Fast computation of static stress changes on 2D faults from final slip distributions

Abstract

Computing the distribution of static stress changes on the fault plane of an earthquake, given the distribution of static displacements, is of great importance in earthquake dynamics. This study extends the approach developed by Andrews [1980] , and compares it against existing analytical formulations. We present calculations for slip maps of past earthquakes and find that the stress‐change results are accurate to about 1–2% of the maximum absolute stress change, while the computation time is greatly reduced. Our method therefore provides a reliable and fast alternative to other methods. In particular, its speed will make computation of large suites of models feasible, thus facilitating the construction of physically consistent source characterizations for strong motion simulations.