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Kame Lab
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The lab uses theory and simulation to uncover why earthquakes occur in such complex ways.
AboutAbout the lab
Approaching how earthquakes happen with paper, pencil, and computers.
The Kame Lab studies the process by which underground faults rupture and cause earthquakes, using theory and simulation.
The way earthquakes occur is extremely complex, and no method has yet been established for predicting the occurrence of large earthquakes.
For earthquake processes that cannot be investigated in a laboratory, the lab expresses physical models as equations and seeks to uncover the physical mechanisms behind them.
The lab has also begun research on data assimilation, which combines observational data with physical models in pursuit of an "earthquake weather forecast."
Key terms
- Data assimilation
- A method of incorporating observational data into a numerical model to correct the model's state and its future predictions. It is used in weather forecasting.
- Slow slip
- A phenomenon in which a plate boundary slips slowly over days to years without producing shaking.
- Dynamic rupture
- The process in which a fault breaks at high speed. The rupture spreads across the fault plane while emitting seismic waves.
NewsLab news
View More ↗ResearchResearch themes
For earthquake processes that cannot be investigated through experiments, the lab builds physical models and uses theory and simulation to clarify the physical mechanisms behind them. The lab's research is driven by the questions of why earthquakes occur in such complex ways and whether the occurrence of earthquakes can be predicted.
*Illustrative imageComplex Rupture Behavior of Faults
The lab investigates the high-speed rupture of faults during an earthquake through numerical simulations based on realistic curved fault geometries. By examining where on the fault plane a dynamic rupture, once started, comes to a stop, the lab aims to contribute to predicting earthquake magnitude and strong ground shaking.
*Illustrative imageSimulating Cycles of Great Earthquakes
The lab is developing methods to rapidly compute the cycles of subduction-zone megathrust earthquakes, which occur repeatedly due to plate motion, using models based on realistic subduction zone structures. The lab seeks to understand the physical mechanisms behind tremor, slow slip, and great earthquakes.
*Illustrative imageDetecting Earthquakes Early Using Gravity Changes
Changes in gravity caused by fault rupture propagate at the speed of light, far faster than seismic waves. The lab explores, through both theory and data analysis, whether this gravity information can be used to detect the occurrence of earthquakes.
*Illustrative imageEarthquake Rupture in a Heterogeneous Crust
Theoretical studies of earthquake rupture have been limited to media with uniform properties. The lab is developing methods to analyze dynamic rupture in media whose properties vary from place to place, and is investigating how much the heterogeneity of the crust influences earthquake rupture.
MembersFaculty
The Kame Lab consists of faculty members and master's students.As of 2024
- ProfessorNobuki KamePublications ↗
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Fault Scarp Borah Peak Earthquake 1983” R.E. Wallace, USGS Earthquake Information Bulletin 501 / Public domain (cropped)
- Complex Rupture Behavior of Faults: “Kamishiro fault earthquake 6” Apple2000 / CC0 (cropped)
- Simulating Cycles of Great Earthquakes: “Earthquake cycle for megathrust earthquake” Xiaohan Song / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Detecting Earthquakes Early Using Gravity Changes: “In-construction KAGRA gravitational-wave detector” Christopher Berry / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Earthquake Rupture in a Heterogeneous Crust: “Outcrop of Kannawa Fault near Minase River” Azegamaru / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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