Seismicity in subduction zones from local and regional network observations

The data provided by local and regional seismograph networks are essential for the solution of many problems of subduction-zone seismology. The capabilities of such networks are limited by the instrumentation currently in common use and the unfavorable source-station geometry often imposed by the regional geography. Nevertheless, important contributions have come from the data gathered in many of the earth's subduction zones. The accuracy of hypocenter locations based on regional data is affected by the complex velocity structures characteristic of subduction zones, but the problems are now well-understood. Examples of numerous studies of the spatial configurations of the seismicity in subduction zones and consequent interpretations of seismogenesis and subduction processes are reviewed. Studies of the distributions of earthquakes in time and with magnitude, for events down to the microearthquake level, have the potential for clarifying the earthquake-generating processes and, possibly, a basis for earthquake prediction. Other uses of local and regional network data have been for investigations of coda-Q and the identification of asperities in subduction zones.