Geophysical studies of recent well-monitored mega-earthquakes are able to reveal, with increasing resolution, the complex mechanical heterogeneities along faults (differential locking behavior, differential rupture behavior, rheological and structural variations, among others). Furthermore, observations of various transient events (afterslip, slow slip, tectonic tremors, low frequency earthquakes, viscoelastic relaxation) also evidence the temporal evolution of fault systems. While fault heterogeneities seem to have first order controls on the pattern of strain accumulation/release and carry fundamental information about the mechanical setting of faults, we have limited physical and mechanical understanding of what causes these heterogeneities, their kinematics and transient evolution between major events, and how they ultimately influence the largest seismic events. We aim to integrate studies from various disciplines in order to compare different observations and provide insights into the physical and transient properties of fault heterogeneities and their relation to earthquakes. Contributions from geologists, seismologists, geodesists, experimentalists, and modellers are invited, especially studies from recent great earthquakes. Some suggested topics are:
* Roughness/asperities/geometry of faults
* Geodetic records of fault slip in different periods of the earthquake cycle
* Co-seismic slip inferred from seismic records of various frequencies
* Spatiotemporal variation of seismicity and transient events, seismic vs. aseismic slip
* Seismic and electromagnetic attributes around faults from tomography
* Relation between fault heterogeneity and rock physical/rheological properties
* Numerical modeling of fault zone kinematics

Invited Speakers:

- Rebecca Bell (Imperial College London): "Fault zone structure and seismic reflection characteristics in zones of slow slip and tsunami earthquakes"

- Daniel Melnick (U. Potsdam): "Transient evolution of plate coupling after the giant 1960 Chile earthquake at Guafo Island"

- Sebastian Rost (U. Leeds): "The crustal structure along the 1999 Izmit/Düzce rupture of the North-Anatolian Fault"

- Kelin Wang (Geological Survey of Canada): "Rupture and creep behaviours of subduction interface controlled by fault zone heterogeneity"