The transient and intermittent nature of slow slip

Abstract

To first order, faults are locked while stress builds up to a devastating earthquake. However, we know that faults also slip slowly. After decades of geophysical observation, slow slip is now recognized as part of a continuum of transient deformation ranging from the dynamic propagation of seismic rupture to aseismic events over a wide range of durations and sizes. A growing body of evidence suggests that large-scale slow slip events can be decomposed into a multitude of smaller, temporally clustered events. Slow slip is more frequent and more dynamic than is suggested by conceptual models of rate-strengthening, stable slip.