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Earthquakes

A hand on the aftershock trigger

Nature volume 441, pages 704–705 (2006)Cite this article

Received wisdom relates that static stress change associated with an earthquake mainshock is the prime mover of its aftershocks. But a fresh look at the data points the finger at wave-surfing dynamic stress.

When a door is jammed, there are various things you can do to dislodge it — that is, to overcome the frictional resistance between it and its frame. You can nonchalantly push a bit harder (apply a static stress). Less elegantly, you can take a run at it and barge it open (apply a dynamic stress). And, if completely exasperated, you can rattle the handle back and forth (apply a cyclic stress). If you are already pushing very hard, it might take only a small extra heave or tap to free the door, leaving you making your entrance face down on the floor (feeling a large stress change from a small additional stress). Occasionally, tapping from the other side (applying a negative stress) can also help. Lastly, if you lean on the door long enough, it can give way spontaneously (through environmentally assisted weakening processes).

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  1. School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JW, UK

    Ian Main

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  1. Ian Main
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Main, I. A hand on the aftershock trigger. Nature 441, 704–705 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/441704a

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