Earthquake nucleation and triggering on an optimally oriented fault

Seismic surface waves from large, distant earthquakes commonly trigger smaller earthquakes. However, delay times of hours to days between the surface waves and the triggered earthquakes weaken the causal connection. Furthermore, when there is no delay, the triggered earthquakes are typically too small or too obscured to obtain reliable source mechanisms. We present observations of instantaneous triggering of a strike-slip earthquake in central Alaska. Shear strain from the optimally aligned teleseismic Love wave induced a 24 s exponential foreshock signal leading to the triggered earthquake. This nucleation phase, and the alignment of the triggered earthquake source mechanism with the teleseismic stress field, reveal the behavior of an existing fault under well-calibrated strain conditions. The Alaska earthquake provides the first observation of combined nucleation and triggering, and it suggests that transient stresses during nucleation may influence the subsequent earthquake rupture. Laboratory and theoretical studies of nucleation and triggering may help discriminate between different interpretations for the Alaska earthquake.

► We report observations of earthquake nucleation and triggering in central Alaska. ► The 24-s nucleation phase exhibited exponential growth. ► The nucleation is interpreted as a creep-like process near the base of the crust. ► The triggered earthquake mechanism is aligned with the triggering Love waves. ► The observations provide key constraints for theoretical models of earthquakes.