(Chinese) Earthquakes can weaken fault strength worldwide: Interview with Dr. Fenglin Niu

U.S. and Chinese seismologists have found evidence that the massive 2004 earthquake that triggered killer tsunamis throughout the Indian Ocean weakened at least a portion of California's famed San Andreas Fault. The results suggest that the Earth's largest earthquakes can weaken fault zones worldwide and may trigger periods of increased global seismic activity.

Dr. Fenglin Niu is a seismologist at Rice University, where he studies the seismic structure of Earth's deep interior, in order to understand its chemical composition and dynamic processes. Along with colleagues, he has authored a series of papers dealing with fault-strength monitoring and remote triggering of fault-strength changes.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Chinese
• seismology
• Rice University
• earthquakes
• tsunamis
• Indian Ocean
• San Andreas Fault
• faults