Title

Elastic Deformation due to Polygonal Dislocations in a Transversely Isotropic Half‐Space

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 11-11-2014

Abstract

Based upon the fundamental solution to a single straight dislocation segment, a complete set of exact closed‐form solutions is presented in a unified manner for elastic displacements and strains due to general polygonal dislocations in a transversely isotropic half‐space. These solutions are systematically composed of two parts: one representing the solution in an infinite transversely isotropic medium and the other accounting for the influence of the free surface of the half‐space. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effect of material anisotropy on the elastic displacement and strain fields associated with dislocations. It is shown that if the rock mass is strongly anisotropic, surface displacements calculated using an isotropic model may result in errors greater than 20%, and some of the strain components near the fault tip may vary by over 200% compared with the transversely isotropic model. Even for rocks with weak anisotropy, the strains based on the isotropic model can also result in significant errors. Our analytical solutions along with the corresponding MATLAB source codes can be used to predict the static displacement and strain fields due to earthquakes, particularly when the rock mass in the half‐space is best approximated as transversely isotropic, as is the case for most sedimentary basins.

Publication Title

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America

Volume

104

Issue

6

First Page

2698

Last Page

2716

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS