How Slip Faults Lead to Massive Tsunamis

[jedishrfu]

https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/...trike-slip-faults-can-generate-large-tsunamis

 

[Twigg]

My background in geophysics is weak, but I have a couple questions.

"Supershear" means the peak velocity of the slip is greater than the S-wave speed (but less than the P-wave) speed, right?

Also, the article notes that the San Andreas and Gulf of Aqaba share a similar risk. Why not the mid-Atlantic ridge? Are there no regions on the Atlantic coast with the right geometry to generate tsunamis via this mechanism or do the earthquakes have to be closer to the bay? Or do supershear earthquakes not occur in the mid-Atlantic?

 

[Tom.G]

The mid-Atlantic Ridge is a spreading center (moving apart at 2.5cm per yr.), not a region where the tectonic plates are sliding past each other, as they are
around the Pacific Ocean.

You might find this site interesting:
http://portal.gplates.org/#SEAFLOOR

Cheers,
Tom

 

[davenn]

The mid-Atlantic Ridge is a spreading center (moving apart at 2.5cm per yr.), not a region where the tectonic plates are sliding past each other, as they are
around the Pacific Ocean.

You might find this site interesting:
http://portal.gplates.org/#SEAFLOOR

Cheers,
Tom

They are a good mix of both. The spreading ridge is sliced up like a loaf of bread with dozens ( probably 100's ) of transform ( strike-slip ) faults

here's just a quick section out of Google Earth. ALL those horizontal lines are transform faults chopping up the MOR

Dave