TIME DEPENDENT STRESS FIELD ASSOCIATED WITH RIFT DYNAMICS

A. Antonioli(*), A. Piersanti(**), G. Spada(**), M. Bonafede(*)

*  Dipartimento di Fisica, Viale Berti-Pichat 8, I-40127 Bologna 
** Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica - Via di Vigna Murata 605, I-00182 Roma

ABSTRACT.

By means of a spherical, radially stratified Earth model we compute the time-dependent deformations which are induced by a spreading ridge. The method of solution is based on a spectral approach to the equations which govern the deformations of a spherical Earth due to seismic sources located within the crust. Our method, which is here employed to model the ongoing deformations occurring along the Iceland rift, has the advantage of including a realistic mantle layering and a self-consistent description of the gravitational effects. For simplified time-histories, we will show in detail the basic features of the deformation field associated with the rift dynamics, and in particular we will focus on the time-dependent effects due to mantle relaxation.