Tectonic Tremor Explained by Successive Ruptures of Clustered Quartz‐Filled Shear Veins
Abstract A tectonic tremor is a successive seismic signal observed along plate boundaries in subduction zones. However, the source processes and mechanisms responsible for the tremor remain unclear. Quartz‐filled shear and extension veins are clustered in tens to hundreds of meters thick subduction...
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Wiley
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115447 |
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| author | S. Yabe K. Ujiie |
| author_facet | S. Yabe K. Ujiie |
| author_sort | S. Yabe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract A tectonic tremor is a successive seismic signal observed along plate boundaries in subduction zones. However, the source processes and mechanisms responsible for the tremor remain unclear. Quartz‐filled shear and extension veins are clustered in tens to hundreds of meters thick subduction shear zones exhumed from deep tremor source regions and record repeated brittle low‐angle thrust shear and tensile failure at near‐lithostatic fluid pressures. Seismic wave radiation from clustered quartz veins was modeled using a probabilistic cell automaton model. The results show that successive ruptures of clustered veins are capable of radiating seismic waves with consistent sizes of the seismologically observed tremor and very low‐frequency earthquake (VLFE) and that shear veins should be dominant over extension veins to explain the low‐angle thrust focal mechanisms of VLFE. We propose that tremor signals are primarily attributable to successive shear slip along shear veins in a finite‐thickness shear zone. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-18b2003f0ac84591b5513e4917bc9c9a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-18b2003f0ac84591b5513e4917bc9c9a2025-08-20T03:34:42ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-07-015214n/an/a10.1029/2025GL115447Tectonic Tremor Explained by Successive Ruptures of Clustered Quartz‐Filled Shear VeinsS. Yabe0K. Ujiie1Geological Survey of Japan National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Tsukuba JapanGraduate School of Science and Technology University of Tsukuba Tsukuba JapanAbstract A tectonic tremor is a successive seismic signal observed along plate boundaries in subduction zones. However, the source processes and mechanisms responsible for the tremor remain unclear. Quartz‐filled shear and extension veins are clustered in tens to hundreds of meters thick subduction shear zones exhumed from deep tremor source regions and record repeated brittle low‐angle thrust shear and tensile failure at near‐lithostatic fluid pressures. Seismic wave radiation from clustered quartz veins was modeled using a probabilistic cell automaton model. The results show that successive ruptures of clustered veins are capable of radiating seismic waves with consistent sizes of the seismologically observed tremor and very low‐frequency earthquake (VLFE) and that shear veins should be dominant over extension veins to explain the low‐angle thrust focal mechanisms of VLFE. We propose that tremor signals are primarily attributable to successive shear slip along shear veins in a finite‐thickness shear zone.https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115447slow earthquaketectonic tremorquartz veins |
| spellingShingle | S. Yabe K. Ujiie Tectonic Tremor Explained by Successive Ruptures of Clustered Quartz‐Filled Shear Veins Geophysical Research Letters slow earthquake tectonic tremor quartz veins |
| title | Tectonic Tremor Explained by Successive Ruptures of Clustered Quartz‐Filled Shear Veins |
| title_full | Tectonic Tremor Explained by Successive Ruptures of Clustered Quartz‐Filled Shear Veins |
| title_fullStr | Tectonic Tremor Explained by Successive Ruptures of Clustered Quartz‐Filled Shear Veins |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tectonic Tremor Explained by Successive Ruptures of Clustered Quartz‐Filled Shear Veins |
| title_short | Tectonic Tremor Explained by Successive Ruptures of Clustered Quartz‐Filled Shear Veins |
| title_sort | tectonic tremor explained by successive ruptures of clustered quartz filled shear veins |
| topic | slow earthquake tectonic tremor quartz veins |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115447 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT syabe tectonictremorexplainedbysuccessiverupturesofclusteredquartzfilledshearveins AT kujiie tectonictremorexplainedbysuccessiverupturesofclusteredquartzfilledshearveins |