Joint inversion of strain and tilt data using the Akaike’s Bayesian information criterion to map detailed slip distributions of short-term slow slip events

Abstract

Along the Nankai Trough subduction zone, southwest Japan, short-term slow slip events (SSEs) are commonly detected in strain and tilt records. These observational data have been used in rectangular fault models with uniform slip to analyze SSEs; however, the assumption of uniform slip precludes the possibility of mapping the slip distribution in detail. We report here an inversion method, based on the joint use of strain and tilt data and evaluated in terms of the Akaike’s Bayesian information criterion (ABIC), to estimate the slip distributions of short-term SSEs on the plate interface. Tests of this method yield slip distributions with smaller errors than are possible with the use of strain or tilt data alone. This method provides detailed spatial slip distributions of short-term SSEs including probability estimates, enabling improved monitoring of their locations and amounts of slip. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]