Aseismisk

Aseismisk is a Swedish adjective meaning not related to or not involving earthquakes; lacking seismic activity. In geoscience, the term is used chiefly to describe processes, fault behavior, or regions where movement occurs without generating large seismic waves. A common concept is aseismic slip, or aseismic creep, which is slow, steady motion along a fault that does not produce noticeable earthquakes. This contrasts with seismic slip, where rapid rupture releases substantial elastic energy as an earthquake.

Aseismic behavior occurs in several contexts. Fault zones may experience aseismic creep due to rock rheology and frictional properties, allowing continuous, gradual displacement instead of episodic earthquakes. Some intraplate regions exhibit low seismicity, either because tectonic stress is low or because deformation is accommodated by aseismic processes. In tectonic models, the balance between aseismic and seismic slip influences seismic hazard assessment.

In engineering and planning, discussions of aseismic processes inform risk analysis, though the standard Swedish term for earthquake-resistant construction is typically jordbävningssäkerhet or jordbävningssäker byggnad rather than aseismisk design; when used, aseismic design implies strategies to accommodate or minimize impacts from seismic motion, but it is less common than explicit earthquake-resistant terminology.

Etymology: from a- meaning without and seismisk meaning relating to earthquakes, derived from Greek seismos.