Rates of crustal deformation in the North Aegean trough-North Anatolian fault deduced from seismicity

The rates and configuration of seismic deformation in the North Aegean trough-North Anatolian fault are determined from the moment tensor mechanisms of the earthquakes that occurred within this region. The analysis is based onKostrov's (1974) formulation. The fault plane solutions of the earthquakes of the period 1913–1983 withM _s 6.0 are used. The focal mechanism of some of the past events (before 1960) is assumed, based on the present knowledge of the seismotectonics as well as on the macroseismic records of the area studied. The analysis showed that the deformation of the northern Aegean is dominated by EW contraction (at a rate of about 15 mm/yr) which is relieved by NS extension (at a rate of about 9 mm/yr). It was also shown that the northern part of North Anatolia (north of 39.7°N parallel) undergoes contraction in the EW direction (at a rate of about 9 mm/yr) and NS extension as the dominant mode of deformation (at a rate of about 5 mm/yr). It may be stated therefore, that the pattern of deformation of the northern Aegean and the northern part of North Anatolian fault is controlled by the NS extension the Aegean is undergoing as a whole, and the dextral strike-slip motion of the North Anatolian fault. The southern part of North Anatolia is undergoing crustal thinning at a rate of 2.3 mm/yr, NS extension (at a rate of 5 mm/yr) as well as EW extension (at a rate of 4 mm/yr), which are consistent with the occurrence of major normal faulting and justify the separation of North Anatolia into two separate subareas.     

A new technique for moment tensor inversion with applications to the 2008 Wenchuan <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>S</Subscript>8.0 earthquake sequence

A M_S8.0 earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China, on May 12, 2008, and subsequently, numerous aftershocks followed. We obtained the moment tensor solutions and source time functions (STFs) for the Wenchuan earthquake and its seven larger aftershocks (M_S5.0～6.0) by a new technique of moment tensor inversion using the broadband and long-period seismic waveform data from the Global Seismic Network (GSN). Firstly, the theoretical background and technical flow of the new technique was briefly introduced, and an aftershock of the Wenchuan earthquake sequence was employed to illustrate the real procedure for inverting the moment tensor; secondly, the moment tensor solutions and STFs of the eight events, including the main shock, were presented, and finally, the interpretation of the results was made. The agreement of our results with the GCMT results indicates the new approach is efficient and feasible. By using this approach, not only the moment tensor solution can be obtained but also the STF can be retrieved; the inverted STFs indicate that the source rupture process may be complicated even for the moderate earthquakes. The inverted focal mechanisms of the Wenchuan earthquake sequence show that the most of the aftershocks occurred in the main faults of the Longmenshan fault zone with predominantly thrustingwith minor right-lateral strike-slip component, but some of them may have occurred in the subfaults with strike-slip faulting in the vicinity of the main faults.     

Full Moment Tensor Variations and Isotropic Characteristics of Earthquakes in the Gulf of California Transform Fault System

The full moment tensor is a mathematical expression of six independent variables; however, on a routine basis, it is a common practice to reduce them to five assuming that the isotropic component is zero. This constraint is valid in most tectonic regimes where slip occurs entirely at the fault surface (e.g. subduction zones); however, we found that full moment tensors are best represented in transform fault systems. Here we present a method to analyze source complexity of earthquakes of different sizes using a simple formulation that relates the elastic constants obtained from independent studies with the angle between the slip and the fault normal vector, referred to as angle \( \theta \) ; this angle is obtained from the full moment tensors. The angle \( \theta \) , the proportion of volume change \( \left( k \right) \) and the constant volume (shear) component \( \left( T \right) \) are numerical indicators of complexity of the source; earthquakes are more complex as \( \theta \) deviates from \( \pi /2 \) or as T and k deviate from zero as well. These parameters are obtained from the eigensolution of the full moment tensor. We analyzed earthquakes in the Gulf of California that exhibit a clear isotropic component and we observed that the constant volume parameter T is independent of scalar moments, suggesting that big and small earthquakes are equally complex. In addition, simple models of one single fault are not sufficient to describe physically all the combinations of \( \theta \) in a source type plot. We also found that the principal direction of the strike of the Transform Fault System in the Gulf of California is following the first order approximation of the normal surface of the full moment tensor solution, whereas for deviatoric moment tensors the principal direction does not coincide with the strike of the Transform Fault System. Our observations that small and large earthquakes are equally complex are in agreement with recent studies of strike-slip earthquakes.     

华北强震断层面解和震源深度特征

本文利用远震P波及SH波和区域地震P_(nl)波波形反演方法,测定了华北9次强震的断层面解、震源深度及地震矩.结合其他作者测定的7次地震的结果,分析了华北16次强震断层面解及华北地震震源深度特征.结果表明,华北多数强震为走滑型地震,也有个别正断层型及逆断层型地震;16次地震多数发生在地壳中部10-25km深度范围内.     

Seismic moment tensor of Pribaikalye earthquakes from the surface-wave amplitude spectra

The method of surface-wave amplitude spectra inversion for the seismic moment tensor (SMT) is implemented and tested in the Pribaikalye region. The SMTs are calculated for 39 events with M _w = 4.4–6.3, which occurred in the region in 2000–2011. Based on the obtained data, the seismotectionic deformations of the crust are estimated in two seismically active areas-the Northern Pribaikalye and northeastern Baikal rift zone. It is found that on a level of moderate-magnitude events, the region is dominated by the regimes of subhorizontal northwestern extension and strike-slip faulting, which reflects the long-term trends in the stress field of the crust in these parts of the rift.     

A new technique for moment tensor inversion with applications to the 2008 Wenchuan M S8.0 earthquake sequence

A MS8.0 earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China, on May 12, 2008, and subsequently, numerous aftershocks followed. We obtained the moment tensor solutions and source time functions (STFs) for the Wenchuan earthquake and its seven larger aftershocks (MS5.0~6.0) by a new technique of moment tensor inversion using the broadband and long-period seismic waveform data from the Global Seismic Network (GSN). Firstly, the theoretical background and technical flow of the new technique was briefly introduced, and an aftershock of the Wenchuan earthquake sequence was employed to illustrate the real procedure for inverting the moment tensor; secondly, the moment tensor solutions and STFs of the eight events, including the main shock, were presented, and finally, the interpretation of the results was made. The agreement of our results with the GCMT results indicates the new approach is efficient and feasible. By using this approach, not only the moment tensor solution can be obtained but also the STF can be retrieved; the inverted STFs indicate that the source rupture process may be com-plicated even for the moderate earthquakes. The inverted focal mechanisms of the Wenchuan earthquake sequence show that the most of the aftershocks occurred in the main faults of the Longmenshan fault zone with predomi-nantly thrustingwith minor right-lateral strike-slip component, but some of them may have occurred in the sub-faults with strike-slip faulting in the vicinity of the main faults.     

Source parameters for the 2013–2015 earthquake sequence in Nógrád county,Hungary

Between 2013 June and 2015 January, 35 earthquakes with local magnitude M _L ranging from 1.1 to 4.2 occurred in Nógrád county, Hungary. This earthquake sequence represents above average seismic activity in the region and is the first one that was recorded by a significant number of three-component digital seismographs in the county. Using a Bayesian multiple-event location algorithm, we have estimated the hypocenters of 30 earthquakes with M _L ≥1.5. The events occurred in two small regions of a few squared kilometers: one to the east of Érsekvadkert and the other at Iliny. The uncertainty of the epicenters is about 1.5–1.7 km in the E-W direction and 1.8–2.1 km in the N-S direction at the 95 % confidence level. The estimated event depths are confined to the upper 3 km of the crust. We have successfully estimated the full moment tensors of 4 M _w ≥3.6 earthquakes using a probabilistic waveform inversion procedure. The non-double-couple components of the retrieved moment tensor solutions are statistically insignificant. The negligible amount of the isotropic component implies the tectonic nature of the investigated events. All of the analyzed earthquakes have strike-slip mechanism with either right-lateral slip on an approximately N-S striking or left-lateral movement on a roughly E-W striking nodal plane. The orientations of the obtained focal mechanisms are in good agreement with the main stress pattern published for the epicentral region. Both the P and T principal axes are horizontal, and the P axis is oriented along a NE-SW direction.     

Moment tensors,state of stress and their relation to faulting processes in Gujarat,western India

Time domain moment tensor analysis of 145 earthquakes (M_w 3.2 to 5.1), occurring during the period 2006–2014 in Gujarat region, has been performed. The events are mainly confined in the Kachchh area demarcated by the Island belt and Kachchh Mainland faults to its north and south, and two transverse faults to its east and west. Libraries of Green's functions were established using the 1D velocity model of Kachchh, Saurashtra and Mainland Gujarat. Green's functions and broadband displacement waveforms filtered at low frequency (0.5–0.8 Hz) were inverted to determine the moment tensor solutions. The estimated solutions were rigorously tested through number of iterations at different source depths for finding reliable source locations. The identified heterogeneous nature of the stress fields in the Kachchh area allowed us to divide this into four Zones 1–4. The stress inversion results indicate that the Zone 1 is dominated with radial compression, Zone 2 with strike-slip compression, and Zones 3 and 4 with strike-slip extensions. The analysis further shows that the epicentral region of 2001 M_W 7.7 Bhuj mainshock, located at the junction of Zones 2, 3 and 4, was associated with predominant compressional stress and strike-slip motion along ∼ NNE-SSW striking fault on the western margin of the Wagad uplift. Other tectonically active parts of Gujarat (e.g. Jamnagar, Talala and Mainland) show earthquake activities are dominantly associated with strike-slip extension/compression faulting. Stress inversion analysis shows that the maximum compressive stress axes (σ₁) are vertical for both the Jamnagar and Talala regions and horizontal for the Mainland Gujarat. These stress regimes are distinctly different from those of the Kachchh region.     

A detailed analysis of microseismicity in Samos and Kusadasi (Eastern Aegean Sea) areas

A detailed investigation of microseismicity and fault plane solutions are used to determine the current tectonic activity of the prominent zone of seismicity near Samos Island and Kusadasi Bay. The activation of fault populations in this complex strike-slip and normal faulting system was investigated by using several thousand accurate earthquake locations obtained by applying a double-difference location method and waveform cross-correlation, appropriate for areas with relatively small seismogenic structures. The fault plane solutions, determined by both moment tensor waveform inversions and P-wave first motion polarities, reveal a clear NS trending extension direction, for strike slip, oblique normal and normal faults. The geometry of each segment is quite simple and indicates planar dislocations gently dipping with an average dip of 40–45°, maintaining a constant dip through the entire seismogenic layer, down to 15 km depth.     

Comparison of Absolute and Relative Moment Tensor Solutions For The January 1997 West Bohemia Earthquake Swarm

Moment tensor solutions for 70 clustered events of the 1997 West Bohemia microearthquake swarm, as calculated by two different methods, are given. The first method is a single-event, absolute moment tensor inversion which inverts body-wave peak amplitudes using synthetic Green functions. The second method is a multiple-event, relative method for which Green functions are reduced to 2 geometrical angles of rays at the sources. Both methods yield similar moment tensors, which can be divided into at least two or three different classes of focal solutions, indicating that, during the swarm activity, different planes of weakness were active. The major source component of most events is a double couple. However, the deviations from the double-couple mechanisms seem to be systematic for some classes of solutions. Error analysis was based on transforming the estimate of the standard deviation of amplitudes extracting from the seismograms into confidence regions of the absolute moment tensor. They show that the non-DC components are significant at a fairly high confidence level.     

New data on earthquake focal mechanisms in the Laptev Sea region of the Arctic-Asian seismic belt

We consider 16 earthquakes with M_w?=?4.2–5.2 that occurred in the south-eastern part of the Laptev Sea shelf, Lena River Delta, and North Verkhoyanye (Russia) in 1990–2014. Focal mechanisms, scalar seismic moments, moment magnitudes, and hypocentral depths of the seismic events have been calculated from the data on amplitude spectra of surface waves and P wave first-motion polarities. The obtained results sufficiently implement the existing dataset on reliable earthquake source parameters for the study region and prove the change of the stress-strain state of the crust from extension on the Laptev Sea shelf to compression on the continent providing finer spatial details of the deformation field in the transition zones such as Buor-Khaya Bay and the Lena River Delta.     

Seismicity constraints on stress regimes along Sinai subplate boundaries

The relative movement between African, Arabian and Eurasian plates has significantly controlled the tectonic process of Sinai subplate region, although its kinematics and precise boundaries are still doubtful. The respective subplate bounded on both sides by the Aqaba-Dead Sea transform fault to the east and the Gulf of Suez, the only defined part, to the west. Seismicity parameters, moment magnitude relation and fault plane solutions were combined to determine the active tectonics along the aforementioned boundaries. Seven shallow seismogenic zones were defined by the heterogeneity in stress field orientations. Along the eastern boundary, the average fault plane solution obtained from the moment tensor summation (MTS) reveals a sinistral strike-slip faulting mechanism. The corresponding seismic strain rate tensor showed that the present tectonic stress producing earthquakes along the boundary is dominated by both NW-SE compression and NE-SW dilatation. Towards the north, the average focal mechanism showed a normal faulting mechanism of N185°E compression and an N94°E extension in the Carmel Fairi seismic zone. On the other hand, the active crustal deformation along the western boundary (Gulf of Suez region) showed a prevailing tensional stress regime of NE to ENE orientations; producing an average fault plane solution of normal faulting mechanism. The seismic strain rate tensor reveals a dominant stress regime of N58°E extension and N145°E compression in consistence with the general tectonic nature in northeastern Africa. Finally, the extensional to strike-slip stress regimes obtained in the present study emphasize that the deformation accommodated along the Sinai subplate boundaries are in consistence with the kinematics models along the plate boundaries representing the northern extremity part of the Red Sea region.     

Deformation and stress regimes in the Hellenic subduction zone from focal Mechanisms

Fault plane solutions for earthquakes in the central Hellenic arc are analysed to determine the deformation and stress regimes in the Hellenic subduction zone in the vicinity of Crete. Fault mechanisms for earthquakes recorded by various networks or contained in global catalogues are collected. In addition, 34 fault plane solutions are determined for events recorded by our own local temporary network on central Crete in 2000–2001. The entire data set of 264 source mechanisms is examined for types of faulting and spatial clustering of mechanisms. Eight regions with significantly varying characteristic types of faulting are identified of which the upper (Aegean) plate includes four. Three regions contain interplate seismicity along the Hellenic arc from west to east and all events below are identified to occur within the subducting African lithosphere. We perform stress tensor inversion to each of the subsets in order to determine the stress field. Results indicate a uniform N-NNE direction of relative plate motion between the Ionian Sea and Rhodes resulting in orthogonal convergence in the western forearc and oblique (40–50^∘) subduction in the eastern forearc. There, the plate boundary migrates towards the SE resulting in left-lateral strike-slip faulting that extends to onshore Eastern Crete. N110^∘E trending normal faulting in the Aegean plate at this part is in accordance with this model. Along-arc extension is observed on Western Crete. Fault plane solutions for earthquakes within the dipping African lithosphere indicate that slab pull is the dominant force within the subduction process and responsible for the roll-back of the Hellenic subduction zone.     

The 1986 Kermadec earthquake and its relation to plate segmentation

To evaluate the tectonic significance of the October 20, 1986 Kermadec earthquake (M _w =7.7), we performed a comprehensive analysis of source parameters using surface waves, body waves, and relocated aftershocks. Amplitude and phase spectra from up to 93 Rayleigh waves were inverted for centroid time, depth, and moment tensor in a two-step algorithm. In some of the inversions, the time function was parameterized to include information from the body-wave time function. The resulting source parameters were stable with respect to variations in the velocity and attenuation models assumed, the parameterization of the time function, and the set of Rayleigh waves included. The surface wave focal mechanism derived (=275°, =61°, =156°) is an oblique-compressional mechanism that is not easy to interpret in terms of subduction tectonics. A seismic moment of 4.5×10²⁰ N-m, a centroid depth of 45±5 km, and a centroid time of 13±3 s were obtained. Directivity was not resolvable from the surface waves. The short source duration is in significant contrast to many large earthquakes.We performed a simultaneous inversion ofP andSH body waves for focal mechanism and time function. The focal mechanism agreed roughly with the surface wave mechanism. Multiple focal mechanisms remain a possibility, but could not be resolved. The body waves indicate a short duration of slip (15 to 20 s), with secondary moment release 60s later. Seismically radiated energy was computed from the body-wave source spectrum. The stress drop computed from the seismic energy is about 30 bars. Sixty aftershocks that occurred within three months of the mainshock were relocated using the method of Joint Hypocentral Determination (JHD). Most of the aftershocks have underthrusting focal mechanisms and appear to represent triggered slip on the main thrust interface. The depth, relatively high stress drop, short duration of slip, and paucity of true aftershocks are consistent with intraplate faulting within the downgoing plate. Although it is not clear on which nodal plane slip occurred, several factors favor the roughly E-W trending plane. The event occurred near a major segmentation in the downgoing plate at depth, near a bend in the trench, and near a right-lateral offset of the volcanic are by 80 km along an E-W direction. Also, all events in the region from 1977 to 1991 with CMT focal mechanisms similar to that of the Mainshock occurred near the mainshock epicenter, rather than forming an elongate zone parallel to the trench as did the aftershock activity. We interpret this event as part of the process of segmentation or tearing of the subducting slab. This segmentation appears to be related to the subduction of the Louisville Ridge, which may act as an obstacle to subduction through its buoyancy.     

Study on the sources of some deep focus earthquakes in Northwest Pacific region

The sources for thirteen deep focus earthquakes ofm _b≥5.5 andh>400 km in Northwest Pacific region were studied using waveform fitting and shear fracture source model. The source parameters were obtained as follows: focal depth, faulting plane, slip direction, rupture velocity, rupture length, rupture direction and scalar moment tensor. It was found that all these earthquake sources can be interpreted as shear faulting and have simple source time functions. The strike direction of faulting plane for most deep focus earthquakes coincides with that of the subduction zone, especially in the deep part of the subduction zone, it results in the tendency of reducing the dip angle of the subduction zone. The multiple point source model was also used to study the source process. The waveform fitting is better than the shear fracture model, but the general rupture direction which coincides with that from unilateral shear source model can not be obtained from the multiple point source model. This study is supported by the National Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Joint Seismological Science Foundation.     

Application of stress release models to historical earthquakes from North China

Univariate and multivariate stress release models are fitted to historical earthquake data from North China. It is shown that a better fit is obtained by treating separately the Eastern part of the region, including the North China Plain and Bohai Sea, and the Western part of the region, including the Ordos Plateau and its Eastern boundary. Further improvement is obtained by fitting the large events (M7.6) and smaller events in the Western region by different stress release models. The comparisons are made by computing the likelihoods of the fitted models and discounting the number of parameters used by Akaike's AIC criterion. The models are used to develop long-term risk scenarios for the East and West regions.     

Source processes of large (M≥6.5) earthquakes of the Southeastern Caribbean (1926–1960)

We have conducted body waveform modeling studies of 13 historic earthquakes to provide a better understanding of the long-term spatial and temporal pattern of seismicity and deformation within a region extending from Barbuda, Lesser Antilles, to Cumana, Venezuela. Our results suggest that shallow earthquakes (<50 km deep) along the South American-Caribbean plate margin reflect right-lateral and extensional deformation. Intermediate depth events (100 km) show left-lateral strike-slip motion beneath the Paria peninsula of Venezuela. In the Lesser Antilles the 1960 Barbuda and 1946 Martinique earthquakes appear to be interplate thrust events, however the greatest moment release in the region has occurred at intermediate depths as a mixture of normal and strike-slip faulting, generally along trends oblique to the arc. The deformation rate estimated from the seismic moment release between 1926 and 1960 is only 1 to 10% of the estimated plate convergence rate for the region.     

Regional focal mechanisms for earthquakes in the Aegean area

The distribution of the focal mechanisms of the shallow and intermediate depth (h>40 km) earthquakes of the Aegean and the surrounding area is discussed. The data consist of all events of the period 1963–1986 for the shallow, and 1961–1985 for the intermediate depth earthquakes, withM _s 5.5. For this purpose, all published fault plane solutions for each event have been collected, reproduced, carefully checked and if possible improved accordingly. The distribution of the focal mechanisms of the earthquakes in the Aegean declares the existence of thrust faulting following the coastline of southern Yugoslavia, Albania and western Greece extending up to the island of Cephalonia. This zone of compression is due to the collision between two continental lithospheres (Apulian-Eurasian). The subduction of the African lithosphere under the Aegean results in the occurrence of thrust faulting along the convex side of the Hellenic arc. These two zones of compression are connected via strike-slip faulting observed at the area of Cephalonia island. TheP axis along the convex side of the arc keeps approximately the same strike throughout the arc (210° NNE-SSW) and plunges with a mean angle of 24° to southwest. The broad mainland of Greece as well as western Turkey are dominated by normal faulting with theT axis striking almost NS (with a trend of 174° for Greece and 180° for western Turkey). The intermediate depth seismicity is distributed into two segments of the Benioff zone. In the shallower part of the Benioff zone, which is found directly beneath the inner slope of the sedimentary arc of the Hellenic arc, earthquakes with depths in the range 40–100 km are distributed. The dip angle of the Benioff zone in this area is found equal to 23°. This part of the Benioff zone is coupled with the seismic zone of shallow earthquakes along the arc and it is here that the greatest earthquakes have been observed (M _s 8.0). The deeper part (inner) of the Benioff zone, where the earthquakes with depths in the range 100–180 km are distributed, dips with a mean angle of 38° below the volcanic arc of southern Aegean.     

Site response and source spectra of S waves in the Zagros region, Iran

S wave amplitude spectra from shallow earthquakes with magnitudes ranging between 4.2 and 6.2 in the Zagros region of Iran that occurred between 1998 and 2008 are used to examine source parameters and site response of S waves. A generalized inversion scheme has been used to separate the source, propagation path, and local site effects from S wave spectra. For removing the trade-off between source and site terms and propagation effects (including geometric and anelastic attenuation), the spectral amplitudes of the records used were corrected for attenuation and geometrical spreading function using a path model proposed by Zafarani and Soghrat (Bull Seism Soc Am 102:2031–2045, 2012) for the region. We assume a Brune’s point source model to retrieve source parameters like corner frequency, moment magnitude, and high-frequency fall off coefficient, for each event. When the source spectra are interpreted in terms of Brune’s model, the average stress drops obtained are about 7.1 and 5.9 MPa (71 and 59 bars), respectively for the eastern and western Zagros regions. Stress drops range from 1.4 to 35.0 MPa (14 to 350 bars), with no clear dependence on magnitude. The results in terms of stress drop and S wave seismic energy indicate that the Zagros events are more similar to interplate earthquakes of western North America than to intraplate events of eastern North America. The method also provides us with site responses for all 40 stations individually and is an interesting alternative to other methods, such as the H/V method. A new empirical relationship between body-wave magnitudes and moment magnitude has been proposed for the Iranian plateau using derived seismic moment from the inversion.     

Time-Domain Moment Tensors for shallow (h ≤ 40 km) earthquakes in the broader Aegean Sea for the years 2006 and 2007: The database of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

We present a catalog of moment tensor (MT) solutions and moment magnitudes, M_w, for 119 shallow (h ≤ 40 km) earthquakes in Greece and its surrounding lands (34°N–42°N, 19°E–30°E) for the years 2006 and 2007, computed with the 1D Time-Domain Moment Tensor inversion method (TDMT_INV code of Dreger, 2003). Magnitudes range from 3.2 ≤ M_w ≤ 5.7. Green's functions (GF) have been pre-computed to build a library, for a number of velocity profiles applicable to the broader Aegean Sea region, to be used in the inversion of observed broad band waveforms (10–50 s). All MT solutions are the outcome of a long series of tests of different reported source locations and hypocenter depths. Quality factors have been assigned to each MT solution based on the number of stations used in the inversion and the goodness of fit between observed and synthetic waveforms. In general, the focal mechanisms are compatible with previous knowledge on the seismotectonics of the Aegean area. The new data provide evidence for strike-slip faulting along NW–SE trending structures at the lower part of Axios basin, close to the heavily industrialized, and presently subsiding, region of the city of Thessaloniki. Normal faulting along E–W trending planes is observed at the Strimon basin, and in Orfanou Gulf in northern Greece. A sequence of events in the east Aegean Sea close to the coastline with western Anatolia sheds light on an active structure bounding the north coastline of Psara–Chios Islands about 20–25 km in length exhibiting right lateral strike-slip faulting.