Shear-wave anisotropy and the stress field from borehole recordings at 2.5 km depth at Cajon Pass

53 local earthquakes recorded at 2.5 km depth in the Cajon Pass scientific borehole are analysed for shear-wave splitting. The time delays between the split shear waves can be positively identified for 32 of the events. Modelling these observations of polarizations and time delays using genetic algorithms suggests that the anisotropic structure near Cajon Pass has orthorhombic symmetry. The polarization of the shear waves and the inferred strike of the stress-aligned fluid-filled intergranular microcracks and pores suggests that the maximum horizontal compressional stress direction is approximately N13°W. This is consistent with previous results from earthquake source mechanisms and the right-lateral strike-slip motion on the nearby San Andreas Fault, but not with stresses measured within the uppermost 3 km of the borehole. This study suggests that the San Andreas Fault is driven by deeper tectonic stresses and the present understanding of a weak and frictionless San Andreas Fault may need to be modified. The active secondary faulting and folding close to the fault are probably driven by the relatively shallow stress as measured in the 3.5 km deep borehole.     

Elastodynamic and elastostatic Green tensors for homogeneous weak transversely isotropic media

An explicit analytical formula for the complete elastodynamic Green tensor for homogeneous unbounded weak transversely isotropic media is presented. The formula was derived by analytical calculations of higher-order approximations of the ray series. The ray series is finite and consists of seven non-zero terms. The formula for the Green tensor is complete and correct for the whole frequency range, thus it describes correctly the wavefield at all distances and at all directions including the shear-wave singularity direction. The Green tensor consists of P, SV and SH far-field waves and four coupling waves. Three of them couple P and SV waves, and the fourth wave couples the SV and SH waves. The P-SV coupling waves behave similarly to the near-field waves in isotropy. However, the SV-SH coupling wave, which is called 'shear-wave coupling', behaves exceptionally and it has no analogy in the Green tensor for isotropy. The formula for the elastostatic Green tensor is also derived.     

Shear wave anisotropy in the crust around the San Andreas fault near Parkfield: spatial and temporal analysis

We systematically analysed shear wave splitting (SWS) for seismic data observed at a temporary array and two permanent networks around the San Andreas Fault (SAF) Observatory at Depth. The purpose was to investigate the spatial distribution of crustal shear wave anisotropy around the SAF in this segment and its temporal behaviour in relation to the occurrence of the 2004 Parkfield M 6.0 earthquake. The dense coverage of the networks, the accurate locations of earthquakes and the high-resolution velocity model provide a unique opportunity to investigate anisotropy in detail around the SAF zone. The results show that the primary fast polarization directions (PDs) in the region including the SAF zone and the northeast side of the fault are NW–SE, nearly parallel or subparallel to the SAF strike. Some measurements on the southwest side of the fault are oriented to the NNE–SSW direction, approximately parallel to the direction of local maximum horizontal compressive stress. There are also a few areas in which the observed fast PDs do not fit into this general pattern. The strong spatial variations in both the measured fast PDs and time delays reveal the extreme complexity of shear wave anisotropy in the area. The top 2–3 km of the crust appears to contribute the most to the observed time delays; however substantial anisotropy could extend to as deep as 7–8 km in the region. The average time delay in the region is about 0.06 s. We also analysed temporal patterns of SWS parameters in a nearly 4-yr period around the 2004 Parkfield main shock based on similar events. The results show that there are no appreciable precursory, coseismic, or post-seismic temporal changes of SWS in a region near the rupture of an M 6.0 earthquake, about 15 km away from its epicentre.     

Spatial and temporal variations of seismicity in the Horn of Africa from 1960 to 1993

Spatial and temporal variations of seismic energy release and b -value are investigated in the Horn of Africa. The results indicate that the area around the Afar Depression and southern Sudan is at a higher stress level than the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The distribution of earthquakes in the vicinity of Afar shows a systematic pattern and suggests the existence of two microplates (blocks) centred about the Danakil and Aisha horsts.