Megathrust aftershocks can be highly destructive if they strike close to shore. Here, we show that aftershocks on the rupture surface have an initially high rate but shut down within several years, potentially for centuries. However, aftershocks also surround the rupture, where they persist for up to 60 years.
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This is a summary of: Toda, S. & Stein, R. S. Central shutdown and surrounding activation of aftershocks from megathrust earthquake stress transfer. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00954-x (2022).
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Aftershocks of megathrust earthquakes undergo a central shutdown and surrounding activation. Nat. Geosci. 15, 438–439 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00955-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00955-w