https://temblor.net/earthquake-insights ... lts-16395/
Why do the largest continental earthquakes nucleate on branch faults?
POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2024 BY TEMBLOR
New research suggests branch faults serve as on-ramps to major fault superhighways. The key to this phenomenon might be that the branch fault ruptures faster than seismic waves can travel — the equivalent of breaking the sound barrier in Earth’s crust — delivering a strong kick to the major fault.
By Ross S. Stein, Temblor, Inc. and Peter Bird, UCLA
Citation: Stein, R. S., and Bird, P., 2024, Why do the largest continental earthquakes nucleate on branch faults?, Temblor, http://doi.org/10.32858/temblor.351