A CCTV camera captured the first-ever real-time footage of the Earth splitting and a 2.5-meter fault slip occurring within seconds due to a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar on March 28. The rare and detailed footage, recorded along Myanmar’s Sagaing Fault approximately 74.5 miles south of the earthquake’s hypocenter, offers valuable insights into the pulse-like rupture and curved slip path of seismic activity. The video shows the ground cracking and moving in opposite directions, revealing a curved fault slip path.
A geophysicist at Kyoto University in Japan, who carefully analyzed the footage, noted that the fault slip appeared curved. “Instead of things moving straight across the video screen, they moved along a curved path that has a convexity downwards, which instantly started bells ringing in my head,” said the geophysicist in a statement. For the study, the team analyzed the footage using a technique called pixel cross-correlation, breaking down the recording frame by frame.
They concluded that the fault slipped about 8.2 feet to the side over roughly 1.3 seconds, reaching a peak velocity of about 10.5 feet per second. These movements suggest the earthquake was pulse-like, characterized by a concentrated burst of slip propagating along the fault, much like a ripple traveling down a rug when flicked from one end.
Real-time earthquake rupture captured
The findings, published in the journal The Seismic Record on July 18, indicate that curvature in fault slips is more common than previously thought. The curvature occurs because the stress on the fault at the surface is relatively low compared to the stress deeper underground. “These transient stresses push the fault off its intended course initially, and then it catches itself and does what it’s supposed to do after that,” explained the geophysicist.
The study highlights that videos like the one captured in Myanmar can be potent tools for researchers, potentially opening new frontiers in understanding the physics of earthquakes. This knowledge can aid seismologists and geologists in better predicting future ruptures and help cities build more resilient infrastructure to save lives. The team plans to use physics models to further explore the factors that determine fault behavior.
Their work supports the idea that curved slickenlines can indicate the direction of an earthquake. In turn, this newfound understanding promises to help improve earthquake preparedness and infrastructure resilience, ultimately aiming to save lives.
