Aseismic creep

Aseismic creep accommodates far-field motions on localized zones of deformation at tectonic plate boundaries.

The frictional reaction of geologic materials can explain the transition from seismic to aseismic deformation with depth.

[1] Knowing how creep rates vary temporally and spatially along faults has important implications for predicting the timing, locations, and potential sizes of future earthquakes as well as the mechanics of fault behavior.

Measurements of inter-seismic strain, as well as the associated pattern of coupling, are also crucial because they reveal the pockets where stress is building up and may be released in future seismic ruptures.

[2] The emergence of space-based geodesy and newly developed remote sensing techniques are used to monitor crustal deformation in order to track aseismic creep on a fault.

A house sitting on the Calaveras Fault in 2003. It was demolished in 2009.
Simulation of aseismic creep in Parkfield, California . (The plaques were erected as they appear here in 1995 to represent the fault's movement since 1931.)
Creep of the Hayward Fault displaced this curb over 15 years ( Fremont, California ).
Offset in the California Memorial Stadium .