Coulomb stress change on surrounding faults by the January 12, 2010, Haiti earthquake

The M7 January 12, 2010, Haiti earthquake occurred on the previously unmapped Léogâne Fault, a transpressional fault located very close to the Enriquillo Plantain Garden Fault (EPGF), the major fault system and primary seismic hazard in southern Haiti. How the rupture of the Léogâne fault influenced stresses on the Enriquillo Fault - especially toward Port-au-Prince - as well as on other regional faults is critical to understanding how seismic hazard in this heavily populated region has been altered as a result of the devastating 2010 earthquake. We calculated Coulomb Failure Stress (CFS) changes in the region surrounding the M7 January 12, 2010, Haiti earthquake using dislocation theory, assuming elastic properties for the region. We considered two possible slip models, the simple single-fault slip model proposed by Calais et al. (2010) and the more complex model by Hayes et al. (2010), which involves three subfaults. We resolve CFS changes on the Léogâne rupture plane itself, as well as on regional faults such as the Enriquillo, Neiba-Matheux, and Trois Baies faults. We find that the aftershock distribution is well explained by CFS changes caused by the coseismic rupture, in particular the cluster of reverse faulting events to the west of the rupture, offshore, coincident with the Trois Baies fault. This fault therefore appears to have been triggered by the January 2010 event. The aftershock distribution in the rupture area clearly outlines the Léogâne fault (see Douilly et al., this meeting) but shows no clear evidence of activity on the other subfaults suggested by Hayes et al. (2010). Both slip models imply a ~1 bar increase of CFS bar on the Enriquillo fault to the west and east of the January 2010 rupture. For the Calais et al. (2010) model, CFS changes are higher to the east if the Enriquillo Fault is modeled with a dip of 65° and a rake 20°, as suggested by some geological observations, compared to a purely strike-slip vertical fault, as often assumed. For average values of the coefficient of friction (0.4) we find a large CFS decrease in the segment of the Enriquillo Fault that is adjacent to the 2010 rupture. For the Trois Baies fault, located to the northwest of the rupture between the Gonâve island and the Southern Peninsula and striking N120°, we find a modest CFS increase (~0.1 bar) on the shallow portion of the segment and a ~0.5 bar CFS increase on the deeper portion. There are no significant CFS changes on most other nearby faults, such as the Neiba-Matheux fault to the north.<br />
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