[CIG-SHORT] SSA special session on strain accumulation within continents

[Oliver Boyd]

Dear CIG short-term crustal dynamics members,
We would like to draw your attention to a special session at this year¹s
Seismological Society of America annual meeting in Memphis, TN, April
13-15th. Please consider submitting an abstract to and attending this
session. Abstracts are now being accepted through 5 PM PST 11 January 2011.

Strain Accumulation Inside Continents: Observations, Uncertainties, and
Models
Large, potentially devastating, earthquakes occur within the interiors of
tectonic plates where geodetically measured surface strain rates are very
low (e.g., the 1811-1812 M7-8 New Madrid and 2008 M7.9 Sichuan, China
earthquakes). In some cases, the paleoseismic history may suggest a
relatively high rate of strain accumulation, which, if at odds with geodetic
studies, can obfuscate estimates of seismic hazard. In the central US,
geodetic measurements may indicate very little overall surface deformation,
which could be at odds with the relatively high frequency of large
earthquakes in the New Madrid seismic zone. Are these observations
incompatible? How variable might strain rates be over the earthquake cycle
and longer time scales? Could a steady build up of strain responsible for
repeated large earthquakes be localized and partially masked from surface
observations? This session seeks presentations that address geodetic (short
term) and geologic (long term) observations of surface deformation in
continental interiors, uncertainty in those observations, and models that
either explain any significant signal or propose mechanisms with measureable
surface deformation.

Conveners
Oliver Boyd <olboyd at usgs.gov>
Eric Calais <ecalais at purdue.edu>
John Langbein <langbein at usgs.gov>

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