Near-surface softening and healing in eastern Honshu associated with the 2011 magnitude-9 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake

Su-Yang Wang, Hai-Yang Zhuang, Hao Zhang, Hong-Jun He, Wei-Ping Jiang, Er-Lei Yao, Bin Ruan, Yong-Xin Wu and Yu Miao ()
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Su-Yang Wang: Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Hai-Yang Zhuang: Nanjing Tech University
Hao Zhang: Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Hong-Jun He: Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Wei-Ping Jiang: China Earthquake Administration
Er-Lei Yao: Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute
Bin Ruan: Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Yong-Xin Wu: Hohai University
Yu Miao: Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract The near-surface part of the crust, also called the skin of the earth, is the arena of human activity of which the stiffness is of great concern to engineers in infrastructure construction. The stiffness reduction of near-surface geomaterials also plays a vital role in geohazards triggering. However, the physical mechanism behind the material softening is still not fully understood. Here, we report a coseismic shear-wave velocity reduction in the near surface by up to a few tens of percent during the strongest shaking from the 11 March 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake and a subsequent two-stage healing process including a rapid recovery within a few minutes and a slow recovery over many years. We also present a theoretical contact model between mineral grains in geomaterials containing multiple metastable contacts at small separations due to the oscillatory hydration interaction, which can explain the emergence of different stages in the healing process.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21418-7

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