Lingsen Meng

Research  /  03

Slip models

Finite-fault & joint inversion

Back-projection shows where high-frequency waves come from; a finite-fault inversion shows how much each part of the fault slipped and when. We invert teleseismic and strong-motion waveforms together with GNSS and InSAR displacements on multi-segment fault models, and use back-projection and surface ruptures to choose the fault geometry and check the timing.

Slip in three dimensions

Each rectangle is one subfault of the published model, coloured by slip. Drag to rotate. Press play to sweep through the rupture: a subfault lights up when the rupture front reaches it, while the cursor moves along the moment-rate function, the rate at which seismic moment is released.

Finite-fault slip model

Published data
slip 0 – · grey = not yet ruptured · dot = hypocentre, ring = epicentre ·

Models: Mandalay, Xu et al. (2025) Science (data doi:10.5281/zenodo.17113746); Noto, Xu et al. (2024) Science (doi:10.5281/zenodo.12786109); Kahramanmaraş, Xu et al. (2023) Commun. Earth Environ. (doi:10.5281/zenodo.10040732); Maduo, Xu et al. (2023) JGR (doi:10.5281/zenodo.7761908). Moment-rate functions are recomputed from the subfault slip-rate functions of each model. The Venezuela model is from a submitted manuscript and has not been peer reviewed.

Recent earthquakes

2021 Mw 7.4 Maduo, Tibet

A bilateral rupture on bifurcating faults: about 75 km to the west-northwest at ~2.7 km/s and about 85 km to the east-southeast at ~3 km/s, overall below the shear-wave speed, with possible supershear during part of the eastward propagation (Xu et al., 2023, JGR).

2023 Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye

Seismic, GNSS and radar data combined in finite-fault inversion and back-projection show a rupture that started on the Narlı Fault and then ran both ways along the East Anatolian Fault at overall subshear speed. Large slip on some segments points to a supercycle of at least 900 years; the geometry resembles the San Andreas–San Jacinto system (Xu et al., 2023, Commun. Earth Environ.).

2024 Mw 7.5 Noto, Japan

After four years of swarm activity, the mainshock ruptured with two initiations that encircled a fault asperity at the edge of the swarm (Xu et al., 2024, Science). Static and adjoint inversions of geodetic and tsunami data place the main slip northeast of the epicentre on a fault dipping about 70° to the northwest (Mohanna et al., 2025, Earth Planets Space).

2024 Mw 7.4 Hualien, Taiwan

The rupture unzipped a conjugate fault system (Xu et al., 2025, GRL).

2025 Mandalay, Myanmar

The joint model uses three fault planes along the Sagaing Fault. The rupture extended about 530 km, and its southern branch propagated at supershear speed (see rupture physics).

Key papers