An investigation of tsunami source mechanism off the coast of central Peru

The source mechanism of the tsunami generated by the earthquake of 17 October, 1966 off the coast of central Peru was inferred by studying the seismic and oceanic phenomena associated with this event. The seismic mechanism was deduced from geologic structure, seismic intensities, energy releases, spatial distribution of aftershocks, and fault-plane solutions. Using this information and empirical relationships of seismic parameters, the fault length, azimuthal orientation of the tsunamigenic area, and initial tsunami height, were obtained. From the tsunami arrival times at selected stations and from a reverse wave-refraction technique, the limits of the tsunami-generating area were estimated. Using these source dimensions, an estimate of the tsunami energy was obtained. The spatial distribution of aftershocks associated with the main earthquake and the earthquake strain-release pattern correlated well with known seismotectonic trends and the seismic-velocity structure anomalies which are characteristic of thrust fault systems at continent-ocean boundaries. The investigation revealed that the tsunamigenic area was on the continental shelf off Peru, northwest of Lima, in the western part of an active seismic belt between the Andean Mountain block and the Peru-Chile trench. This area is considered to be one of three distinct seismic zones in the Peruvian upper mantle and has been responsible for a number of tsunamigenic earthquakes within recorded history. The aftershock distribution and strain-release patterns suggest that the earthquake fault was a seaward extension of a fault system which has a pronounced surface expression in the Tertiary formations of the area near Ancon, Peru. The limits of the tectonic displacements and the tsunami-generating area were determined by a reverse wave-refraction method, refracting waves from Chimbote, Callao-Lima, San Juan, and Honolulu. The investigation revealed that the tsunami was generated by displacements of crustal blocks with a total area of 13,000 sq. km. Seismic and water motion data indicated that the uplifted portion of the crustal block was on the continental side of the rift. The energy of the main earthquake was estimated to be 1.122·10²³ ergs. The energy of the aftershocks was estimated to be 2.357·10²⁰ ergs. The tsunami energy was calculated to be 6.8·10¹⁹ ergs, or $\text{1}\text{1,650}$ of the earthquake energy.