Aftershocks of the 13 December 1982 North Yemen earthquake: Conjugate normal faulting in an extensional setting

1987 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 2038-2055
Author(s):  
C. J. Langer ◽  
G. A. Bollinger ◽  
H. M. Merghelani
Keyword(s):  
Main Shock ◽  
Aftershock Sequence ◽  
Focal Mechanisms ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Epicentral Area ◽  
Focal Mechanism Solutions ◽  
The North ◽  
Composite Focal Mechanism ◽  
Good Agreement ◽  
Extensional Setting

Abstract The North Yemen epicentral locale in the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula is 200 to 300 km landward from the active rifting of the Red Sea and Sea of Aden. The magnitude 6.0 (MS and mb) main shock of 13 December 1982 locally caused considerable death, injury, and damage and was followed by an extensive aftershock sequence. A 12-day study employing a 10-station portable seismograph network was conducted between 29 December 1982 and 9 January 1983. Hypocentral locations were determined for 230 shocks selected from the thousands of recorded events (duration magnitudes between 1.8 and 4.6). These aftershocks define a source volume that is roughly 20 × 20 × 10 km. From that volume, about half (∼110) of only the best-constrained hypocenters with depths greater than 3 km were selected for detailed analysis. The 110 aftershock data set was divided into subsets according to geographic position (northern and southern) and temporal sequencing (a distinct aftershock sequence late in the monitoring period). A series of composite focal mechanisms show the aftershocks are dip-slip faulting (normal) on planes with north-northwest to northwest strikes and with dips that are variable in amount (∼30° to ∼80°) and direction (southwest and northeast). The strike and extensional nature of these composite focal mechanism solutions are in good agreement with the main shock focal mechanisms, the surficial and bedrock geology of the epicentral area, and the linear surface cracks observed in the field there following the December main shock. We interpret the spatial distribution of our results to describe conjugate faulting episodes associated with north-northwest striking faults.

The San Salvador Earthquake of October 10, 1986—Seismological Aspects and Other Recent Local Seismicity

1987 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall A. White ◽  
David H. Harlow ◽  
Salvador Alvarez
Keyword(s):  
Main Shock ◽  
Fault Plane ◽  
Vertical Plane ◽  
Aftershock Sequence ◽  
Central American ◽  
Fault Plane Solution ◽  
San Salvador ◽  
The North ◽  
Volcanic Chain ◽  
Plane Solution

The San Salvador earthquake of October 10, 1986 originated along the Central American volcanic chain within the upper crust of the Caribbean Plate. Results from a local seismograph network show a tectonic style main shock-aftershock sequence, with a magnitude, Mw, 5.6. The hypocenter was located 7.3 km below the south edge of San Salvador. The main shock ruptured along a nearly vertical plane toward the north-northeast. A main shock fault-plane solution shows a nearly vertical fault plane striking N32\sz\E, with left-lateral sense of motion. This earthquake is the second Central American volcanic chain earthquake documented with left-lateral slip on a fault perpendicular to the volcanic chain. During the 2 1/2 years preceeding the earthquake, minor microseismicity was noted near the epicenter, but we show that this has been common along the volcanic chain since at least 1953. San Salvador was previously damaged by a volcanic chain earthquake on May 3, 1965. The locations of six foreshocks preceding the 1965 shock show a distinctly WNW-trending distribution. This observation, together with the distribution of damage and a fault-plane solution, suggest that right-lateral slip occurred along a fault sub-parallel with Central American volcanic chain. We believe this is the first time such motion has been documented along the volcanic chain. This earthquake was also unusual in that it was preceded by a foreshock sequence more energetic than the aftershock sequence. Earlier this century, on June 08, 1917, an Ms 6.4 earthquake occurred 30 to 40 km west of San Salvador Volcano. Only 30 minutes later, an Ms 6.3 earthquake occurred, centered at the volcano, and about 35 minutes later the volcano erupted. In 1919 an Ms 6 earthquake occurred, centered at about the epicenter of the 1986 earthquake. We conclude that the volcanic chain is seismically very active with variable styles of seismicity.

Earthquake migration in the Fairbanks, Alaska seismic zone

1980 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 223-241
Author(s):  
Larry Gedney ◽  
Steve Estes ◽  
Nirendra Biswas
Keyword(s):  
B Value ◽  
Aftershock Sequence ◽  
Stress Axis ◽  
Seismic Zone ◽  
Epicentral Area ◽  
Focal Mechanism Solutions ◽  
Relative Stress ◽  
Earthquake Migration ◽  
Dislocation Process ◽  
High Level

abstract Since a series of moderate earthquakes near Fairbanks, Alaska in 1967, the “Fairbanks seismic zone” has maintained a consistently high level of seismicity interspersed with sporadic earthquake swarms. Five swarms occurring since 1970 demonstrate that tightly compacted centers of activity have tended to migrate away from the epicentral area of the 1967 earthquakes. Comparative b-coefficients of the first four swarms indicate that they occurred under different relative stress conditions than the last episode, which exhibited a higher b-value and was, in fact, a main shock of magnitude 4.6 with a rapidly decaying aftershock sequence. This last recorded sequence in February 1979 was an extension to greater depths along a lineal seismic zone whose first recorded activation occurred during a swarm two years earlier. Focal mechanism solutions indicate a north-south orientation of the greatest principal stress axis, σ1, in the area. A dislocation process related to crustal spreading between strands of a right-lateral fault, similar to that which has been inferred for southern California, is suggested.

Observations of the Coyote Lake, California earthquake sequence of August 6, 1979

1980 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 559-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Uhrhammer
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Fault Zone ◽  
Strong Earthquake ◽  
Main Shock ◽  
B Value ◽  
Aftershock Sequence ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
Temporal And Spatial Characteristics ◽  
Largest Aftershock

abstract At 1705 UTC on August 6, 1979, a strong earthquake (ML = 5.9) occurred along the Calaveras fault zone south of Coyote Lake about 110 km southeast of San Francisco. This strong earthquake had an aftershock sequence of 31 events (2.4 ≦ ML ≦ 4.4) during August 1979. No foreshocks (ML ≧ 1.5) were observed in the 3 months prior to the main shock. The local magnitude (ML = 5.9) and the seismic moment (Mo = 6 × 1024 dyne-cm from the SH pulse) for the main shock were determined from the 100 × torsion and 3-component ultra-long period seismographs located at Berkeley. Local magnitudes are determined for the aftershocks from the maximum trace amplitudes on the Wood-Anderson torsion seismograms recorded at Berkeley (Δ ≊ 110 km). Temporal and spatial characteristics of the aftershock sequence are presented and discussed. Some key observations are: (1) the first six aftershocks (ML ≧ 2.4) proceed along the fault zone progressively to the south of the main shock; (2) all of the aftershocks (ML ≧ 2.4) to the south of the largest aftershock (ML = 4.4) have a different focal mechanism than the aftershocks to the north; (3) no aftershocks (ML ≧ 2.4) were observed significantly to the north of the main shock for the first 5 days of the sequence; and (4) the b-value (0.70 ± 0.17) for the aftershock sequence is not significantly different from the average b-value (0.88 ± 0.08) calculated for the Calaveras fault zone from 16 yr of data.

Secondary faulting near the terminus of a seismogenic strike-slip fault: Aftershocks of the 1976 Guatemala earthquake

1979 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 427-444
Author(s):  
C. J. Langer ◽  
G. A. Bollinger
Keyword(s):  
Focal Mechanism ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Strike Slip ◽  
Strike Slip Fault ◽  
Aftershock Activity ◽  
Focal Mechanism Solutions ◽  
The North ◽  
Composite Focal Mechanism ◽  
Theoretical Pattern ◽  
Main Fault

abstract Aftershocks of the February 4, 1976 Guatemalan earthquake (Ms = 7.5) were monitored by a network of portable seismographs from February 9 to February 27. Although seismic data were obtained all along the 230-km surface rupture of the causal Motagua fault, the field program was designed to concentrate on the aftershock activity at the western terminus of the fault. Data from that locale revealed several linear or near-linear trends of aftershock epicenters that splay to the southwest away from the western end of the main fault. These trends correlate spatially with mapped surface lineaments and, to some degree, with ground breakage patterns near Guatemala City. The observed splay pattern of aftershocks and the normal-faulting mode of the splay earthquakes determined from composite focal mechanism solutions, may be explained by a theoretical pattern of stress trajectories at the terminus of a strike-slip fault. Composite focal mechanism solutions for aftershocks located on or near the surface break of the Motagua fault, to the north and east of the linear trend splay area, agree with the mapped surface movements, i.e., left-lateral strike-slip.

Aftershocks and surface faulting associated with the intraplate Guinea, West Africa, earthquake of 22 December 1983

1987 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 1579-1601
Author(s):  
C. J. Langer ◽  
M. G. Bonilla ◽  
G. A. Bollinger
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Focal Mechanism ◽  
Main Shock ◽  
Strike Slip ◽  
Fault System ◽  
Epicentral Area ◽  
Lateral Strike Slip ◽  
Focal Mechanism Solutions ◽  
Short Period ◽  
East West

Abstract This study reports on the results of geological and seismological field studies conducted following the rare occurrence of a moderate-sized West African earthquake (mb = 6.4) with associated ground breakage. The epicentral area of the northwestern Guinea earthquake of 22 December 1983 is a coastal margin, intraplate locale with a very low level of historical seismicity. The principal results include the observation that seismic faulting occurred on a preexisting fault system and that there is good agreement among the surface faulting, the spatial distribution of the aftershock hypocenters, and the composite focal mechanism solutions. We are not able, however, to shed any light on the reason(s) for the unexpected occurrence of this intraplate earthquake. Thus, the significance of this study is its contribution to the observational datum for such earthquakes and for the seismicity of West Africa. The main shock was associated with at least 9 km of surface fault-rupture. Trending east-southeast to east-west, measured fault displacements up to ∼13 cm were predominantly right-lateral strike slip and were accompanied by an additional component (5 to 7 cm) of vertical movement, southwest side down. The surface faulting occurred on a preexisting fault whose field characteristics suggest a low slip rate with very infrequent earthquakes. There were extensive rockfalls and minor liquefaction effects at distances less than 10 km from the surface faulting and main shock epicenter. Main shock focal mechanism solutions derived from teleseismic data by other workers show a strong component of normal faulting motion that was not observed in the ground ruptures. A 15-day period of aftershock monitoring, commencing 22 days after the main shock, was conducted. Eleven portable, analog short-period vertical seismographs were deployed in a network with an aperture of 25 km and an average station spacing of 7 km. Ninety-five aftershocks were located from the more than 200 recorded events with duration magnitudes of about 1.5 or greater. Analysis of a selected subset (91) of those events define a tabular aftershock volume (26 km long by 14 km wide by 4 km thick) trending east-southeast and dipping steeply (∼60°) to the south-southwest. Composite focal mechanisms for groups of events, distributed throughout the aftershock volume, exhibit right-lateral, strike-slip motion on subvertical planes that strike almost due east. Although the general agreement between the field geologic and seismologic results is good, our preferred interpretation is for three en-echelon faults striking almost due east-west.

scholarly journals The 1991 Sierra Madre earthquake sequence in southern California: Seismological and tectonic analysis

1994 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 1058-1074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Egill Hauksson
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Fault Plane ◽  
B Value ◽  
Tectonic Stress ◽  
Aftershock Sequence ◽  
Strike Slip ◽  
Focal Mechanisms ◽  
Stress Axis ◽  
The North ◽  
Sierra Madre

Abstract The (ML 5.8) Sierra Madre earthquake of 28 June 1991 occurred at a depth of 12 km under the San Gabriel Mountains of the central Transverse Ranges. Since at least 1932 this region had been quiescent for M ≧ 3. The mainshock focal mechanism derived from first-motion polarities exhibited almost pure thrust faulting, with a rake of 82° on a plane striking N62°E and dipping 50° to the north. The event appears to have occurred on the Clamshell-Sawpit fault, a splay of the Sierra Madre fault zone. The aftershock sequence following the mainshock occurred at a depth of 9 to 14 km and was deficient in small earthquakes, having a b value of 0.6. Twenty nine single-event focal mechanisms were determined for aftershocks of M > 1.5. The 4-km-long segment of the Clamshell-Sawpit fault that may have ruptured in the mainshock is outlined by several thrust focal mechanisms with an east-northeast-striking fault plane dipping to the north. To the west, several thrust aftershocks with east-striking nodal planes suggest some complexity in the aftershock faulting, such as a curved rupture surface. In addition, several strike-slip and normal faulting events occurred along the edges of the mainshock fault plane, indicating secondary tear faulting. The tectonic stress field driving the coexisting left-lateral strike-slip and thrust faults in the northern Los Angeles basin is north-south horizontal compression with vertical intermediate or minimum principal stress axis.

scholarly journals Seismicity anomalies prior to 8 June 2008, <i>M<sub>w</sub></i>=6.4 earthquake in Western Greece

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Chouliaras
Keyword(s):  
Main Shock ◽  
Earthquake Catalog ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Epicentral Area ◽  
Seismicity Rate ◽  
Seismicity Pattern ◽  
Scientific Investigations ◽  
Seismological Data ◽  
Western Greece

Abstract. The epicentral area of the Mw=6.4, 8 June 2008 main shock in northwestern Peloponesus, Western Greece, had been forecasted as a candidate for the occurrence of a strong earthquake by independent scientific investigations. This study concerns the seismicity of a large area surrounding the epicenter of the main shock using the seismological data from the monthly bulletins of the Institute of Geodynamics of the National Observatory of Athens. This data set is the most detailed earthquake catalog available for anomalous seismicity pattern investigations in Greece. The results indicate a decrease in seismicity rate seven years prior to the 8 June main shock which constituted a two and a half year long seismic quiescence surrounding the epicentral area. This quiescence anomaly was succeeded by a period of acceleration in seismic activity for five years approximately, until the occurrence of the main shock.

scholarly journals Clusty, the waveform-based network similarity clustering toolbox: concept and application to image complex faulting offshore Zakynthos (Greece)

2020 ◽  
Vol 224 (3) ◽  
pp. 2044-2059
Author(s):  
G M Petersen ◽  
P Niemz ◽  
S Cesca ◽  
V Mouslopoulou ◽  
G M Bocchini
Keyword(s):  
Main Shock ◽  
Moment Tensor ◽  
Tectonic Setting ◽  
Active Faults ◽  
Aftershock Sequence ◽  
Strike Slip ◽  
Large Magnitude ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Network Similarity ◽  
Waveform Similarity

SUMMARY Clusty is a new open source toolbox dedicated to earthquake clustering based on waveforms recorded across a network of seismic stations. Its main application is the study of active faults and the detection and characterization of faults and fault networks. By using a density-based clustering approach, earthquakes pertaining to a common fault can be recognized even over long fault segments, and the first-order geometry and extent of active faults can be inferred. Clusty implements multiple techniques to compute a waveform based network similarity from maximum cross-correlation coefficients at multiple stations. The clustering procedure is designed to be transparent and parameters can be easily tuned. It is supported by a number of analysis visualization tools which help to assess the homogeneity within each cluster and the differences among distinct clusters. The toolbox returns graphical representations of the results. A list of representative events and stacked waveforms facilitate further analyses like moment tensor inversion. Results obtained in various frequency bands can be combined to account for large magnitude ranges. Thanks to the simple configuration, the toolbox is easily adaptable to new data sets and to large magnitude ranges. To show the potential of our new toolbox, we apply Clusty to the aftershock sequence of the Mw 6.9 25 October 2018 Zakynthos (Greece) Earthquake. Thanks to the complex tectonic setting at the western termination of the Hellenic Subduction System where multiple faults and faulting styles operate simultaneously, the Zakynthos data set provides an ideal case-study for our clustering analysis toolbox. Our results support the activation of several faults and provide insight into the geometry of faults or fault segments. We identify two large thrust faulting clusters in the vicinity of the main shock and multiple strike-slip clusters to the east, west and south of these clusters. Despite its location within the largest thrust cluster, the main shock does not show a high waveform similarity to any of the clusters. This is consistent with the results of other studies suggesting a complex failure mechanism for the main shock. We propose the existence of conjugated strike-slip faults in the south of the study area. Our waveform similarity based clustering toolbox is able to reveal distinct event clusters which cannot be discriminated based on locations and/or timing only. Additionally, the clustering results allows distinction between fault and auxiliary planes of focal mechanisms and to associate them to known active faults.

The El Asnam, Algeria, earthquake of 10 October 1980: Multiple-source mechanism determined from long-period records

1982 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 1111-1128
Author(s):  
A. Deschamps ◽  
Y. Gaudemer ◽  
A. Cisternas
Keyword(s):  
Main Shock ◽  
Body Wave ◽  
P Wave ◽  
P Waves ◽  
Small Component ◽  
Long Period ◽  
The North ◽  
Complex Source ◽  
Dip Angle ◽  
Good Agreement

abstract We present a study of the El Asnam, Algeria, earthquake of 10 October 1980 from a large collection of long-period surface and body wave records. The focal mechanism of the main shock is well constrained by the P-wave first motions at teleseismic distances and field observations: it was a thrust event on a plane striking N45°E, and a dip angle of 54° to the north. It had a small component of left-lateral motion (λ = 83°) (Ouyed et al., 1981; Gaudemer et al., 1981). This earthquake was very well recorded on WWSSN stations and on GDSN and IDA digital stations, with a good azimuthal distribution. From these records, we confirm the focal solution and obtain a seismic moment Mo = 5 × 1026 dyne-cm. The P-wave seismograms indicate a complex source. We show that it is not sufficient to model the source by a multiple event, but it is also necessary to include a propagation effect in order to explain accurately the waveform. With assumptions based on field observation of the surface breaks, we model the P waves, including two discontinuities of the propagation, along the fault plane and obtain a good agreement of the waveform.

Advances in earthquake-swarms monitoring networks WEBNET and REYKJANET

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub Klicpera ◽  
Jana Doubravová ◽  
Josef Horálek
Keyword(s):  
Main Shock ◽  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Earthquake Swarms ◽  
Monitoring Networks ◽  
Epicentral Zone ◽  
Epicentral Area ◽  
The North ◽  
Short Period ◽  
West Bohemia ◽  
Reykjanes Peninsula

&lt;p&gt;The IG CAS in cooperation with IRSM CAS operates two local seismic networks deployed to monitor the seismic swarms in West Bohemia/Vogtland, Czechia and Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;WEBNET monitors the region of West Bohemia since 1991 developing from 4 short period stations to 24 broadband stations today. The seismoactive region West Bohemia/Vogtland lies in the border area between Czechia and Germany in the western part of Bohemian Massif. It is an intra-continental area with persistent swarm-like seismicity but rarely also main-shock after-shock sequences may occur.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;REYKJANET local seismic network is situated in Reykjanes Peninsula on Southwest Iceland. The area is an onshore part of the mid-Atlantic plate boundary between the North America and Eurasia Plates. The seismic activity of Reykjanes peninsula is represented by typical main-shock after-shock sequences as well as earthquake swarms. The REYKJANET network was built in 2013 and it consists of 15 stations placed around the epicentral area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both networks have been substantially upgraded during the last years. In case of REYKJANET the replacement of old sensors and digitizers with new ones made the operation easier and ready for near future plan to stream the waveform files in real time. WEBNET network which was long years divided into two subnets &amp;#8211; on-line permanent stations and off-line autonomous stations, was recently homogenized by eco-powering and 4G LTE data connecting of the off-line stations. Additonally, the micro network HORNET was deployed within the WEBNET epicentral zone to monitor Horka water dam.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Data from both above mentioned networks are automatically searched for seismic events by the neural-network-based detector designed by Doubravov&amp;#225; et al. (2016, 2019) providing event list with completeness magnitude Mc=0 for REYKJANET and Mc=-0.5 for WEBNET. The main difference of sensitivity is given by different noise levels of the two networks.&lt;/p&gt;

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document