Geology topics

N. Ratchkovski

Publications and source records attributed to N. Ratchkovski.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2004

Kinematic and dynamic rupture models of the November 3, 2002 Mw7.9 Denali, Alaska, earthquake

Regional seismic waveforms, continuous and campaign-mode GPS data, and surface slip measurements were used to obtain a kinematic model of the rupture process of the November 3, 2002 Mw 7.9 Denali, Alaska, earthquake. The event initiated as a Mw 7.0 reverse slip event on the north-dipping Susitna Glacier fault with subsequent right-lateral slip distributed over approximately 300 km of the Denali fault system. Near-shear rupture velocity is inferred from the kinematic modeling. The average and maximum slips were found to be 2.14 in and 10.3 m. Static stress drop varies from 1.3 to 5.0 MPa over the 5-segment fault model. Dynamic modeling shows the rupture propagated along the Susitna Glacier and Denali faults, then transferred to the Totschunda fault before stopping, largely due to the Totschunda's more favorable orientation with respect to the regional stress field.

Alaska↗

USGS2004

Geophysical data reveal the crustal structure of the Alaska range orogen within the aftershock zone of the Mw 7.9 Denali fault earthquake

Geophysical information, including deep-crustal seismic reflection, magnetotelluric ( mt ), gravity, and magnetic data, cross the aftershock zone of the 3 November 2002 M w 7.9 Denali fault earthquake. These data and aftershock seismicity, jointly interpreted, reveal the crustal structure of the right-lateral-slip Denali fault and the eastern Alaska Range orogen, as well as the relationship between this structure and seismicity. North of the Denali fault, strong seismic reflections from within the Alaska Range orogen show features that dip as steeply as 25° north and extend downward to depths between 20 and 25 km. These reflections reveal crustal structures, probably ductile shear zones, that most likely formed during the Late Cretaceous, but these structures appear to be inactive, having produced little seismicity during the past 20 years. Furthermore, seismic reflections mainly dip north, whereas alignments in aftershock hypocenters dip south. The Denali fault is nonreflective, but modeling of mt , gravity, and magnetic data suggests that the Denali fault dips steeply to vertically. However, in an alternative structural model, the Denali fault is defined by one of the reflection bands that dips to the north and flattens into the middle crust of the Alaska Range orogen. Modeling of mt data indicates a rock body, having low electrical resistivity (>10 Ω·m), that lies mainly at depths greater than 10 km, directly beneath aftershocks of the Denali fault earthquake. The maximum depth of aftershocks along the Denali fault is 10 km. This shallow depth may arise from a higher-than-normal geothermal gradient. Alternatively, the low electrical resistivity of deep rocks along the Denali fault may be associated with fluids that have weakened the lower crust and helped determine the depth extent of the aftershock zone.

Alaska↗

USGS2004

Inverse kinematic and forward dynamic models of the 2002 Denali fault earthquake, Alaska

We perform inverse kinematic and forward dynamic models of the M 7.9 2002 Denali fault, Alaska, earthquake to shed light on the rupture process and dynamics of this event, which took place on a geometrically complex fault system in central Alaska. We use a combination of local seismic and Global Positioning System (GPS) data for our kinematic inversion and find that the slip distribution of this event is characterized by three major asperities on the Denali fault. The rupture nucleated on the Susitna Glacier thrust fault, and after a pause, propagated onto the strike-slip Denali fault. Approximately 216 km to the east, the rupture abandoned the Denali fault in favor of the more southwesterly directed Totschunda fault. Three-dimensional dynamic models of this event indicate that the abandonment of the Denali fault for the Totschunda fault can be explained by the Totschunda fault's more favorable orientation with respect to the local stress field. However, a uniform tectonic stress field cannot explain the complex slip pattern in this event. We also find that our dynamic models predict discontinuous rupture from the Denali to Totschunda fault segments. Such discontinuous rupture helps to qualitatively improve our kinematic inverse models. Two principal implications of our study are (1) a combination of inverse and forward modeling can bring insight into earthquake processes that are not possible with either technique alone, and (2) the stress field on geometrically complex fault systems is most likely not due to a uniform tectonic stress field that is resolved onto fault segments of different orientations; rather, other forms of stress heterogeneity must be invoked to explain the observed slip patterns.

Alaska↗