The updip seismic/aseismic transition of the Sumatra megathrust illuminated by aftershocks of the 2004 Aceh-Andaman and 2005 Nias events

Great subduction earthquakes exhibit segmentation both within the rupture of individual events and in the long term history of the margin. The 2004 December 26 Aceh-Andaman and 2005 March 28 Nias event in northern Sumatra are two of the largest earthquakes in recent years, with both co- and post-seismic displacements constrained in unprecedented detail. Using aftershock locations from a temporary seismic array in the boundary region between both events and waveform modelling of large aftershocks, we demonstrate that the vast majority of aftershocks in the study region occur on the plate interface within a narrow band (