Aftershock Analysis of the 2018 Mw 7.1 Anchorage, Alaska, Earthquake: Relocations and Regional Moment Tensors

2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia A. Ruppert ◽  
Avinash Nayak ◽  
Clifford Thurber ◽  
Cole Richards

Abstract The 30 November 2018 magnitude 7.1 Anchorage earthquake occurred as a result of normal faulting within the lithosphere of subducted Yakutat slab. It was followed by a vigorous aftershock sequence with over 10,000 aftershocks reported through the end of July 2019. The Alaska Earthquake Center produced a reviewed aftershock catalog with a magnitude of completeness of 1.3. This well‐recorded dataset provides a rare opportunity to study the relationship between the aftershocks and fault rupture of a major intraslab event. We use tomoDD algorithm to relocate 2038 M≥2 aftershocks with a regional 3D velocity model. The relocated aftershocks extend over a 20 km long zone between 47 and 57 km depth and are primarily confined to a high VP/VS region. Aftershocks form two clusters, a diffuse southern cluster and a steeply west‐dipping northern cluster with a gap in between where maximum slip has been inferred. We compute moment tensors for the Mw>4 aftershocks using a cut‐and‐paste method and careful selection of regional broadband stations. The moment tensor solutions do not exhibit significant variability or systematic differences between the northern and southern clusters and, on average, agree well with the mainshock fault‐plane parameters. We propose that the mainshock rupture initiated in the Yakutat lower crust or uppermost mantle and propagated both upward into the crust to near its top and downward into the mantle. The majority of the aftershocks are confined to the seismically active Yakutat crust and located both on and in the hanging wall of the mainshock fault rupture.

2019 ◽  
Vol 220 (1) ◽  
pp. 218-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Zhongwen Zhan

SUMMARY Earthquake focal mechanisms put primary control on the distribution of ground motion, and also bear on the stress state of the crust. Most routine focal mechanism catalogues still use 1-D velocity models in inversions, which may introduce large uncertainties in regions with strong lateral velocity heterogeneities. In this study, we develop an automated waveform-based inversion approach to determine the moment tensors of small-to-medium-sized earthquakes using 3-D velocity models. We apply our approach in the Los Angeles region to produce a new moment tensor catalogue with a completeness of ML ≥ 3.5. The inversions using the Southern California Earthquake Center Community Velocity Model (3D CVM-S4.26) significantly reduces the moment tensor uncertainties, mainly owing to the accuracy of the 3-D velocity model in predicting both the phases and the amplitudes of the observed seismograms. By comparing the full moment tensor solutions obtained using 1-D and 3-D velocity models, we show that the percentages of non-double-couple components decrease dramatically with the usage of 3-D velocity model, suggesting that large fractions of non-double-couple components from 1-D inversions are artifacts caused by unmodelled 3-D velocity structures. The new catalogue also features more accurate focal depths and moment magnitudes. Our highly accurate, efficient and automatic inversion approach can be expanded in other regions, and can be easily implemented in near real-time system.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Elizabeth de Joux Robertson

<p>The aim of this project is to enable accurate earthquake magnitudes (moment magnitude, MW) to be calculated routinely and in near real-time for New Zealand earthquakes. This would be done by inversion of waveform data to obtain seismic moment tensors. Seismic moment tensors also provide information on fault-type. I use a well-established seismic moment tensor inversion method, the Time-Domain [seismic] Moment Tensor Inversion algorithm (TDMT_INVC) and apply it to GeoNet broadband waveform data to generate moment tensor solutions for New Zealand earthquakes. Some modifications to this software were made. A velocity model can now be automatically used to calculate Green's functions without having a pseudolayer boundary at the source depth. Green's functions can be calculated for multiple depths in a single step, and data are detrended and a suitable data window is selected. The seismic moment tensor solution that has either the maximum variance reduction or the maximum double-couple component is automatically selected for each depth. Seismic moment tensors were calculated for 24 New Zealand earthquakes from 2000 to 2005. The Global CMT project has calculated CMT solutions for 22 of these, and the Global CMT project solutions are compared to the solutions obtained in this project to test the accuracy of the solutions obtained using the TDMT_INVC code. The moment magnitude values are close to the Global CMT values for all earthquakes. The focal mechanisms could only be determined for a few of the earthquakes studied. The value of the moment magnitude appears to be less sensitive to the velocity model and earthquake location (epicentre and depth) than the focal mechanism. Distinguishing legitimate seismic signal from background seismic noise is likely to be the biggest problem in routine inversions.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (5) ◽  
pp. 2095-2111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Kühn ◽  
Sebastian Heimann ◽  
Marius P. Isken ◽  
Elmer Ruigrok ◽  
Bernard Dost

ABSTRACT Since 1991, induced earthquakes have been observed and linked to gas production in the Groningen field. Recorded waveforms are complex, resulting partly from a Zechstein salt layer overlying the reservoir and partly from free-surface reverberations, internal multiples, interface conversions, guided waves, and waves diving below the reservoir. Therefore, picking of polarities or amplitudes for use in moment tensor inversion is problematic, whereas phase identification may be circumvented employing full waveform techniques. Although moment tensors have become a basic tool to analyze earthquake sources, their uncertainties are rarely reported. We introduce a method for probabilistic moment tensor estimation and demonstrate its use on the basis of a single event within the Groningen field, concentrating on detailed tests of input data and inversion parameters to derive rules of good practice for moment tensor estimation of events recorded in the Groningen field. In addition to the moment tensor, event locations are provided. Hypocenters estimated simultaneously with moment tensors are often less sensitive to uncertainties in crustal structure, which is pertinent for the application to the Groningen field, because the task of relating earthquakes to specific faults hitherto suffers from a limited resolution of earthquake locations. Because of the probabilistic approach, parameter trade-offs, uncertainties, and ambiguities are mapped. In addition, the implemented bootstrap method implicitly accounts for modeling errors affecting every station and phase differently. A local 1D velocity model extracted from a full 3D velocity model yields more consistent results than other models applied previously. For all velocity models and combinations of input data tested, a shift in location of 1 km to the south is observed for the test event compared to the public catalog. A full moment tensor computed employing the local 1D velocity model features negative isotropic components and may be interpreted as normal fault and collapse at reservoir level.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Elizabeth de Joux Robertson

<p>The aim of this project is to enable accurate earthquake magnitudes (moment magnitude, MW) to be calculated routinely and in near real-time for New Zealand earthquakes. This would be done by inversion of waveform data to obtain seismic moment tensors. Seismic moment tensors also provide information on fault-type. I use a well-established seismic moment tensor inversion method, the Time-Domain [seismic] Moment Tensor Inversion algorithm (TDMT_INVC) and apply it to GeoNet broadband waveform data to generate moment tensor solutions for New Zealand earthquakes. Some modifications to this software were made. A velocity model can now be automatically used to calculate Green's functions without having a pseudolayer boundary at the source depth. Green's functions can be calculated for multiple depths in a single step, and data are detrended and a suitable data window is selected. The seismic moment tensor solution that has either the maximum variance reduction or the maximum double-couple component is automatically selected for each depth. Seismic moment tensors were calculated for 24 New Zealand earthquakes from 2000 to 2005. The Global CMT project has calculated CMT solutions for 22 of these, and the Global CMT project solutions are compared to the solutions obtained in this project to test the accuracy of the solutions obtained using the TDMT_INVC code. The moment magnitude values are close to the Global CMT values for all earthquakes. The focal mechanisms could only be determined for a few of the earthquakes studied. The value of the moment magnitude appears to be less sensitive to the velocity model and earthquake location (epicentre and depth) than the focal mechanism. Distinguishing legitimate seismic signal from background seismic noise is likely to be the biggest problem in routine inversions.</p>


1996 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 1255-1269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Pasyanos ◽  
Douglas S. Dreger ◽  
Barbara Romanowicz

Abstract Recent advances in broadband station coverage, continuous telemetry systems, moment-tensor procedures, and computer data-processing methods have given us the opportunity to automate the two regional moment-tensor methods employed at the UC Berkeley Seismographic Station for events in northern and central California. Preliminary solutions are available within minutes after an event has occurred and are subsequently human reviewed. We compare the solutions of the two methods to each other, as well as the automatic and revised solutions of each individual method. Efforts are being made to establish robust criteria for determining accurate solutions with human review and to fully automate the moment-tensor procedures into the already-existing automated earthquake-location system.


1983 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 419-434
Author(s):  
Jeffery S. Barker ◽  
Charles A. Langston

abstract Teleseismic P-wave first motions for the M ≧ 6 earthquakes near Mammoth Lakes, California, are inconsistent with the vertical strike-slip mechanisms determined from local and regional P-wave first motions. Combining these data sets allows three possible mechanisms: a north-striking, east-dipping strike-slip fault; a NE-striking oblique fault; and a NNW-striking normal fault. Inversion of long-period teleseismic P and SH waves for the events of 25 May 1980 (1633 UTC) and 27 May 1980 (1450 UTC) yields moment tensors with large non-double-couple components. The moment tensor for the first event may be decomposed into a major double couple with strike = 18°, dip = 61°, and rake = −15°, and a minor double couple with strike = 303°, dip = 43°, and rake = 224°. A similar decomposition for the last event yields strike = 25°, dip = 65°, rake = −6°, and strike = 312°, dip = 37°, and rake = 232°. Although the inversions were performed on only a few teleseismic body waves, the radiation patterns of the moment tensors are consistent with most of the P-wave first motion polarities at local, regional, and teleseismic distances. The stress axes inferred from the moment tensors are consistent with N65°E extension determined by geodetic measurements by Savage et al. (1981). Seismic moments computed from the moment tensors are 1.87 × 1025 dyne-cm for the 25 May 1980 (1633 UTC) event and 1.03 × 1025 dyne-cm for the 27 May 1980 (1450 UTC) event. The non-double-couple aspect of the moment tensors and the inability to obtain a convergent solution for the 25 May 1980 (1944 UTC) event may indicate that the assumptions of a point source and plane-layered structure implicit in the moment tensor inversion are not entirely valid for the Mammoth Lakes earthquakes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Álvaro González

&lt;p&gt;Statistical seismology relies on earthquake catalogs as homogeneous and complete as possible. However, heterogeneities in earthquake data compilation and reporting are common and frequently are not adverted.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Global Centroid Moment Tensor Catalog (www.globalcmt.org) is considered as the most homogeneous global database for large and moderate earthquakes occurred since 1976, and it has been used for developing and testing global and regional forecast models.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Changes in the method used for calculating the moment tensors (along with improvements in global seismological monitoring) define four eras in the catalog (1976, 1977-1985, 1986-2003 and 2004-present). Improvements are particularly stark since 2004, when intermediate-period surface waves started to be used for calculating the centroid solutions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fixed centroid depths, used when the solution for a free depth did not converge, have followed diverse criteria, depending on the era. Depth had to be fixed mainly for shallow earthquakes, so this issue is more common, e.g. in the shallow parts of subduction zones than in the deep ones. Until 2003, 53% of the centroids had depths calculated as a free parameter, compared to 78% since 2004.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rake values have not been calculated homogenously either. Until 2003, the vertical-dip-slip components of the moment tensor were assumed as null when they could not be constrained by the inversion (for 3.3% of the earthquakes). This caused an excess of pure focal mechanisms: rakes of -90&amp;#176; (normal), 0&amp;#176; or &amp;#177;180&amp;#176; (strike-slip) or +90&amp;#176; (thrust). Even disregarding such events, rake histograms until 2003 and since 2004 are not equivalent to each other.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The magnitude of completeness (&lt;em&gt;M&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;c&lt;/sub&gt;) of the catalog is analyzed here separately for each era. It clearly improved along time (average &lt;em&gt;M&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;c&lt;/sub&gt; values being ~6.4 in 1976, ~5.7 in 1977-1985, ~5.4 in 1986-2003, and ~5.0 since 2004). Maps of &lt;em&gt;M&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;c&lt;/sub&gt; for different eras show significant spatial variations.&lt;/p&gt;


2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (2A) ◽  
pp. 891-900
Author(s):  
Yan Xu ◽  
Keith D. Koper ◽  
Relu Burlacu ◽  
Robert B. Herrmann ◽  
Dan-Ning Li

Abstract Because of the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, the Yunnan Province of southwestern China has some of the highest levels of seismic hazard in the world. In such a region, a catalog of moment tensors is important for estimating seismic hazard and helping understand the regional seismotectonics. Here, we present a new uniform catalog of moment tensor solutions for the Yunnan region. Using a grid-search technique to invert seismic waveforms recorded by the permanent regional network in Yunnan and the 2 yr ChinArray deployment, we present 1833 moment tensor solutions for small-to-moderate earthquakes that occurred between January 2000 and December 2014. Moment magnitudes in the new catalog vary from Mw 2.2 to 6.1, and the catalog is complete above Mw∼3.5–3.6. The moment tensors are constrained to be purely double-couple and show a variety of faulting mechanisms. Normal faulting events are mainly concentrated in northwest Yunnan, while farther south along the Sagaing fault the earthquakes are mostly thrust and strike slip. The remaining area includes all three styles of faulting but mostly strike slip. We invert the moment tensors for the regional stress field and find a strong correlation between spatially varying maximum horizontal stress and Global Positioning System observations of horizontal ground velocity. The stress field reveals clockwise rotation around the eastern Himalayan syntaxis, with northwest–southeast compression to the east of the Red River fault changing to northeast–southwest compression west of the fault. Almost 88% of the centroid depths are shallower than 16 km, consistent with a weak and ductile lower crust.


1989 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. Jost ◽  
R. B. Herrmann

Abstract A review of a moment tensor for describing a general seismic point source is presented to show a second order moment tensor can be related to simpler seismic source descriptions such as centers of expansion and double couples. A review of literature is followed by detailed algebraic expansions of the moment tensor into isotropic and deviatoric components. Specific numerical examples are provided in the appendices for use in testing algorithms for moment tensor decomposition.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minhee Choi ◽  
David W. Eaton ◽  
et al.

Catalog of relocated seismicity, table of moment tensor parameters, detailed methodology of the velocity model, hierarchical clustering, moment tensors, stress inversion, Coulomb stress calculation, and Figures S1–S12.<br>


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