This article was originally published on September 16, 2020 in the Geodynamics Blog of the European Geophysical Union by Thyagarajulu Gollapalli and edited by Jyotirmoy Paul. It is reproduced here with permission.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://geophysics-down-under.geoscience.education/advanced-geodynamic-models-of-giant-earthquakes/