Since 2004, there have been a number of large subduction earthquakes whose unexpected rupture features contributed to the generation of devastating tsunamis. The impact that these events had on human society highlights the need to improve our knowledge of the key mechanisms behind their origin. Advances in these areas have led to progess in our understanding of the most important parameters affecting tsunamigenesis. For example, unexpectedly large slip was observed during the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake, leading to re-investigations of the geology of other subduction zones and the conditions that can lead to large slip at the trench.

In general, the large amount of geophysical data recorded at present has led to new descriptions of faulting and rupture complexity (e.g., spatial and temporal seismic rupture heterogeneity, fault roughness, geometry and sediment type, interseismic coupling, etc.). Rock physicists have proposed new constitutive laws and parameters based on a new generation of laboratory experiments, which simulate close to natural seismic deformation conditions on natural fault samples. Analog modellers now have apparati that simulate multiple seismic cycles with unprecedented realism. These represent a valuable tool for investigating how various boundary conditions (e.g., frictional segmentation, interplate roughness) influence the seismic behavior of subduction megathrusts. In addition, advances in numerical modelling now allow scientists to test how new geophysical observations, e.g. from ocean drilling projects and laboratory analyses, influence subduction zone processes over a range of temporal and spatial scales (i.e., geodynamic, seismic cycling, earthquake rupture, wave propagation modelling).

In light of these advances, this session has a twofold mission: i) to integrate recent results from different fields to foster a comprehensive understanding of the key parameters controlling the physics of large subduction earthquakes over a range of spatial and temporal scales; ii) to individuate how the tsunami hazard analysis can benefit from using a multi-disciplinary approach.

We invite abstracts that enhance interdisciplinary collaboration and integrate observations, rock physics experiments, analog- and numerical modeling, and tsunami hazard.