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Extreme plate boundary localization promotes shallow earthquake slip at the Japan Trench.

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Title: Extreme plate boundary localization promotes shallow earthquake slip at the Japan Trench.
Authors: Kirkpatrick, J. D. (AUTHOR), Savage, H. M. (AUTHOR), Regalla, C. (AUTHOR), Shreedharan, S. (AUTHOR), Ross, C. (AUTHOR), Okuda, H. (AUTHOR), Nicholson, U. (AUTHOR), Ujiie, K. (AUTHOR), Hackney, R. (AUTHOR), Conin, M. (AUTHOR), Pei, P. (AUTHOR), Satolli, S. (AUTHOR), Zhang, J. (AUTHOR), Fulton, P. (AUTHOR), Ikari, M. (AUTHOR), Kodaira, S. (AUTHOR), Maeda, L. (AUTHOR), Okutsu, N. (AUTHOR), Toczko, S. (AUTHOR), Eguchi, N. (AUTHOR)
Source: Science. 1/29/2026, Vol. 391 Issue 6784, p489-493. 5p.
Subjects: Earthquakes, Subduction zones, Submarine trenches, Marine sediments, Sendai Earthquake, Japan, 2011, Sedimentary structures, Fault zones
Geographic Terms: Tōhoku Region (Japan)
Abstract: The 2011 moment magnitude 9.1 Tohoku-oki earthquake is exceptional among great earthquakes for having peak slip of ~50 to 70 meters on the shallowest portion of the plate boundary megathrust. Drill cores and geophysical logs from International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 405 demonstrate that the megathrust preferentially develops at the top or base of the pelagic clay in the sedimentary layers present on the incoming Pacific Plate, where pronounced contrasts in physical properties occur. This preference results in a narrow, weak fault located at a major mechanical contact between frontal prism mud and subducted sediments, which enhances the tendency for shallow seismic slip, suggesting that the Japan Trench may be more susceptible to ruptures with large shallow slip than are margins without weak clays. Editor's summary: The 2011 moment magnitude 9.1 Tohoku-oki earthquake had the perfect storm of energetic, long slip on a shallow, subsea fault. The devastating tsunami that followed motivated efforts to understand the risk for shallow earthquakes in subduction zones. Kirkpatrick et al. report findings from the final cruise of the International Ocean Discovery Program, which drilled into the fault and undeformed seafloor. Sediment cores from both sites showed that the fault developed where a marine clay layer is juxtaposed against silica-rich mud or chert. The contrasting physical properties of sediment entering the subduction zone may facilitate shallow slip along the Japan Trench. —Angela Hessler [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Extreme plate boundary localization promotes shallow earthquake slip at the Japan Trench.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Earthquakes%22">Earthquakes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Subduction+zones%22">Subduction zones</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Submarine+trenches%22">Submarine trenches</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Marine+sediments%22">Marine sediments</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sendai+Earthquake%2C+Japan%2C+2011%22">Sendai Earthquake, Japan, 2011</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sedimentary+structures%22">Sedimentary structures</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fault+zones%22">Fault zones</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tōhoku+Region+%28Japan%29%22">Tōhoku Region (Japan)</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: The 2011 moment magnitude 9.1 Tohoku-oki earthquake is exceptional among great earthquakes for having peak slip of ~50 to 70 meters on the shallowest portion of the plate boundary megathrust. Drill cores and geophysical logs from International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 405 demonstrate that the megathrust preferentially develops at the top or base of the pelagic clay in the sedimentary layers present on the incoming Pacific Plate, where pronounced contrasts in physical properties occur. This preference results in a narrow, weak fault located at a major mechanical contact between frontal prism mud and subducted sediments, which enhances the tendency for shallow seismic slip, suggesting that the Japan Trench may be more susceptible to ruptures with large shallow slip than are margins without weak clays. Editor's summary: The 2011 moment magnitude 9.1 Tohoku-oki earthquake had the perfect storm of energetic, long slip on a shallow, subsea fault. The devastating tsunami that followed motivated efforts to understand the risk for shallow earthquakes in subduction zones. Kirkpatrick et al. report findings from the final cruise of the International Ocean Discovery Program, which drilled into the fault and undeformed seafloor. Sediment cores from both sites showed that the fault developed where a marine clay layer is juxtaposed against silica-rich mud or chert. The contrasting physical properties of sediment entering the subduction zone may facilitate shallow slip along the Japan Trench. —Angela Hessler [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Text: English
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