Jeen-Hwa Wang
A dynamic study of frictional and viscous effects on earthquake rupture; a case study of the 1999 Chi-chi, Taiwan, earthquake
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (August 2007), 97(4):1233-1244

Abstract:
Friction is commonly considered an important factor in controlling earthquake rupture. In this work, it is assumed that viscosity is also a significant factor. A strike-slip-type, two-body spring-slider model in the presence of both friction and viscosity is applied to approximate the rupture processes of an earthquake along the fault-striking direction. Results show that in addition to friction, viscosity is also an important factor in controlling rupture. The M _s 7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake which struck central Taiwan on 20 September 1999, ruptured a 100-km-long east-dipping transpressive fault (the Chelungpu fault). Measured and inferred results show that there are differences in physical properties between the northern and southern segments of the fault. Simulation results from a two-body model can explain the differences in displacement, velocity, acceleration, and predominant period between the two fault segments.