Focal mechanisms and inter-event times of low-frequency earthquakes reveal quasi-continuous deformation and triggered slow slip on the deep Alpine Fault

2018 ◽  
Vol 484 ◽  
pp. 111-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura-May Baratin ◽  
Calum J. Chamberlain ◽  
John Townend ◽  
Martha K. Savage
Keyword(s):  
Low Frequency ◽  
Focal Mechanisms ◽  
Slow Slip ◽  
Continuous Deformation ◽  
Alpine Fault ◽  
Event Times

scholarly journals Using low-frequency earthquakes to monitor slow tectonic deformation in the central Southern Alps, New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Laura-May Baratin Wachten
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Matched Filter ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Southern Alps ◽  
Focal Mechanisms ◽  
Slow Slip ◽  
Slow Slip Events ◽  
Event Time ◽  
Alpine Fault ◽  
Occurrence Patterns

<p>This thesis involves the study of low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs) in the central Southern Alps. The Alpine Fault is the principal locus of deformation within the Australia–Pacific plate boundary in the South Island of New Zealand and it is late in its typical ∼300-year seismic cycle. Surveying the seismicity associated with slow deformation in the vicinity of the Alpine Fault may provide constraints on the stresses acting on a major transpressive margin prior to an anticipated great (≥M8) earthquake. Here, we use 8 years of data from the Southern Alps Microearthquake Borehole Array (SAMBA) (amongst those, 3 years of data were collected as part of this project) in order to: (1) generate an updated LFE catalogue using an improved matched-filter technique that incorporates phase-weighted stacking; (2) compute LFE focal mechanisms and invert them to infer the crustal stress field on the deep extent of the Alpine Fault; (3) expand the LFE catalogue to cover a wider range of spatial/temporal behaviours; (4) study LFE families’ characteristics to identify periods where slow slip might happen.  We first use fourteen primary LFE templates in an iterative matched-filter and stacking routine, which allows the detection of similar signals and produces LFE families sharing common locations. We generate an 8-yr catalogue containing 10,000 LFEs that are combined for each of the 14 LFE families using phase-weighted stacking to produce signals with the highest possible signal-to-noise ratios. We find LFEs to occur almost continuously during the 8-yr study period and we highlight two types of LFE distributions: (1) discrete behaviour with an inter-event time exceeding 2 minutes; (2) burst-like behaviour with an inter-event time below 2 minutes. The discrete events are interpreted as small-scale frequent deformation on the deep extent of the Alpine Fault and the LFE bursts (corresponding in most cases to known episodes of tremor or large regional earthquakes) are interpreted as brief periods of increased slip activity indicative of slow slip. We compute improved non-linear earthquake locations using a 3D velocity model and find LFEs to occur below the seismogenic zone at depths of 17–42 km, on or near the hypothesised deep extent of the Alpine Fault. We then compute the first estimates of LFE focal mechanisms associated with continental faulting. Focal mechanisms, in conjunction with recurrence intervals, are consistent with quasi-continuous shear faulting on the deep extent of the Alpine Fault.  We then generate a new catalogue that regroups hundreds of LFE families. This time 638 synthetic LFE waveforms are generated using a 3D grid and used as primary templates in a matched-filter routine. Of those, 529 templates yield enough detections during the first iteration of the matched-filter routine (≥ 500 detections over the 8-yr study period) and are kept for further analysis. We then use the best 25% of correlated events for each LFE family to generate linear stacks which create new LFE templates. From there, we run a second and final iteration of the matched-filter routine with the new LFE templates to obtain our final LFE catalogue. The remaining 529 templates detect between 150 and 1,671 events each totalling 300,996 detections over the 8-yr study period. Of those 529 LFEs, we manage to locate 378 families. Their depths range between 11 and 60 km and LFEs locate mainly in the southern part of the SAMBA network. We finally examine individual LFE family rates and occurrence patterns. They indicate that LFE sources seem to evolve from an episodic or ‘stepped’ to a continuous behaviour with depth. This transition may correspond to an evolution from a stick-slip to a stable-sliding slip regime. Hence, we propose that the distinctive features of LFE occurrence patterns reflect variations in the in-situ stress and frictional conditions at the individual LFE source locations on the Alpine Fault.  Finally, we use this new extensive catalogue as a tool for in-depth analyses of the deep central Alpine Fault structure and its slip behaviour. We identify eight episodes of increased LFE activity between 2009 and 2017 and provide time windows for further investigations of tremor and slow slip. We also study the spatial and temporal behaviours of LFEs and find that LFEs with synchronous occurrence patterns tend to be clustered in space. We thus suggest that individual LFE sources form spatially coherent clusters that may represent localised asperities or elastic patches on the deep Alpine Fault interface. We infer that those clusters may have a similar rheological response to tectonic forcing or to potential slow slip events. Eventually, we discover slow (10km/day) and rapid (∼20-25km/h) migrations of LFEs along the Alpine Fault. The slow migration might be controlled by slow slip events themselves while the rapid velocities could be explained by the LFE sources’ intrinsic properties.</p>

scholarly journals Using low-frequency earthquakes to monitor slow tectonic deformation in the central Southern Alps, New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Laura-May Baratin Wachten
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Matched Filter ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Southern Alps ◽  
Focal Mechanisms ◽  
Slow Slip ◽  
Slow Slip Events ◽  
Event Time ◽  
Alpine Fault ◽  
Occurrence Patterns

<p>This thesis involves the study of low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs) in the central Southern Alps. The Alpine Fault is the principal locus of deformation within the Australia–Pacific plate boundary in the South Island of New Zealand and it is late in its typical ∼300-year seismic cycle. Surveying the seismicity associated with slow deformation in the vicinity of the Alpine Fault may provide constraints on the stresses acting on a major transpressive margin prior to an anticipated great (≥M8) earthquake. Here, we use 8 years of data from the Southern Alps Microearthquake Borehole Array (SAMBA) (amongst those, 3 years of data were collected as part of this project) in order to: (1) generate an updated LFE catalogue using an improved matched-filter technique that incorporates phase-weighted stacking; (2) compute LFE focal mechanisms and invert them to infer the crustal stress field on the deep extent of the Alpine Fault; (3) expand the LFE catalogue to cover a wider range of spatial/temporal behaviours; (4) study LFE families’ characteristics to identify periods where slow slip might happen.  We first use fourteen primary LFE templates in an iterative matched-filter and stacking routine, which allows the detection of similar signals and produces LFE families sharing common locations. We generate an 8-yr catalogue containing 10,000 LFEs that are combined for each of the 14 LFE families using phase-weighted stacking to produce signals with the highest possible signal-to-noise ratios. We find LFEs to occur almost continuously during the 8-yr study period and we highlight two types of LFE distributions: (1) discrete behaviour with an inter-event time exceeding 2 minutes; (2) burst-like behaviour with an inter-event time below 2 minutes. The discrete events are interpreted as small-scale frequent deformation on the deep extent of the Alpine Fault and the LFE bursts (corresponding in most cases to known episodes of tremor or large regional earthquakes) are interpreted as brief periods of increased slip activity indicative of slow slip. We compute improved non-linear earthquake locations using a 3D velocity model and find LFEs to occur below the seismogenic zone at depths of 17–42 km, on or near the hypothesised deep extent of the Alpine Fault. We then compute the first estimates of LFE focal mechanisms associated with continental faulting. Focal mechanisms, in conjunction with recurrence intervals, are consistent with quasi-continuous shear faulting on the deep extent of the Alpine Fault.  We then generate a new catalogue that regroups hundreds of LFE families. This time 638 synthetic LFE waveforms are generated using a 3D grid and used as primary templates in a matched-filter routine. Of those, 529 templates yield enough detections during the first iteration of the matched-filter routine (≥ 500 detections over the 8-yr study period) and are kept for further analysis. We then use the best 25% of correlated events for each LFE family to generate linear stacks which create new LFE templates. From there, we run a second and final iteration of the matched-filter routine with the new LFE templates to obtain our final LFE catalogue. The remaining 529 templates detect between 150 and 1,671 events each totalling 300,996 detections over the 8-yr study period. Of those 529 LFEs, we manage to locate 378 families. Their depths range between 11 and 60 km and LFEs locate mainly in the southern part of the SAMBA network. We finally examine individual LFE family rates and occurrence patterns. They indicate that LFE sources seem to evolve from an episodic or ‘stepped’ to a continuous behaviour with depth. This transition may correspond to an evolution from a stick-slip to a stable-sliding slip regime. Hence, we propose that the distinctive features of LFE occurrence patterns reflect variations in the in-situ stress and frictional conditions at the individual LFE source locations on the Alpine Fault.  Finally, we use this new extensive catalogue as a tool for in-depth analyses of the deep central Alpine Fault structure and its slip behaviour. We identify eight episodes of increased LFE activity between 2009 and 2017 and provide time windows for further investigations of tremor and slow slip. We also study the spatial and temporal behaviours of LFEs and find that LFEs with synchronous occurrence patterns tend to be clustered in space. We thus suggest that individual LFE sources form spatially coherent clusters that may represent localised asperities or elastic patches on the deep Alpine Fault interface. We infer that those clusters may have a similar rheological response to tectonic forcing or to potential slow slip events. Eventually, we discover slow (10km/day) and rapid (∼20-25km/h) migrations of LFEs along the Alpine Fault. The slow migration might be controlled by slow slip events themselves while the rapid velocities could be explained by the LFE sources’ intrinsic properties.</p>

scholarly journals Low-frequency earthquakes reveal punctuated slow slip on the deep extent of the Alpine Fault, New Zealand

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 2984-2999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calum J. Chamberlain ◽  
David R. Shelly ◽  
John Townend ◽  
Tim A. Stern
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Slow Slip ◽  
Alpine Fault

scholarly journals Slow slip rate and excitation efficiency of deep low-frequency tremors beneath southwest Japan

2018 ◽  
Vol 722 ◽  
pp. 314-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumiko Daiku ◽  
Yoshihiro Hiramatsu ◽  
Takanori Matsuzawa ◽  
Tomoyuki Mizukami
Keyword(s):  
Low Frequency ◽  
Slip Rate ◽  
Slow Slip ◽  
Southwest Japan ◽  
Excitation Efficiency

Observing seismic signatures of slow slip events with unsupervised learning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Seydoux ◽  
Michel Campillo ◽  
René Steinmann ◽  
Randall Balestriero ◽  
Maarten de Hoop
Keyword(s):  
Clustering Algorithm ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Seismic Signal ◽  
Geodetic Data ◽  
Slow Slip ◽  
Slow Slip Events ◽  
Slow Slip Event ◽  
Intermittent Behavior ◽  
Slow Earthquakes ◽  
Slip Event

&lt;p&gt;Slow slip events are observed in geodetic data, and are occasionally associated with seismic signatures such as slow earthquakes (low-frequency earthquakes, tectonic tremors). In particular, it was shown that swarms of slow earthquake can correlate with slow slip events occurrence, and allowed to reveal the intermittent behavior of several slow slip events. This observation was possible thanks to detailed analysis of slow earthquakes catalogs and continuous geodetic data, but in every case, was limited to particular classes of seismic signatures. In the present study, we propose to infer the classes of seismic signals that best correlate with the observed geodetic data, including the slow slip event. We use a scattering network (a neural network with wavelet filters) in order to find meaningful signal features, and apply a hierarchical clustering algorithm in order to infer classes of seismic signal. We then apply a regression algorithm in order to predict the geodetic data, including slow slip events, from the occurrence of inferred seismic classes. This allow to (1) identify seismic signatures associated with the slow slip events as well as (2) infer the the contribution of each classes to the overall displacement observed in the geodetic data. We illustrate our strategy by revisiting the slow-slip event of 2006 that occurred beneath Guerrero, Mexico.&lt;/p&gt;

Continuous Deformation Versus Faulting Through the Continental Lithosphere of New Zealand

Science ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 286 (5439) ◽  
pp. 516-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Molnar ◽  
Helen J. Anderson ◽  
Etienne Audoine ◽  
Donna Eberhart-Phillips ◽  
Ken R. Gledhill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Seismic Anisotropy ◽  
Plate Motion ◽  
Plate Boundaries ◽  
Mantle Lithosphere ◽  
Continental Lithosphere ◽  
Continuous Deformation ◽  
Alpine Fault ◽  
Wave Splitting ◽  
Rule Out

Seismic anisotropy and P-wave delays in New Zealand imply widespread deformation in the underlying mantle, not slip on a narrow fault zone, which is characteristic of plate boundaries in oceanic regions. Large magnitudes of shear-wave splitting and orientations of fast polarization parallel to the Alpine fault show that pervasive simple shear of the mantle lithosphere has accommodated the cumulative strike-slip plate motion. Variations inP-wave residuals across the Southern Alps rule out underthrusting of one slab of mantle lithosphere beneath another but permit continuous deformation of lithosphere shortened by about 100 kilometers since 6 to 7 million years ago.

scholarly journals Improved earthquake detection as a probe for active fault structures in New Zealand's central Southern Alps

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Calum Chamberlain
Keyword(s):  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Matched Filter ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Southern Alps ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Earthquake Detection ◽  
Alpine Fault ◽  
Drill Site ◽  
Python Package ◽  
Drilling Project

<p>This thesis concerns the detection and analysis of micro-seismicity and low-frequency earthquakes in New Zealand's central Southern Alps. We make use of the 6.5 year continuous seismic dataset collected using the Southern Alps Microearthquake Borehole Array (SAMBA), alongside other temporary and permanent seismic deployments nearby. The small station spacing of this deployment allows for high resolution seismic studies near the Alpine Fault, a dextral-transpressive plate boundary fault between the Pacific and Australian plates.  Using this dataset we have documented the rst evidence of low-frequency earthquakes on or near the deep extent of the Alpine Fault. By using a network based crosscorrelation detection method we have generated a 3 year catalogue of 14 low-frequency earthquake families. These low-frequency earthquake families locate close to other indicators and models of the deep extent of the Alpine Fault, and we interpret these low-frequency earthquakes to represent shear failure on or near the deep extent of the Alpine Fault. These low-frequency earthquakes highlight a near-continuous background rate of deformation, punctuated by short periods of tremor. We also observe higher rates of low-frequency earthquake generation after large regional earthquakes. The magnitudes of our low-frequency earthquakes range from Mʟ‒0.8‒1.8, and appear to follow an exponential distribution, implying that there might be a characteristic length-scale of failure.  We have extended the catalogue of low-frequency earthquake templates using the full 6.5 year dataset and an objective synthetic detection methodology. We developed a new methodology for template detection after other methods failed, or were not feasible. This method employs simple synthetic template events, which, rather than trying to capture all of the complexities of the body waves we try to detect, approximate a simple waveform that does not correlate well with background noise. To undertake this method we have developed a multi-parallel Python package, which is highly portable (we have run this on computers ranging from dual-core, 8GB RAM laptops to a 393 node, 6349 CPU cluster computer) and distributed via an open-source model. This package was run through the 6.5 year dataset on the New Zealand E-Science PAN cluster to e fficiently (<48 hours clock-time) generate a spatially and temporally continuous catalogue of low-frequency earthquake templates. Using this method to detect an initial suite of over 25,000 detections grouped into 600 families we have generated 600 good quality, discrete stacked waveforms for use in further matched-filter detection routines. We have shown that, for templates with both P and S-phase picks, these templates locate near to our previously determined low-frequency earthquake family locations.  Using a network matched- filter detection technique we have generated a catalogue of micro-seismicity in a region of low-seismicity near the Whataroa Valley, motivated by the Deep-Fault Drilling Project; Phase-2. We detected 300 earthquakes that include a selection of near-repeating earthquakes. We find that most detected events are not similar enough to be termed repeating. For 106 earthquakes we are able to generate high-precision magnitudes calculated by singular-value decomposition of similar waveforms. We find a high b-value of 1.44 for these earthquakes, with no earthquakes above Mʟ1.6. By generating high precision cross-correlation derived picks for individual detections and employing a double-difference location methodology we show that seismicity does not delineate a single structure; rather we interpret the detected seismicity as temporally-limited earthquake sequences on small asperities adjacent to the Alpine Fault. Focal mechanisms for the best recorded events show dominantly strike-slip mechanisms, with lesser reverse and normal components.  During the drilling of the Deep-Fault Drilling Project: Phase-2 borehole we operated a real-time earthquake detection system around the drill-site. This was a multi-national effort involving 16 seismologists in three countries monitoring the automatic detections in shifts. During the 5 month real-time monitoring period we detected and located 493 earthquakes, none of which occurred within 3km of the drill-site, nor required changes to the drilling operations. We undertook this monitoring using open-source software, which employed a standard energy based detection scheme.  This thesis has contributed four complementary earthquake catalogues, a further three years of continuous seismic data from the central Southern Alps, and an opensource Python package for detection and analysis of earthquakes using cross-correlation techniques. The characteristics of these catalogues highlight deformation modes on and near one of the world's major strike-slip plate boundaries, both at depth, and at the upper extent of the seismogenic zone.</p>

scholarly journals RESEARCH ON THE FRACTAL STATISTICAL CHARACTERISTICS AS POSSIBLE PROGNOSTIC PARAMETERS FOR EARTHQUAKES, GENERATED IN THE SEISMIC ZONE OF VRANCEA, IN THE PERIOD BETWEEN 01.08.2016 AND 30.12.2016

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (8(38)) ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
E. Oynakov ◽  
D. Solakov ◽  
I. Aleksandrova
Keyword(s):  
Fractal Analysis ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Focal Mechanisms ◽  
Statistical Characteristics ◽  
Seismic Zone ◽  
Coherence Measure ◽  
Noise Structure ◽  
Scientific Goal ◽  
Seismic Records ◽  
The Individual

Using fractal analysis is an excellent alternative method for decode the seismic noise structure. Fractal analysis of microseismic noise could also be an appropriate method to detect earthquake indicators. The scientific goal is to detect standard signals, based on different earthquakes’ focal mechanisms, separating the "individual" behavior of the elements of the monitoring systems.The method for describing low-frequency microseismic noise from the network of seismic stations in a seismically active region of the Vrancea used. Seismic records of twenty-three broadband stations were analyzed, situated at distances of 20 to 500 km from the Vrancea earthquakes whit magnitudes Mw=5.7 and Mw=5.6 on September 23 and December 27, 2016, respectively. The daily assessment values of three multifractal parameters (characteristics of the multifractal singularity spectra of the waveform) from each station used for the description.The present paper is a continuation of previous work [Oynakov et al., 2019], where the effects of synchronization in the low-frequency microseismic field were found before the Vrancea earthquake with magnitude Mp=5.6 on October 28, 2019.The study shows that the noise coherence measure increased for stations, closer to the epicenter. However, the question of the source of this coherence remains open.

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