Submitted to Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, © Regan L. Patton, 7/15/2012, 1:04:23 PM 1 2 3 4 Earthquake Depth-Energy Release: Thermomechanical 5 Implications for Dynamic Plate Theory 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Running title: EARTHQUAKE DEPTH-ENERGY RELEASE 15 Words abstract: 290 16 Words text: 13552 17 References: 93 18 Tables: 6 19 Figures: 9 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 R. L. Patton 30 School of Environmental Sciences 31 Washington State University 32 Pullman, WA 99164 33
[email protected] 34 1 PATTON 35 Abstract. Analysis of the global centroid-moment tensor catalog reveals significant regional variations of 36 seismic energy release to 290 km depth. The largest variations, with direction from the baseline indicated 37 using plus and minus signs, and in decreasing order, occur at 14-25 km depths in continental transform (+), 38 oceanic ridge/transform (+), continental rift (+), Himalayan-type (+), island arc-type (-) and Andean-type (- 39 ) margins. At 25-37 km depths, variations one-fifth the size occur in continental rift (+), island arc-type 40 (+), Andean-type, (-), Himalayan-type (-), oceanic ridge/transform (-), and continental transform (-) 41 margins. Below 37-km depth, variations one-tenth the size occur in Andean-type and Himalayan-type 42 margins to depths of about 260 km. Energy release in island arc-type margins closely tracks the baseline to 43 the maximum depth of earthquakes at 699 km. The maximum depth of earthquakes in Andean-type and 44 Himalayan-type margins is 656 and 492 km, respectively, while in divergent and transform margins it is 45 about 50 km.