Mechanism and tectonic implications of the great Banda Sea earthquake of November 4, 1963

The Banda Sea earthquake of November 4, 1963 (h = 100 km, m_B = 7.8) is probably one of the largest intermediate-depth shocks to have occurred worldwide this century. The mechanism of this earthquake is studied in detail on the basis of P-wave first motion, surface wave and aftershock data. From the analysis of long-period multiple surface waves, a seismic moment of 3.1 × 10²⁸ dyn-cm is obtained, which is the largest reported so far for any intermediate or deep focus shock. This value, together with the estimated fault area of 90 × 70 km², gives an average dislocation of 7.0 m and a stress drop of 120 bar. This event represents an oblique thrust movement on a plane with dip direction N170°E, dip 48° and rake 52°. A geometrical consideration for the fault plane and the configuration of the inclined seismic zone beneath the Banda arc suggests, almost definitely, that the large-scale faulting took place within the subducted plate and offset it. Further repetition of such large-scale faulting might eventually break the subducted plate. The 1963 Banda Sea earthquake thus represents a seismological manifestation of the large-scale deformation of the subducted plate in the mantle.     

The earthquake of July 22, 2011 (<Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">w</Emphasis></Subscript> = 4.5) in a low-seismicity area of the Argun region

The paper considers the Argun earthquake of July 22, 2011 (M _w = 4.5), which occurred in the Argun River valley in a low-seismicity territory in China. The focal parameters of the earthquake (depth of the hypocenter, moment magnitude, scalar seismic moment, and focal mechanism) were determined by calculating the seismic moment tensor from the amplitude spectra of surface waves and the data on the signs of the first arrivals of body waves at regional stations. The solution of the focal mechanism makes it possible to assume a relationship between the earthquake focus and a fault with a northeastern strike bordering the southeastern side of the Argun Basin (in Chinese territory). The Argun earthquake was felt in Russia with an intensity of II–III to V at the epicentral distances up to 255 km. The intensity of shaking did not exceed values suggested by new GSZ-2012 and GSZ-2014 seismic zoning maps of Russian territory. Nevertheless, the question on the possible occurrence of stronger earthquakes in the studied region remains open.     

Source process and tectonic implications of the Spanish deep-focus earthquake of March 29, 1954

The source process of the deep-focus Spanish earthquake of March 29, 1954 (m_b = 7.1, h = 630 km) has been studied by using seismograms recorded at teleseismic distances. Because of its unusual location, this earthquake is considered to be one of the most important earthquakes that merit detailed studies. Long-period body-wave records reveal that the earthquake is a complicated multiple event whose wave form is quite different from that of usual deep earthquakes. The total duration of P phases at teleseismic distances is as long as 40 s. This long duration may explain the considerable property damage in Granada and Malaga, Spain, which is rather rare for deep earthquakes. Using the azimuthal distribution of the differences between the arrival times of the first, the second and later P phases, the hypocenters of the later events are determined with respect to the first event. The focus of the second event is located on the vertical nodal plane of the first shock suggesting that this vertical plane is the fault plane. This fault plane which strikes in N2°E and dips 89.1°E defines a nearly vertical dip-slip fault, the block to the west moving downwards. The time interval and spatial separation between the first and the second events are 4.3 s and 19 km respectively, giving an apparent rupture velocity of 4.3 km/s which is about 74% of the S-wave velocity at the source. A third event occurred about 8.8 s after the first event and about 35.6 km from it. At least six to ten events can be identified during the whole sequence. The mechanism of some of the later events, however, seems to differ from the first two events. Synthetic seismograms are generated by superposition of a number of point sources and are matched with the observed signals to determine the seismic moment. The seismic moments of the later events are comparable to, or even larger than, that of the first. The total seismic moment is determined to be 7 · 10²⁷ dyn cm while the moments of the first and the second shocks are 2.1 · 10²⁶ dyn cm and 5.1 · 10²⁶ dyn cm, respectively. The earthquake may represent a series of fractures in a detached piece of the lithosphere which sank rapidly into the deep mantle preserving the heterogeneity of material property at shallow depths.     

Comments on: “The partitioning of nickel between olivine and silicate melt” by S.R. Hart and K.E. Davis

We study a set of very high-quality records of first-order overtone Rayleigh waves from the deep-focus earthquake of September 29, 1973, in the Japan Sea. Standard surface wave techniques are used with these overtones, treated as individual seismic phases, to retrieve radiation pattern, Q, moment and phase velocity. A figure of M₀ = (6.7 ± 1.4) × 10²⁷dyn-cm is obtained, in total agreement with published values computed from either P waves, or fundamental Rayleigh waves. We also demonstrate the feasibility of using overtones as individual seismic phases in order to investigate their dispersion and attenuation properties.     

Did the M S7.0 Lushan earthquake dynamically trigger earthquakes in the Datong volcanic region (Shanxi Province)?

Immediately following the M _S7.0 Lushan earthquake on April 20, 2013, using high-pass and low-pass filtering on the digital seismic stations in the Shanxi Province, located about 870–1,452 km from the earthquake epicenter, we detected some earthquakes at a time corresponding to the first arrival of surface waves in high-pass filtering waveform. The earthquakes were especially noticed at stations in Youyu (YUY), Shanzizao (SZZ), Shanghuangzhuang (SHZ), and Zhenchuan (ZCH), which are located in a volcanic region in the Shanxi Province,but they were not listed in the Shanxi seismic observation report. These earthquakes occurred 4–50 min after the passage of the maximum amplitude Rayleigh wave, and the periods of the surface waves were mainly between 15 and 20 s following. The Coulomb stresses caused by the Rayleigh waves that acted on the four stations was about 0.001 MPa, which is a little lower than the threshold value of dynamic triggering, therefore, we may conclude that the Datong volcanic region is more sensitive to the Coulomb stress change. To verify, if the similar phenomena are widespread, we used the same filtering to observe contrastively continuous waveform data before, and 5 h after, the M _S7.0 Lushan earthquake and M _S9.0 Tohoku earthquake in 2011. The results show that the similar phenomena occur before the earthquakes, but the seismicity rates after the earthquakes are remarkably increased. Since these weak earthquakes are quite small, it is hard to get clear phase arrival time from three or more stations to locate them. In addition, the travel time differences between P waves and S waves (S–P) are all less than 4 s, that means the events should occur in 34 km around the stations in the volcanic region. The stress of initial dynamic triggering of the M _S9.0 Tohoku earthquake was about 0.09 MPa, which is much higher than the threshold value of dynamic triggering stress. The earthquakes after the M _S9.0 Tohoku earthquake are related to dynamic triggering stress, but the events before the earthquake cannot be linked to seismic events, but may be related to the background seismicity or from other kinds of local sources, such as anthropogenic sources (i.e., explosions). Using two teleseismic filtering, the small background earthquakes in the Datong volcanic region occur frequently, thus we postulate that previous catalog does not apply bandpass filter to pick out the weak earthquakes, and some of the observed weak events were not triggered by changes in the dynamic stress field.     

M m: A variable-period mantle magnitude for intermediate and deep earthquakes

We extend to the case of intermediate and deep earthquakes the mantle magnitude developed for shallow shocks byokal andTalandier (1989). Specifically, from the measurement of the spectral amplitude of Rayleigh waves at a single station, we obtain a mantle magnitude,M _m, theoretically related to the seismic moment of the event through $$M_m = \log _{10} M_0 - 20.$$ The computation ofM _minvolves two corrections. The distance correction is the same as for shallow shocks. For the purpose of computing the frequency-dependent source correction, we define three depth windows: Intermediate (A) (75 to 200 km); Intermediate (B) (200–400 km) and Deep (over 400 km). In each window, the source correctionC _S is modeled by a cubic spline of log₁₀ T. Analysis of a dataset of 200 measurements (mostly from GEOSCOPE stations) shows that the seismic moment of the earthquakes is recovered with a standard deviation of 0.23 units of magnitude, and a mean bias of only 0.14 unit. These figures are basically similar to those for shallow events. Our method successfully recognizes truly large deep events, such as the 1970 Colombia shock, and errors due to the potential misclassification of events into the wrong depth window are minimal.     

Earthquakes Along the Passive Margin of Greenland: Evidence for Postglacial Rebound Control

—?An intriguing observation in Greenland is a clear spatial correlation between seismicity and deglaciated areas along passive continental margins, a piece of evidence for earthquake triggering due to postglacial rebound. Another piece of evidence for induced seismicity due to deglaciation derives from earthquake source mechanisms. Sparse, low magnitude seismicity has made it difficult to determine focal mechanisms from Greenland earthquakes. On the basis of two normal faulting events along deglaciated margins and from the spatial distribution of epicenters, earlier investigators suggested that the earthquakes of Greenland are due to postglacial rebound. This interpretation is tested here by using more recent data. Broadband waveforms of teleseismic P waves from the August 10, 1993 (m _b = 5.4) and October 14, 1998 (m _b = 5.1) earthquakes have been inverted for moment tensors and source parameters. Both mechanisms indicate normal faulting with small strike-slip components: the 1993 event, strike = 348.9°, dip = 41.0°, rake =?56.3°, focal depth = 11?km, seismic moment = 1.03?×?10²⁴ dyne-cm, and M _w = 5.3; the 1998 event, strike = 61.6°, dip = 58.0°, rake =?95.5°, focal depth = 5?km, seismic moment = 5.72?×?10²³ dyne-cm, and M _w = 5.1. These and the two prior events support the theory that the shallow part of the lithosphere beneath the deglaciated margins is under horizontal extension. The observed stress field can be explained as flexural stresses due to removal of ice loads and surface loads by glacial erosion. These local extensional stresses are further enhanced by the spreading stress of continental crust and reactivate preexisting faults. Earthquake characteristics observed from Greenland suggest that the dominant seismogenic stresses are from postglacial rebound and spreading of the continental lithosphere.     

Hovsgol earthquake 5 December 2014, <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>W</Subscript> = 4.9: seismic and acoustic effects

A moderate shallow earthquake occurred on 5 December 2014 (M _W = 4.9) in the north of Lake Hovsgol (northern Mongolia). The infrasonic signal with duration 140 s was recorded for this earthquake by the “Tory” infrasound array (Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, Russia). Source parameters of the earthquake (seismic moment, geometrical sizes, displacement amplitudes in the focus) were determined using spectral analysis of direct body P and S waves. The spectral analysis of seismograms and amplitude variations of the surface waves allows to determine the effect of the propagation of the rupture in the earthquake focus, the azimuth of the rupture propagation direction and the velocity of displacement in the earthquake focus. The results of modelling of the surface displacements caused by the Hovsgol earthquake and high effective velocity of propagation of infrasound signal (~ 625 m/s) indicate that its occurrence is not caused by the downward movement of the Earth’s surface in the epicentral region but by the effect of the secondary source. The position of the secondary source of infrasound signal is defined on the northern slopes of the Khamar-Daban ridge according to the data on the azimuth and time of arrival of acoustic wave at the Tory station. The interaction of surface waves with the regional topography is proposed as the most probable mechanism of formation of the infrasound signal.     

Seismic moment of great deep shocks

The long-period Rayleigh waves were investigated for the largest four deep shocks in 1963–1973 to determine the seismic moment by the same technique as used for shallow earthquakes. The results could be used for a quantitative comparison of source parameters between shallow and deep events. Three of the four shocks occurred beneath the South American continent (the Colombia earthquake, 1970; the western Brazil earthquake, 1963; the Peru—Bolivia border earthquake, 1963) and the other beneath the Japan Sea (1973). The focal depths are 653, 576, 593 and 575 km, respectively. The largest value of seismic moment was obtained as 2.1 · 10²⁸ dyncm for the Colombia earthquake. This value is still about forty times smaller than that for the great Alaskan earthquake. A slight inconsistency was found between the first-motion diagram and the Rayleigh wave radiation pattern for the Colombia earthquake and the Peru—Bolivia border earthquake.     

Quantification relations between the sourc eparameters

The various useful source-parameter relations between seismic moment and common use magnitude lg(M ₀) andM _s,M _L,m _b; between magnitudesMs andM _L,M _s andm _b,M _L andm _b; and between magnitudeM _s and lg(L) (fault length), lg (W) (fault width), lg(S) (fault area), lg(D) (average dislocation);M _L and lg(f _c) (corner frequency) have been derived from the scaling law which is based on an “average” two-dimensional faulting model of a rectangular fault. A set of source-parameters can be estimated from only one magnitude by using these relations. The average rupture velocity of the faultV _r=2.65 km/s, the total time of ruptureT(s)=0.35L (km) and the average dislocation slip rateD=11.4 m/s are also obtained. There are four strong points to measure earthquake size with the seismic moment magnitudeM _w.

1. The seismic moment magnitude shows the strain and rupture size. It is the best scale for the measurement of earthquake size.
2. It is a quantity of absolute mechanics, and has clear physical meaning. Any size of earthquake can be measured. There is no saturation. It can be used to quantify both shallow and deep earthquakes on the basis of the waves radiated.
3. It can link up the previous magnitude scales.
4. It is a uniform scale of measurement of earthquake size. It is suitable for statistics covering a broad range of magnitudes. So the seismic moment magnitude is a promising magnitude and worth popularization.

     

Source parameters of the earthquakes of the Baikal rift system

The dynamic parameters of the earthquake source—the seismic moment, the moment magnitude, the source radius, the stress drop, and the amplitude of displacement—are determined by the amplitude Fourier spectra of the body shear waves (S-waves) for 62 earthquakes of the Baikal rift system with the energy class of K _P = 9.1–15.7. In the calculations I used the classical Brune model. The seismic moment of the earthquakes being investigated changes from 3.65 × 10¹¹ N m to 1.35 × 10¹⁸ N m, and the radii of earthquake sources vary from 390 m to 1.84 km. The values of the drop in stress Δσ grow with an increase in the seismic moment up to 1.7 × 10⁸ Pa. For the group of weak earthquakes (M _w = 1.7–3.3), extremely low values of the drop in stress 10³–10⁴ Pa are observed. The maximum amplitude of displacement in the source amounts to 5.95 m. The empirical equations between the seismic moment and the other dynamic parameters of the source are determined. The regional dependence of the seismic moment and energy class is obtained: log M ₀ ± 0.60 = 1.03K _P + 3.17. The character of the relationship between the seismic moment and the corner frequency indicates that the classical scaling law of the seismic spectrum for the earthquakes in question is not fulfilled. The obtained estimates of the dynamic parameters are in satisfactory agreement with the published data concerning the analogous parameters of the other rift zones, which reflects the general regular patterns of the destruction of the lithosphere and the seismicity in the extension zones of the lithosphere.     

Historical seismogram reproductions for the source parameters determination of the 1902, Atushi (Kashgar) earthquake

The majority of original seismograms recorded at the very beginning of instrumental seismology (the early 1900s) did not survive till present. However, a number of books, bulletins, and catalogs were published including the seismogram reproductions of some, particularly interesting earthquakes. In case these reproductions contain the time and amplitude scales, they can be successfully analyzed the same way as the original records. Information about the Atushi (Kashgar) earthquake, which occurred on August 22, 1902, is very limited. We could not find any original seismograms for this earthquake, but 12 seismograms from 6 seismic stations were printed as example records in different books. These data in combination with macroseismic observations and different bulletins information published for this earthquake were used to determine the source parameters of the earthquake. The earthquake epicenter was relocated at 39.87° N and 76.42° E with the hypocenter depth of about 18 km. We could further determine magnitudes m _B = 7.7 ± 0.3, M _S = 7.8 ± 0.4, M _W = 7.7 ± 0.3 and the focal mechanism of the earthquake with strike/dip/rake ? 260°± 20/30°± 10/90°± 10. This study confirms that the earthquake likely had a smaller magnitude than previously reported (M8.3). The focal mechanism indicates dominant thrust faulting, which is in a good agreement with presumably responsible Tuotegongbaizi-Aerpaleike northward dipping thrust fault kinematic, described in previous studies.     

Focal mechanism and seismogenic structure of the Shiqu MS4.4 earthquake

The focal mechanism solution of the Shiqu M_S 4.4 earthquake occurred on May 16^th, 2017 in Sichuan Province is studied by the gCAP method using the waveform data from the regional seismic networks in Sichuan, Qinghai, Tibet and Gansu provinces. The strike/dip/dipping angle of the first nodal plane are 214°/80°/167° and those of the second nodal plane are 306°/77°/10°, the optimal centroid depth is 7.3 ​± ​0.6 ​km and the moment magnitude is M_W 4.5. Furthermore, the study investigates the robustness of the results against the error of crustal velocity structure, location, data quality and difference of seismic parameters, subsequently obtaining a stable resolved focal mechanism. According to the geological structure in the seismogenic area, spatial distribution of aftershock sequenceof the regional tectonic stress field, and the focal mechanism of the main shock, we suggest that the Shiqu earthquake is induced by a left-lateral strike-slip mechanism and the second nodal plane is inferred to be the seismogenic fault, consistent with the geometry of the Changshagongma fault which is the secondary fault of the northwest part of the Xianshuihe fault zone.     

The Campania-Lucania (southern Italy) earthquake of 23 November 1980

We present the main seismological results of our study of the Campania-Lucania earthquake of 23 November 1980. A complete set of far field and local data has been analysed. From long-period body waves data we determine the fault plane solution (φ₁ = 140°,δ₁ = 60°,φ₂ = 75°,δ₂ = 54°), a depth of 15 km and calculate a seismic moment of 6 × 10²⁵ dyne cm and a source duration of 6 s. From data of a local network deployed immediately after the event we determine aftershock locations: they are aligned in a direction NW-SE that fit extremely well with the focal solution determined above. We can choose as fault plane the plane striking 140° and dipping at 60° and the event is a normal event with a large component of left-lateral strike slip. The source area evaluated from this aftershock distribution 14 km × 40 km is quite suitable for an earthquake of a seismic moment of 6 × 10²⁵ dyne cm.     

Source process of the 1990 Gonghe,China, earthquake and tectonic stress field in the northeastern Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) plateau

TheM _s =6.9 Gonghe, China, earthquake of April 26, 1990 is the largest earthquake to have been documented historically as well as recorded instrumentally in the northeastern Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) plateau. The source process of this earthquake and the tectonic stress field in the northeastern Qinghai-Xizang plateau are investigated using geodetic and seismic data. The leveling data are used to invert the focal mechanism, the shape of the slipped region and the slip distribution on the fault plane. It is obtained through inversion of the leveling data that this earthquake was caused by a mainly reverse dip-slipping buried fault with strike 102°, dip 46° to SSW, rake 86° and a seismic moment of 9,4×10¹⁸ Nm. The stress drop, strain and energy released for this earthquake are estimated to be 4.9 MPa, 7.4×10^–5 and 7.0×10¹⁴ J, respectively. The slip distributes in a region slightly deep from NWW to SEE, with two nuclei, i.e., knots with highly concentrated slip, located in a shallower depth in the NWW and a deeper depth in the SEE, respectively.Broadband body waves data recorded by the China Digital Seismograph Network (CDSN) for the Gonghe earthquake are used to retrieve the source process of the earthquakes. It is found through moment-tensor inversion that theM _s =6.9 main shock is a complex rupture process dominated by shear faulting with scalar seismic moment of the best double-couple of 9.4×10¹⁸ Nm, which is identical to the seismic moment determined from leveling data. The moment rate tensor functions reveal that this earthquake consists of three consecutive events. The first event, with a scalar seismic moment of 4.7×10¹⁸ Nm, occurred between 0–12 s, and has a focal mechanism similar to that inverted from leveling data. The second event, with a smaller seismic moment of 2.1×10¹⁸ Nm, occurred between 12–31 s, and has a variable focal mechanism. The third event, with a sealar seismic moment of 2.5×10¹⁸ Nm, occurred between 31–41 s, and has a focal mechanism similar to that inverted from leveling data. The strike of the 1990 Gonghe earthquake, and the significantly reverse dip-slip with minor left-lateral strike-slip motion suggest that the pressure axis of the tectonic stress field in the northeastern Qinghai-Xizang plateau is close to horizontal and oriented NNE to SSW, consistent with the relative collision motion between the Indian and Eurasian plates. The predominant thrust mechanism and the complexity in the tempo-spatial rupture process of the Gonghe earthquake, as revealed by the geodetic and seismic data, is generally consistent with the overall distribution of isoseismals, aftershock seismicity and the geometry of intersecting faults structure in the Gonghe basin of the northeastern Qinghai-Xizang plateau.Contribution No. 96 B0006 Institute of Geophysics, State Seismological Bureau, Beijing, China.     

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.     

Source Characteristics of the 12 November 1996 Mw 7.7 Peru Subduction Zone Earthquake

—The 12 November 1996 M _w 7.7 Peru subduction zone earthquake occurred off the coast of southern Peru, near the intersection of the South American trench and the highest topographical point of the subducting Nazca Ridge. We model the broadband teleseismic P-waveforms from stations in the Global Seismic Network to constrain the source characteristics of this subduction zone earthquake. We have analyzed the vertical component P-waves for this earthquake to constrain the depth, source complexity, seismic moment and rupture characteristics. The seismic moment determined from the nondiffracted P-waves is 3–5 × 10²⁰ N·m, corresponding to a moment magnitude M _w of 7.6–7.7. The source time function for the 1996 Peru event has three pulses of seismic moment release with a total duration of approximately 45–50 seconds. The largest moment release occurs at approximately 35–40 seconds and is located ～90km southeast of the rupture initiation. Approximately 70% of the seismic moment was released in the third pulse.¶We find that the 1996 event reruptured part of the rupture area of the previous event in 1942. The location of the 1996 earthquake corresponds to a region along the Peru coast with the highest uplift rates of marine terraces. This suggests that the uplift may be due to repeated earthquakes such as the 1996 and 1942 events.     

A Study of Source Parameters, Site Amplification Functions and Average Effective Shear Wave Quality Factor Qseff from Analysis of Accelerograms of the 1999 Chamoli Earthquake, Himalaya

The accelerograms of the 1999 Chamoli earthquake and nine of its aftershocks, which occurred in Uttaranchal Himalaya, have been analyzed to investigate their source parameters, the site amplification functions and the average effective shear-wave quality factor Q_seff in the region. The fault plane solution of the main shock is obtained using the spectral amplitudes of SH waves (approximated by transverse components of accelerograms) of the high-energy packets observed in the accelerograms of the main shock. It is found to be comparable with the reported solutions in other studies. Similarly the other source parameters (viz., seismic moment = (5.03±1.7) × 10²⁵ dyne-cm, stress drop = 65 bars, source duration = 5.2 s and moment magnitude = 6.4) estimated for the main shock are consistent with the values obtained in other studies. The stress drops estimated for the aftershocks vary from 23 bars to 153 bars and the seismic moment from 1.4 × 10²³ dyne-cm to 2.9 × 10²³ dyne-cm. The average estimated values of the effective shear-wave quality factor Q_seff vary from 655±359 in the Uttaranchal sector of Himalaya and 1475±130 in the Delhi region. In general, the Q_seff value increases with an increase in the epicentral distance reflecting the penetration of the waves into deeper layers of the crust as the epicentral distance of the observation point increases. These values of Q_seff indicate that in general the curst is at low temperatures that will promote brittle behavior and conditions for episodic failure as compared to creep, under the accumulated strains from plate collision at the Himalaya plate boundary. The site amplification characteristics at sites have been identified from the frequency bands of significant amplification observed in the spectral ratios of the horizontal to the vertical component records. The decay of peak ground acceleration (PGA) values with distance has been investigated using the empirical regression curves vis-à-vis the site amplification factors.     

A fault model of the 1946 Nankaido earthquake derived from tsunami data

A fault model of the 1946 Nankaido earthquake (M = 8.2) is determined by the use of tsunami records of Uwajima, Shimotsu and Hososhima which were located within or near the area of major coseismic crustal deformation. Synthetic tsunamis computed for various fault models are matched with the observed tsunamis to determine the fault parameters. A low-angle thrust model slightly revised from a previous model by Ando is consistent with the observed tsunamis. The duration of faulting is constrained as less than 10 min based upon the tsunami. The fault is divided into an eastern and a western segment corresponding to areas associated with and without aftershocks, respectively. The fault area and dislocation for the western segment are 150 × 70 km² and 6 m, and those for the eastern segment are 150 × 70 km² and 3 m, respectively. The total seismic moment is 4.7 × 10²⁸ dyn·cm, significantly smaller than that obtained from a geodetic model by Fitch and Scholz, but still larger than that of the seismic model by Kanamori. The discrepancy in seismic moment between the seismic and the present models (RAN2) could be interpreted in terms of a slow dislocation on the fault, but this interpretation does not match the seismic intensity distribution and damage pattern, and the slow-slip model for the Nankaido earthquake is rejected. The discrepancy between the two seismic moments is considered insignificant within error involved in data and modeling assumptions. If the revised geodetic model (RAN2) is modified, the seismic moment required to explain the observed tsunamis would be reduced further by ～30%. If we consider the uncertainties involved in the fault model of Kanamori and the fault-finiteness effect affecting the amplitude of seismic waves, the seismic moment required to interpret the seismic-wave data could be increased, possibly being more than twice that of Kanamori. Thus, the two seismic moments from the different data sets could be close to each other within allowable tolerance. This implies that the rise time of the Nankaido earthquake was short enough to generate short-period seismic waves from both the western and the eastern fault segments.