Chi Chi Earthquake Kinematic and Dynamic Analyses

The 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake created a 100-km-long surface rupture on the Chelungpu thrust fault in Taiwan due to convergence between the Phillipine Sea and Eurasian plates. Fault slip measurements were made by several researchers from the entire length of the rupture directly following the earthquake and can thus be attributed to a single tectonic event. Conventional fault slip analyses are applied to these data and the results are compared with independent seismological and kinematic observations. Unlike many fault slip analyses, complications due to multiple deformations can be categorically excluded and the results can be evaluated from the seismological and plate movement data. Kinematic analyses of fault slip data that are weighted by displacement show sub-horizontal NW–SE shortening that is parallel to the plate convergence vector. A single fault plane solution satisfies almost all the data. Right dihedra and trihedra solutions also satisfy almost all the surface rupture measurements and give s1 in a NW–SE orientation that is similar to the results of stress inversion and to inversion from earthquakes in the Chi-Chi earthquake sequence. Despite criticisms of fault slip analysis methods, these results show that fault slip analyses from data collected along major faults, which have not witnessed multiple deformation events, can be valid. Homogeneous strain and stress states exist in the sense that kinematic and dynamic solutions can be found that fit essentially all the data, and these solutions have tectonic significance.

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    Data record related to this publication Chi Chi Earthquake Kinematic and Dynamic Analyses
    Data Publication title Chi Chi Earthquake Kinematic and Dynamic Analyses
  • Description

    The 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake created a 100-km-long surface rupture on the Chelungpu thrust fault in Taiwan due to convergence between the Phillipine Sea and Eurasian plates. Fault slip measurements were made by several researchers from the entire length of the rupture directly following the earthquake and can thus be attributed to a single tectonic event. Conventional fault slip analyses are applied to these data and the results are compared with independent seismological and kinematic observations. Unlike many fault slip analyses, complications due to multiple deformations can be categorically excluded and the results can be evaluated from the seismological and plate movement data. Kinematic analyses of fault slip data that are weighted by displacement show sub-horizontal NW–SE shortening that is parallel to the plate convergence vector. A single fault plane solution satisfies almost all the data. Right dihedra and trihedra solutions also satisfy almost all the surface rupture measurements and give s1 in a NW–SE orientation that is similar to the results of stress inversion and to inversion from earthquakes in the Chi-Chi earthquake sequence. Despite criticisms of fault slip analysis methods, these results show that fault slip analyses from data collected along major faults, which have not witnessed multiple deformation events, can be valid. Homogeneous strain and stress states exist in the sense that kinematic and dynamic solutions can be found that fit essentially all the data, and these solutions have tectonic significance.

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    • Descriptor

      This dataset contains an appendix and three tables (xls and ods format).

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    • Descriptor
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  • Data type dataset
  • Keywords
    • fault slip analysis
    • kinematics
    • paleostress
    • earthquake
    • dynamics
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    Industries and Economies in the Tropics
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  • Start Date 2005/01/01
  • End Date 2006/01/01
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  • Locations
    • Chi Chic earthquake rupture, Taiwan
    Data Locations

    Type Location Notes
    Physical Location Professor Tom Blenkinsop, School of Earth and Environmental Science, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811
    Attachment ChiChiTables.zip
    The Data Manager is: Tom Blenkinsop
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    Access conditions Open: free access under license
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      James Cook University
    Citation Blenkinsop, Tom (2011): Chi Chi Earthquake Kinematic and Dynamic Analyses. James Cook University. https://research.jcu.edu.au/data/published/2fa99a4f8d44d5123357d1928d8a43c6