Stanford Advisors

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    University - Scholar Department: Department of Geophysics Position: Postdoctoral Scholar

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  • Mail Code: 2215

All Publications

  • Frictional healing and induced earthquakes on conventionally stable faults. Nature communications Li, M., Niemeijer, A. R., van Dinther, Y. 2025; 16 (1): 9140

    Abstract

    Conventional studies suggest that faults in the shallow subsurface resist earthquake nucleation, because their frictional strength increases as slip accelerates (i.e., velocity-strengthening friction). Contrary to this widely held notion, such nominally stable faults frequently host earthquakes induced by human activities. Here, we resolve this contradiction using numerical models that simulate both geological and earthquake timescales using rate-and-state friction. Faults could develop significant interface strength, expressed as increase in static frictions by around 0.25, due to "healing" over thousands to millions of years. This strength gain can be released to nucleate earthquakes, also on velocity-strengthening faults. These earthquakes exhibit efficient frictional weakening similar to those natural earthquakes on velocity-weakening faults but follow revised nucleation stages and length scales. Seismic hazard for subsequent earthquakes is reduced and vastly different. Velocity-strengthening faults can no longer host earthquakes, because subsequent slip on human lifetimes is stable. Velocity-weakening fault segments may still nucleate earthquakes, but with sharply reduced stress drops. Neighboring ruptured velocity-strengthening segments impede rupture propagation and hence reduce anticipated future earthquake magnitudes. Both the increased hazard for the first induced earthquake and less hazardous subsequent events need to be properly assessed and communicated to maintain public confidence for using the subsurface for the energy transition.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-63482-3

    View details for PubMedID 41093856

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC12528417

  • Community-Driven Code Comparisons for Simulations of Fluid-Induced Aseismic Slip JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH Lambert, V. R., Erickson, B. A., Jiang, J., Dunham, E. M., Kim, T., Ampuero, J., Ando, R., Cappa, F., Dublanchet, P., Elbanna, A., Fialko, Y., Gabriel, A., Lapusta, N., Li, M., Marcum, J., May, D., Mia, M., Ozawa, S., Pranger, C., Romanet, P., Scuderi, M. M., van Dinther, Y., Yang, Y., Yun, J. 2025; 130 (4)

    View details for DOI 10.1029/2024JB030601

    View details for Web of Science ID 001457914400001

  • Earthquake Nucleation and Slip Behavior Altered by Stochastic Normal Stress Heterogeneity JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH Li, M., Niemeijer, A., van Dinther, Y. 2025; 130 (1)

    View details for DOI 10.1029/2024JB029857

    View details for Web of Science ID 001383305000001

  • Estimating the occurrence of slow slip events and earthquakes with an ensemble Kalman filter GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL Diab-Montero, H., Li, M., van Dinther, Y., Vossepoel, F. C. 2023; 234 (3): 1701-1721

    View details for DOI 10.1093/gji/ggad154

    View details for Web of Science ID 000992711800002

  • Incorporating Full Elastodynamic Effects and Dipping Fault Geometries in Community Code Verification Exercises for Simulations of Earthquake Sequences and Aseismic Slip (SEAS) BULLETIN OF THE SEISMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA Erickson, B. A., Jiang, J., Lambert, V., Barbot, S. D., Abdelmeguid, M., Almquist, M., Ampuero, J., Ando, R., Cattania, C., Chen, A., Dal Zilio, L., Deng, S., Dunham, E. M., Elbanna, A. E., Gabriel, A., Harvey, T. W., Huang, Y., Kaneko, Y., Kozdon, J. E., Lapusta, N., Li, D., Li, M., Liang, C., Liu, Y., Ozawa, S., Perez-Silva, A., Pranger, C., Segall, P., Sun, Y., Thakur, P., Uphoff, C., van Dinther, Y., Yang, Y. 2023; 113 (2): 499-523

    View details for DOI 10.1785/0120220066

    View details for Web of Science ID 000968430000001

  • Characteristics of Earthquake Cycles: A Cross-Dimensional Comparison of 0D to 3D Numerical Models. Journal of geophysical research. Solid earth Li, M., Pranger, C., van Dinther, Y. 2022; 127 (8): e2021JB023726

    Abstract

    High-resolution computer simulations of earthquake sequences in three or even two dimensions pose great demands on time and energy, making lower-cost simplifications a competitive alternative. We systematically study the advantages and limitations of simplifications that eliminate spatial dimensions in quasi-dynamic earthquake sequence models, from 3D models with a 2D fault plane down to 0D or 1D models with a 0D fault point. We demonstrate that, when 2D or 3D models produce quasi-periodic characteristic earthquakes, their behavior is qualitatively similar to lower-dimension models. Certain coseismic characteristics like stress drop and fracture energy are largely controlled by frictional parameters and are thus largely comparable. However, other observations are quantitatively clearly affected by dimension reduction. We find corresponding increases in recurrence interval, coseismic slip, peak slip velocity, and rupture speed. These changes are to a large extent explained by the elimination of velocity-strengthening patches that transmit tectonic loading onto the velocity-weakening fault patch, thereby reducing the interseismic stress rate and enhancing the slip deficit. This explanation is supported by a concise theoretical framework, which explains some of these findings quantitatively and effectively estimates recurrence interval and slip. Through accounting for an equivalent stressing rate at the nucleation size h* into 2D and 3D models, 0D or 1D models can also effectively simulate these earthquake cycle parameters. Given the computational efficiency of lower-dimensional models that run more than a million times faster, this paper aims to provide qualitative and quantitative guidance on economical model design and interpretation of modeling studies.

    View details for DOI 10.1029/2021JB023726

    View details for PubMedID 36250157

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC9539514

  • Community-Driven Code Comparisons for Three-Dimensional Dynamic Modeling of Sequences of Earthquakes and Aseismic Slip JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH Jiang, J., Erickson, B. A., Lambert, V. R., Ampuero, J., Ando, R., Barbot, S. D., Cattania, C., Zilio, L., Duan, B., Dunham, E. M., Gabriel, A., Lapusta, N., Li, D., Li, M., Liu, D., Liu, Y., Ozawa, S., Pranger, C., van Dinther, Y. 2022; 127 (3)

    View details for DOI 10.1029/2021JB023519

    View details for Web of Science ID 000776510500043