journal article May 20, 2005

A Flying Start, Then a Slow Slip

View at Publisher Save 10.1126/science.1113363
Abstract
The human tragedy caused by the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake (moment magnitude 9.3) on 26 December 2004 and its companion Nias earthquake (moment magnitude 8.7) on 28 March 2005 is difficult to comprehend. These earthquakes, the largest in 40 years, have also left seismologists searching for the words and tools to describe the enormity of the geological processes involved. Four papers in this issue discuss aspects of a rupture process of surprising complexity, the first such event to test the sensitivity and range of many new technologies. A surprising feature of the earthquake is that after the initial rapid rupture, subsequent slip of the plate interface occurred with decreasing speed toward the north.
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References
15
[2]
M. Ortiz R. Bilham J. Geophys. Res.108 1029/2002JB001941 (2003).
[3]
R. Bilham E. R. Engdahl N. Feldl S. P. Satyabala Seism. Res. Lett. in press.
[4]
P. Cummins M. Leonard AusGeo News No. 77 (March 2005).
[5]
These posters were distributed in field seasons before the 2004 earthquake (see www.tectonics.caltech.edu/sumatra/downloads/20040604SumatraPoster.ppt).
[6]
J. McCloskey S. Nalbant S. Steacy K. Sieh Nature in press.
[7]
Rupture Process of the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake

Charles J. Ammon, Chen Ji, Hong-Kie Thio et al.

Science 10.1126/science.1112260
[10]
S. Jade V. K. Gaur M. B. Ananda P. D. Kumar S. Banerjee Current Sci. in press.
[11]
C. P. Rajendran A. Earnest K. Rajendran R. Bilham J. Freymueller in preparation.
[12]
R. Bilham, K. Wallace, Geol. Surv. India Spec. Pub.85, 1 (2005).
[13]
Tectonics and history of the Andaman Sea region

Joseph R. Curray

Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 10.1016/j.jseaes.2004.09.001
[14]
M. Ishii P. M. Shearer H. Houston J. E. Vidale Nature in press.
Cited By
131
Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Metrics
131
Citations
15
References
Details
Published
May 20, 2005
Vol/Issue
308(5725)
Pages
1126-1127
Cite This Article
Roger Bilham (2005). A Flying Start, Then a Slow Slip. Science, 308(5725), 1126-1127. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1113363
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