Welcome to Weng’s Homepage!

Huihui Weng

Associate Professor, weng@nju.edu.cn

His research vision is to achieve a fundamental understanding of fault mechanics, through synergistic efforts in combining theoretical, computational, laboratorial, and observational approaches. His long-term goals aim at answering the following essential questions: What controls the nucleation, propagation, and arrest of earthquake ruptures? Can we anticipate the size of future earthquakes? What controls the slow and fast earthquake cycle? How can we improve the way seismic risk is evaluated?

Interests

Earthquake physics
Slow and fast earthquakes
Dynamic rupture simulations

Education

Geophysics, 2015

University of Science and Technology of China

News

2023 Summer Camp in Nanjing University

https://es.nju.edu.cn/90/fd/c4296a626941/page.htm

Experience

Associate Professor (tenure track)

Nanjing University

September 2022 – Present

Postdoc

Geoazur laboratory/CNRS/UCA France

April 2018 – July 2022

Postdoc

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

September 2015 – April 2018

Research

Viscoelastic ruptures

A new theory in 3D viscoelasticity demonstrating unbounded terminal rupture speeds beyond classical speed limits.

Slow and fast earthquakes

A new theoretical model elucidating the fundamental connections between slow and fast earthquakes.

Supershear ruptures

A new theoretical model predicting continuum of earthquake rupture speeds due to oblique sliding.

New 3D rupture theory

A new 3D theory to predict rupture propagation in a fault with finite width.

Dynamic rupture simulation for the 2015 Mw7.8 Nepal earthquake

How can we constrain the frictional parameters on the fault?

Non-peer-reviewed papers

#Students or postdoc *Corresponding

V. van der Heiden, Huihui Weng, J.-P. Ampuero, Y. van Dinther (2026). Dynamic Theory of Elongated Ruptures Across Stepovers on Normal Fault Systems. In manuscript.

L. Buijze, Huihui Weng, J.-P. Ampuero (2026). Physics-based estimates of the maximum magnitude for induced earthquakes in the Groningen gas field. In manuscript.

D. Zhao#, Huihui Weng*, Q. Wang, Y. Zhou, H. Chen (2025). Multiscale fault-zone structures governed by earthquake rupture dynamics. Under Revision.

PDF

Huihui Weng*, L. Buijze, J.-P. Ampuero (2024). A theoretical model for physics-based estimation of maximum earthquake sizes. Minor Revision.

PDF

Huihui Weng*, J.-P. Ampuero (2023). Toward assessing seismic hazard from laboratory observations of rate-and-state frictional parameters. In manuscript.

Huihui Weng*, J.-P. Ampuero (2023). The theoretical energy release rate of in-plane elongated ruptures. In manuscript.

Peer-reviewed papers

#Students or postdoc *Corresponding

D. Zhao#, Huihui Weng*, X. Jia, R. Burgmann, G. Zhou, A. Tourin, X. Qiao, Q. Wang (2026). Granular fault-zone dilatancy and compaction during and after the 2025 Mw7.7 Myanmar earthquake. Accepted.

Y. Mao, Y. Li, C. Sun, Huihui Weng, D. Jia (2026). Crustal rheology controls long-term topographic growth and seismicity in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

DOI

P. He, T. J. Craig, Y. Wen, Huihui Weng, K. He, C. Xu (2026). Multi-stage shallow rupture and pre-event shallow deformation during the 2025 Mw 5.9 Asadabad earthquake (Afghanistan). Geophysical Research Letters.

DOI

L. Xu, L. Meng, Z. Yunjun, Y. Wang, Y. Yang, C. Hu, Huihui Weng, W. Xu, E. Su, C. Ji (2025). Bimaterial effect and favorable energy ratio enabled supershear rupture in the 2025 Mandalay earthquake. Science.

DOI

Huihui Weng (2025). The dynamics of fast and slow earthquake ruptures in viscoelastic materials. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

PDF DOI

F. Diao, Huihui Weng, J.-P. Ampuero, Z. Shao, R. Wang, F. Long, X. Xiong (2024). Physics-based assessment of earthquake potential on the Anninghe-Zemuhe fault system in southwestern China. Nature Communications.

PDF DOI

D. Zhao#, C. Qu, X. Shan, W. Gong, Huihui Weng, H. Chen, D. Wu (2024). An updated fault coupling model along major block-bounding faults on the eastern and northeastern Tibetan Plateau from a stress-constrained inversion of GPS and InSAR data. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

DOI

H. Yang, L. Moresi, Huihui Weng, J. Giordani (2023). Numerical modelling of earthquake cycles based on Navier-Stokes equations with Viscoelastic-plasticity rheology. G-cube.

DOI

Huihui Weng*, J.-P. Ampuero (2022). Integrated rupture mechanics for slow slip events and earthquakes. Nature Communications.

PDF DOI

Huihui Weng*, J.-P. Ampuero (2020). Continuum of earthquake rupture speeds enabled by oblique slip. Nature Geoscience.

PDF DOI

E. Oral, Huihui Weng, J.-P. Ampuero (2020). Does a damaged fault zone mitigate the near-field impact of supershear earthquakes? Application to the 2018 Mw 7.5 Palu earthquake. Geophysical Research Letters.

PDF DOI

H. Yang, S. Yao, B. He, A. Newman, Huihui Weng (2019). Deriving rupture scenarios from interseismic locking distributions along the subduction megathrust. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

PDF DOI

Huihui Weng*, J.-P. Ampuero (2019). The dynamics of elongated earthquake ruptures. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

PDF DOI

Huihui Weng, H. Yang (2018). Constraining frictional properties on fault by dynamic rupture simulations and near-field observation. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

PDF DOI

Huihui Weng, H. Yang (2017). Seismogenic width controls aspect ratios of earthquake ruptures. Geophysical Research Letters.

PDF DOI

Huihui Weng, H. Yang, Z. Zhang, X. Chen (2016). Earthquake rupture extents and coseismic slips promoted by damaged fault zones. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

PDF DOI

J. Yin, H. Yang, H. Yao, Huihui Weng (2016). Coseismic radiation and stress drop during the 2015 Mw8.3 Illapel, Chile megathrust earthquake. Geophysical Research Letters.

PDF DOI

Huihui Weng, J. Huang, H. Yang (2015). Barrier-induced supershear ruptures on a slip-weakening fault. Geophysical Research Letters.

PDF DOI

Huihui Weng, J. Huang (2015). Numerical simulations about subduction earthquake cycles: The case of Japan Tohoku Mw9.0 earthquake. Journal of Geodesy and Geodynamics (in Chinese).

Huihui Weng, J. Huang (2015). Numerical simulations about the influence of stress disturbance on earthquake cycle and seismic moment. Acta Seismologica Sinica (in Chinese).

F. Diao, X. Xiong, R. Wang, Y. Zheng, T. Walter, Huihui Weng, J. Li (2014). Overlapping post-seismic deformation processes: afterslip and viscoelastic relaxation following the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku (Japan) earthquake. Geophysical Journal International,.

PDF DOI

Teaching

2022 Seismology

Sep 1, 2022

2019 International summer schools

2019 Advanced Workshop on Earthquake Fault Mechanics: Theory, Simulation and Observations at ICTP, Trieste, Italy

Sep 2, 2019

Group

赵德政(Dezheng Zhao)

专职科研岗(Associate Researcher)
研究方向：多尺度断层形变的形成机制
Research: The mechanisms of fault deformation

高艺(Yi Gao)

博士研究生(PhD student)
研究方向：流体对慢地震和快地震破裂过程的影响
Research: Effects of fluids on rupture dynamics in slow and fast earthquakes

史乙然(Yiran Shi)

博士研究生(PhD student)
研究方向: 慢地震和快地震的周期模拟
Research: Cycle simulations on slip and fast earthquakes

占诗冉(Shiran Zhan)

硕士研究生(Master student)
研究方向:断层颗粒摩擦行为
Research:Fault-zone granular behaviour

李洋洋(Yangyang Li)

硕士研究生(Master student)
研究方向: 大地测量约束陆内断层的慢地震
Research: Geodetic constraints on slow earthquakes along continental faults

蒋隽涵(Juanhan Jiang)

硕士研究生(Master student)
研究方向：低速断裂带的动力学影响
Research: Effects of low velocity fault zone on rupture dynamics

Graduated students

Undergraduates：
         Jiayi Shen
         Lingfeng Lu（Now at SUSTech)
         Yixiao Peng（Now at IGGCAS）
Graduate student：
         Wangyang Shang（Now at MIT)