Development of integrated model of cycles of large earthquakes and tsunami generation along subduction zones

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24340107
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Solid earth and planetary physics
• Research Institution: Building Research Institute
• Principal Investigator: Shibazaki Bunichiro 国立研究開発法人建築研究所, その他部局等, その他 (20344012)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): FUJII Yushiro 国立研究開発法人建築研究所, 国際地震工学センター, 主任研究員 (60442836)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 地震現象 / 津波 / 海溝型巨大地震 / モデリング / 地震予測

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study developed a model of large earthquakes cycles and estimated a tsunami source model along subduction zones to understand the generation processes of large earthquakes and tsunamis. First, we modeled cycles of mega thrust earthquakes along the Kuril subduction zone considering the effect of thermal pressurization. We also modeled cycles of mega thrust earthquakes along the Tohoku subduction zone by considering the thermal pressurization and friction properties of the shallow fault zone. Subsequently, we estimated slip distributions of the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake and the 1896 Meiji Sanriku Tsunami earthquake by the inversion analysis of tsunami waveforms. The shallow slip distribution obtained by numerical modeling is roughly consistent with that of the Tohoku-oki earthquake obtained by tsunami analysis, indicating that the shallow friction property is important for the generation of tsunamis in this region.

Free Research Field

地震発生理論