UTIG Seminars

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Abstract
Subduction zones worldwide exhibit remarkable variations in seismic activity and slip behavior along strike and down dip, but the origins of this variability are poorly understood. The subduction zone offshore of the Alaska Peninsula exemplifies this variability; it exhibits pronounced along-strike changes in great earthquake rupture history, plate coupling, and seismicity. Active-source seismic reflection and wide-angle reflection/refraction data acquired in this area aboard the R/V Langseth in 2011 during the ALEUT program reveal changes along-strike in incoming sediment thickness and plate structure and along-strike and down dip variations in megathrust reflection characteristics. I will present comparisons between active source seismic imaging and other constraints on subduction zone behavior to explore controls on spatial variations in plate boundary properties, slip behavior and seismicity.