This CAREER proposal seeks to make fundamental contributions in our understanding of earthquake interaction and fault slip behaviors through systematic analysis of earthquake triggering and "non-volcanic" tremor, based on the large seismic data collected from the EarthScope experiment and other permanent seismic networks in the US, and permanent and temporary seismic deployments in East Asia. The project will prepare next-generation seismologists to be capable of analyzing large seismic data through various training courses and research projects. The research results will be dissimilated to general public through sonification and visualization tools.
The proposed tasks include: 1. Early aftershocks. The researcher will detect and locate missing aftershocks immediately after the 2008 Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake in China, and several recent large earthquakes in California and Japan, using a waveform matched filter technique. The newly identified events will be used to test whether aftershocks are triggered by static or dynamic stresses, or other time-dependent mechanisms. 2. Remote triggering: a systematic survey of remotely triggered seismicity in active regions in the Western US, and relatively stable intraplate regions such as Continental China and the Central and Eastern US. I hope to identify necessary conditions and constrain physical mechanisms for remote triggering in active and intraplate regions. 3. Non-volcanic tremor: a systematic study of non-volcanic tremor, focusing on California and Taiwan. The obtained results will be used to better understand the physical mechanisms of tremor generation and how accumulated strain is released in seismic/aseismic events. 4. Training next-generation seismologists. The researcher will provide many undergraduate research opportunities through summer internship programs, and collaborations with researchers in undergraduate institutions. He will develop an online tutorial and training material for Seismic Analysis Code (SAC) and data management, which can be used to train senior undergraduate and incoming graduate students in Georgia Tech and other institutions. 5. Sonification and visualization of seismic data. Research results on earthquake triggering and non-volcanic tremor will be made accessible to general public through sonification (i.e., making sounds from seismograms) and visualization. In addition, the PI will work with IRIS Education and Outreach (E&O) specialists to generate sounds and animations for significant events based on seismic data archived at the IRIS Data Management Center (DMC).
