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- May 27, 2025
[Frontier Letter] Nonplanar 3D fault geometry controls the spatiotemporal distributions of slip and uplift: evidence from the Mw 7.5 2024 Noto Peninsula, Japan, Earthquake

The 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake ruptured a complex fault system over 150 km. Unveiling the dominant controlling factor of its multi-fault rupture is important for gaining a physical understanding of earthquake complexity and assessing future earthquakes using fully dynamic rupture simulations. The simulation model was based on preseismic information from documented fault traces and the regional stress field. To isolate the geometrical effects, heterogeneity in frictional properties was excluded, and retrospective parameter tuning was avoided. The simulations reveal that the irregularity of the 3D fault geometry governed the rupture process, fault slip, seismic radiation, successfully reproduced the observed characteristic patterns in both time and space, as captured by seismometers, Synthetic Aperture Radar. Notably, rupture acceleration and increased slip and uplift occurred where faults were bent and optimally oriented in the regional stress field. This example, along with recent advances of forward modeling, should enhance our ability to constrain future earthquake scenarios and improve seismic hazard assessments.
- Ando et al. (2025): [Frontier Letter] Nonplanar 3D fault geometry controls the spatiotemporal distributions of slip and uplift: evidence from the Mw 7.5 2024 Noto Peninsula, Japan, Earthquake. Earth Planets Space 77:53, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-025-02187-9