Start of funding 01.07.2005

Numerical Models of Strike Slip Creeping Fault

Dr. Rocco Malservisi
Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich
Fakultät für Geophysik - Department Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften

Prof. Dr. Roland Bürgmann
University of California, Berkeley
Department of Earth & Planetary Science



A characteristic of some faults is to accommodate part of the interseismic differential motion by slipping essentially aseismically (creep). Because most creeping faults appear to release only part of the long-term motion through aseismic slip, they accumulate a slip deficit that is periodically released in medium to large earthquakes (such as the 1868, M~7 earthquake on the Hayward fault).
In our project we are using numerical model of the lithosphere combined with highly accurate geodetic and seismic observations to study the behavior of one of the best-instrumented creeping fault (Hayward fault, CA, USA).

This analysis will improve our understanding of the process of creeping and will infer the slip deficit accumulated by the Hayward fault, a critical parameter in the seismic hazard assessment for the San Francisco Bay area.