# gst: a slow motion can triggers strong, fast-slip (many miles away)

<< At a glacier near the South Pole, earth scientists have found evidence of a quiet, slow-motion fault slip that triggers strong, fast-slip earthquakes many miles away,  >>

<< During an earthquake, a fast slip happens when energy builds up underground and is released quickly along a fault. Blocks of earth rapidly slide against one another. However, at an Antarctic glacier called Whillans Ice Plain, (they) show that "slow slips" precede dozens of large magnitude 7 earthquakes. >>

<< We found that there is almost always a precursory 'slow slip' before an earthquake, >> Grace Barcheck.

<< these slow-slip precursors- occurring as far as 20 miles away from the epicenter- are directly involved in starting the earthquake. >>

<< These slow slips are remarkably common, (..) and they migrate toward where the fast earthquake slip starts. >>

<< Within a period of two months in 2014, the group captured 75 earthquakes at the bottom of the Antarctic glacier. Data from GPS stations indicated that 73- or 96% - of the 75 earthquakes showed a period of precursory slow motion. >>

Blaine Friedlander. Slow motion precursors give earthquakes the fast slip. Cornell University. Feb 16, 2021.

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https://phys.org/news/2021-02-motion-precursors-earthquakes-fast.html

G. Barcheck, E. Brodsky, et al. Migratory earthquake precursors are dominant on an ice stream fault. Science Advances. Vol. 7, no. 6, eabd0105. doi: 10.1126/ sciadv.abd0105. Feb 5, 2021.

https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/6/eabd0105