Annual modulation of triggered seismicity following the 1992 Landers earthquake in California

The mechanism responsible for the triggering of earthquakes remains one of the least-understood aspects of the earthquake process. The magnitude-7.3 Landers, California earthquake of 28 June 1992 was followed for several weeks by triggered seismic activity over a large area, encompassing much of the western United States. Here we show that this triggered seismicity marked the beginning of a five-year trend, consisting of an elevated microearthquake rate that was modulated by an annual cycle, decaying with time. The annual cycle is mainly associated with several hydrothermal or volcanic regions where short-term triggering was also observed. These data indicate that the Landers earthquake produced long-term physical changes in these areas, and that an environmental source of stress--plausibly barometric pressure--might be responsible for the annual variation.

Coupling of south american and african plate motion and plate deformation

Although the African Plate's northeastward absolute motion slowed abruptly 30 million years ago, the South Atlantic's spreading velocity has remained roughly constant over the past 80 million years, thus requiring a simultaneous westward acceleration of the South American Plate. This plate velocity correlation occurs because the two plates are coupled to general mantle circulation. The deceleration of the African Plate, due to its collision with the Eurasian Plate, diverts mantle flow westward, increasing the net basal driving torque and westward velocity of the South American Plate. One result of South America's higher plate velocity is the increased cordilleran activity along its western edge, beginning at about 30 million years ago.