The dynamics of the seismic cycle at megathrusts is rich in various types of earthquakes, many of which  only recently discovered. Our early understanding of the earthquake phenomenon was a type of stick-slip motion, where the fault is loaded by tectonic forces for an extended period, followed by rapid failure. Extensive seismic and geodetic monitoring of subduction zones has revealed a much more varied seismic behavior, where episodic fault slip can occur at any slip velocity between the background loading rate, of the order of a few atoms per second, and the fast seismic range, about a meter per second. Events that fill the gap between slow creep and fast ruptures include a host of slow earthquakes. Subduction zones therefore provide a natural laboratory to better understand the physics of earthquakes and faulting.   weiterlesen