Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Kinematic History of a Salient-recess Junction Explored through a Combined Approach of Field Data and Analog Sandbox Modeling
Published on: August 5, 2016
Stopping phase reveals abrupt arrest of large strike-slip earthquakes
Jesse Kearse1,2, Yoshihiro Kaneko1
1Department of Geophysics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Abstract:
Earthquake magnitude is controlled by where and when rupture propagation stops. However, rupture arrest has rarely been directly observed in near-field seismic records of natural earthquakes. Here, we present systematic near-field observations of ground-motion stopping phases from large strike-slip earthquakes. Analysis of 12 global events shows that transient overshoot in fault-parallel ground surface displacement is a robust diagnostic signature of abrupt termination of rupture propagation. Dynamic rupture simulations reveal that near-field ground motions are strongly amplified by low-wavespeed rocks at shallow depth, which enhances the amplitude of displacement overshoot recorded at the surface. The occurrence of stopping phases at near-fault locations far from mapped rupture termini implies that large strike-slip earthquakes rupture in a segmented manner, with dynamic rupture propagation punctuated by abrupt arrest and reinitiation at internal fault-segment boundaries.
Related Concept Videos
Action Potential: Phases of Stimulation
Resting Phase:
In this phase, the cell's membrane is at its resting potential, typically around -70 millivolts (mV) for neurons. Inside the cell, there is a higher concentration of potassium ions (K+) and a lower concentration of sodium ions (Na+). Voltage-gated sodium channels are closed, and...
Phase Transitions
Phase Transitions
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition
Korotkoff Sounds
During blood pressure assessment, inflating the cuff 30 millimeters of mercury above the patient's systolic blood pressure...
Restarting Stalled Replication Forks

