Article
Article
DISCLAIMER: This article is being kept online for historical purposes. Though accurate at last review, it is no longer being updated. The page may contain broken links or outdated information.
Slow earthquakes
Article By:
Beroza, Gregory C. Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
Last reviewed:2008
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB080680
Slow earthquakes occur by the same mechanism as ordinary earthquakes, as both are caused by shear slip on faults. However, slow earthquakes take a long time to occur relative to ordinary earthquakes. The slower a fault slips, the less efficiently it generates seismic waves. Thus, the distinguishing characteristic of slow earthquakes is that the waves they generate are weak, particularly at high frequencies, compared to waves from ordinary earthquakes. Highly sensitive seismic and geodetic earthquake monitoring networks installed over the past decade have led to a rapidly expanding collection of newly discovered, unusual seismic phenomena, including silent earthquakes, low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs), very low frequency earthquakes (VLFs), and deep nonvolcanic tremor.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
