In particular, observed moment growth rates are systematically lower than the standard models predict. We discuss the possible physical origins of the observed temporal rupture behavior, and the implications for rupture predictability and earthquake early warning systems

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