Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3405
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3405
25 Nov 2024
 | 25 Nov 2024

Accretionary prism deformation and fluid migration caused by slow earthquakes in the Nankai subduction zone

Takashi Tonegawa, Takeshi Akuhara, Yusuke Yamashita, Hiroko Sugioka, Masanao Shinohara, Shunsuke Takemura, and Takeshi Tsuji

Abstract. Slow earthquakes induce structural deformation around their source regions and can also be linked to fluid migrations. Both of these phenomena potentially induce temporal variations in the seismic structure; how these two factors behave for a slow earthquake episode remains unknown. In this study, we applied the ambient noise correlation technique to the continuous records acquired at the seafloor in the Nankai subduction zone, and investigate the changes in seismic velocity (dv/v) and heterogeneous (correlation coefficient (CC) representing heterogeneity changes) structures before and after the slow earthquake activity that occurred around the shallow plate interface from the end of 2020. As a result, temporal variations in dv/v and CC show different patterns for the slow earthquake episode. The dv/v variations show a step-like reduction and the reduced velocity was not recovered to the original level until the end of the observation period, whereas the CC variations show transient reductions and were recovered to the original level after the episode. Thus, the dv/v reflects the variation in the aspect ratio of pre-existing cracks and/or newly created cracks due to sediment deformation, where the extensional stresses normal to the trough were induced by the slips of the slow earthquakes, and the updated crack condition persisted even after the episode. We suggest that the CC variations correspond to transient fluid migrations from the source regions to shallow depths, activated by the fracturing of fluid caprocks that resulted from slow earthquakes. Our study indicates that monitoring these two quantities provides useful information to understand the variations in the subsurface structure due to slow earthquakes.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

30 Jun 2025
Accretionary prism deformation and fluid migration caused by slow earthquakes in the Nankai subduction zone
Takashi Tonegawa, Takeshi Akuhara, Yusuke Yamashita, Hiroko Sugioka, Masanao Shinohara, Shunsuke Takemura, and Takeshi Tsuji
Solid Earth, 16, 579–592, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-16-579-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/se-16-579-2025, 2025
Short summary
Takashi Tonegawa, Takeshi Akuhara, Yusuke Yamashita, Hiroko Sugioka, Masanao Shinohara, Shunsuke Takemura, and Takeshi Tsuji

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3405', Takashi Hirose, 24 Dec 2024
    • AC3: 'Reply on CC1', Takashi Tonegawa, 17 Mar 2025
  • RC1: 'Review Comment on egusphere-2024-3405', Takashi Hirose, 24 Dec 2024
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Takashi Tonegawa, 17 Mar 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3405', Manuela Köpfli, 13 Jan 2025
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Takashi Tonegawa, 17 Mar 2025

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3405', Takashi Hirose, 24 Dec 2024
    • AC3: 'Reply on CC1', Takashi Tonegawa, 17 Mar 2025
  • RC1: 'Review Comment on egusphere-2024-3405', Takashi Hirose, 24 Dec 2024
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Takashi Tonegawa, 17 Mar 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-3405', Manuela Köpfli, 13 Jan 2025
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Takashi Tonegawa, 17 Mar 2025

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
AR by Takashi Tonegawa on behalf of the Authors (19 Mar 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (27 Mar 2025) by Irene Bianchi
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (27 Mar 2025)
ED: Publish as is (02 Apr 2025) by Irene Bianchi
ED: Publish as is (02 Apr 2025) by CharLotte Krawczyk (Executive editor)
AR by Takashi Tonegawa on behalf of the Authors (07 Apr 2025)  Author's response   Manuscript 

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

30 Jun 2025
Accretionary prism deformation and fluid migration caused by slow earthquakes in the Nankai subduction zone
Takashi Tonegawa, Takeshi Akuhara, Yusuke Yamashita, Hiroko Sugioka, Masanao Shinohara, Shunsuke Takemura, and Takeshi Tsuji
Solid Earth, 16, 579–592, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-16-579-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/se-16-579-2025, 2025
Short summary
Takashi Tonegawa, Takeshi Akuhara, Yusuke Yamashita, Hiroko Sugioka, Masanao Shinohara, Shunsuke Takemura, and Takeshi Tsuji

Data sets

Dataset of dv/v and CC using DONET and temporary OBSs in the Nankai subduction zone Takashi Tonegawa https://zenodo.org/records/14020538

Takashi Tonegawa, Takeshi Akuhara, Yusuke Yamashita, Hiroko Sugioka, Masanao Shinohara, Shunsuke Takemura, and Takeshi Tsuji

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Short summary
This study demonstrates that for slow earthquakes in the shallow Nankai subduction zone, (1) the velocity reductions in the accretionary prism reflect the stress field changes due to the slow earthquakes, and (2) the temporal variations in the heterogeneous structure correspond to upward fluid migrations from the source region of the slow earthquakes.
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