[ESS] Special Seminar – Chang Liu (Tongji University)

“Earthquake Generation and Seismic Activities and Hazards in the Eastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau: Insights from Numerical Modelling”

(A special seminar on Friday in addition to this week’s Tuesday Earth Science Seminar)

Over the past decade, large earthquakes have frequently struck eastern Tibet, particularly along the Longmen Shan Fault Zone (LMSF). To gain insight into the seismogenic mechanisms, seismicity, and associated hazards in this region, we have developed a three-dimensional viscoelastic lithospheric model of the LMSF. Using numerical simulations, we analyze stress evolution throughout the earthquake cycle, including interseismic stress accumulation, coseismic stress changes, and postseismic stress relaxation associated with the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake in the LMSF. By examining the spatiotemporal evolution of stress and its relationship with seismic activity, we aim to address the following questions:

1. What is the seismogenic mechanism of the LMSF?
2. What role did human activities play in the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake?

Earth Science Seminar —

Lecture portion of the EAPS graduate-level class 12.571, covering current research in geophysics, geology, geochemistry, and geobiology. All members of the MIT community are welcome to join for presentations by guest speakers, held approximately every two weeks during the term.

Contact: earth-science-seminar-info@mit.edu