Postseismic deformation along the Liquiñe-Ofqui fault zone after the 2010 Maule Earthquake

• Applicant: Professor Marcos Moreno, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Geophysics ; Geodesy, Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing, Geoinformatics, Cartography
• Term: from 2013 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 253478941

Although human settlements located at subduction zones (where 45% of the world population lives) have been repeatedly devastated by large earthquakes, tsunamis or volcanic eruptions, our knowledge and understanding of the physical processes linking these phenomena are surprisingly sparse. Here, we propose to observe, analyze, and simulate the entire spectrum of deformation processes that relate the seismic cycle of subduction megathrust earthquakes and the volcanic arc. With this state-of-the-art quantitative information, we expect to improve our knowledge of hazard potential of subduction zones. A key region to study the mechanisms connecting earthquakes and volcanoes is the South-Central Chilean subduction zone (33°-46.5°S). This region has hosted the largest earthquake ever recorded, the Mw=9.5 Valdivia 1960 earthquake, and also the recent Mw=8.8 2010 Maule earthquake. Crucially, this region has been extensively monitored before, during, and after the Maule 2010 event with a dense space-geodetic network and state-of-the-art seismic experiments, providing one of the most detailed models of a subduction zone. We plan to exchange scientific and technological experiences on GPS and InSAR processing and on numerical simulation of deformation processes. To do so, we foresee a number of activities, to be carried out mostly as part of current PhD theses being developed by two Chilean and two German students, and discussions of the results of their work during visits of both groups to the other country. This proposal will help us to build a closer collaboration, and we will benefit from sharing expertise on implementation of a plate boundary observatory, on data collection and processing, and on laying the foundations for a larger project.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Chile
• Partner Organisation: Comisión Nacional de Investigación Cientifica; y Tecnológica - CONICYT
• Participating Person: Professor Andrés Tassara, Ph.D.