Slab2 - A Comprehensive Subduction Zone Geometry Model, Vanuatu Region

Subduction zones are home to the most seismically active faults on the planet. The shallow megathrust interface of subduction zones host our largest earthquakes, and are the only faults capable of M9+ ruptures. Despite these facts, our knowledge of subduction zone geometry - which likely plays a key role in determining the spatial extent and ultimately the size of subduction zone earthquakes - is incomplete. Here we calculate the three- dimensional geometries of all active global subduction zones. The resulting model - Slab2 - provides for the first time a comprehensive geometrical analysis of all known slabs in unprecedented detail.