Mainshock‐Induced Stress Changes Modulate Initial Aftershocks on Complex Branching Faults of the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake

DOI number:10.1029/2026gl122144

Affiliation of Author(s):中国科学技术大学地球和空间科学学院

Journal:Geophysical Research Letters

Place of Publication:美国

Abstract:Large earthquakes can activate complex aftershock fault networks. In such systems, what controls the spatiotemporal evolution of early aftershocks remains a critical yet unresolved problem. Here, using the 2019 M 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake as an example, we partition the first 10 days of aftershocks onto 15 branching faults activated by the mainshock. For each branching fault, we assess the spatial and temporal influence of mainshock‐induced Coulomb failure stress change (ΔCFS) on aftershock patterns and b values. We find that positive ΔCFS may promote aftershock occurrence across multiple faul

First Author:Yanlan Hu

Co-author:Xin Cui,Zefeng Li

Indexed by:Journal paper

Correspondence Author:Zefeng Li

Document Code:47

Discipline:Natural Science

First-Level Discipline:Geophysics

Document Type:SCI

Volume:53

Issue:8

Page Number:e2026GL122144

ISSN No.:0094-8276

Translation or Not:no

Date of Publication:2026-04-21

Links to published journals:https://doi.org/10.1029/2026gl122144