Long-Period Ground Motion Simulation Based on Three-dimensional Centroid Moment Tensor Inversion Solutions in the Kanto Region, Japan
Abstract We conducted centroid moment tensor (CMT) inversions of moderate (Mw 4.5–6.5) earthquakes in the Kanto region, Japan, using a local three-dimensional (3D) model. We then investigated the effects of our 3D CMT solutions on long-period ground motion simulations. Grid search CMT inversions were conducted using displacement seismograms for periods of 25–100 s. By comparing our 3D CMT solutions with those from the local one-dimensional (1D) catalog, we found that our 3D CMT inversion systematically provides magnitudes smaller than those in the 1D catalog. The Mw differences between 3D and 1D catalogs tend to be significant for earthquakes within the oceanic slab. By comparing ground motion simulations between 1D and 3D velocity models, we confirmed that observed Mw differences could be explained by differences in the rigidity structures around the source regions between 3D and 1D velocity models. The 3D velocity structures (especially oceanic crust and mantle) are important for estimating seismic moments in intraslab earthquakes. The seismic moments directly affect the amplitudes of ground motions. Thus, 3D CMT solutions are essential for the precise forward and inverse modeling of long-period ground motion. We also conducted long-period ground motion simulations using our 3D CMT solutions to evaluate reproducibility of long-period ground motions at stations within the Kanto Basin. The simulations of our 3D CMT inversion well-reproduced observed ground motions for periods longer than 10 s, even at stations within the Kanto Basin.