Seismic symphonies of minor earthquakes may affect grand movements on major faults.
Small and distant earthquakes can disrupt the growth of slow-slip events — gradual fault movements that can release tremendous amounts of energy at gentle tempos, a new analysis of seismic data suggests. Reported in the May 16 Science Advances, the research shows that the more frequently small earthquakes occur near a fault’s slow-slip zone, the less synchronized the slipping becomes.
Megathrust faults — massive fractures where one tectonic plate pushes under another — are notorious for hatching Earth’s most devastating temblors. These same faults can also slide steadily for days or weeks in slow-slip events while emitting