Aftershock Activity at Intermediate-Depth Earthquakes in Northern Chile Controlled by Plate Hydration

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leoncio Cabrera ◽  
Sergio Ruiz ◽  
Piero Poli ◽  
Eduardo Contreras-Reyes ◽  
Renzo Mancini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Template Matching ◽  
Broad Band ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Seismic Source ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
Aftershock Activity ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Abrupt Decrease ◽  
Intermediate Depth ◽  
The Impact

<p>We investigate the differences of the seismic source and aftershock activity using kinematic inversions and template matching respectively, for the six largest intraslab intermediate-depth earthquakes occurred in northern Chile (Mw ~6.3) since 2010 at depths between 90 and 130 km and recorded by dense strong-motion and broad-band seismic networks. In addition, we developed a thermal model using the finite element method in the study region with the aim of analyze the impact of temperature on seismic behavior as the oceanic plate subducts. Our results show that geometries of rupture zones are similar, with semi-axis for an elliptical patch approach about 5 km, and stress drop values between 7 and 30 MPa. On the other hand, the number of aftershocks exhibits clear differences, and their amount decreases with increasing the depth within the slab bounded by the 450 ºC isotherm, which represents a limit between a high-hydrated and a dry or low-hydrated region. Furthermore, mainshocks occur at distances from the top of the slab from 7 to 40 km, and all of them exhibit normal focal mechanisms suggesting that the extensional regimen deepens within the slab to the 700-750 ºC isotherm-depth. We suggest that in northern Chile the abrupt decrease of aftershocks in the lower part of the extensional regimen is caused by the absence of a hydrated slab at those depths.</p>

scholarly journals Northern Chile intermediate-depth earthquakes controlled by plate hydration

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leoncio Cabrera ◽  
Sergio Ruiz ◽  
Piero Poli ◽  
Eduardo Contreras-Reyes ◽  
Axel Osses ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Template Matching ◽  
Thermal Structure ◽  
Seismic Source ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
Large Magnitude ◽  
Aftershock Activity ◽  
Dramatic Decrease ◽  
Intermediate Depth ◽  
Subducting Plate

Summary We investigate the variations of the seismic source properties and aftershock activity using kinematic inversions and template-matching, for six large magnitude intermediate-depth earthquakes occurred in northern Chile. Results show similar rupture geometry and stress drop values between 7–30 MPa. Conversely, aftershocks productivity systematically decreases for the deeper events within the slab. Particularly there is a dramatic decrease in aftershock activity below the 400–450°C isotherm-depth, which separates high and low-hydrated zones. The events exhibit tensional focal mechanisms at unexpected depths within the slab, suggesting a deepening of the neutral plane, where the extensional regimen reaches the 700–800°C isotherm-depth. We interpret the reduction of aftershocks in the lower part of the extensional regime as the absence of a hydrated-slab at those depths. Our finding highlights the role of the thermal-structure and fluids in the subducting plate, in controlling the intermediated-depth seismic activity and shed new light in their causative mechanism.

scholarly journals Ground Motion Model for Spectral Displacement of Intermediate-Depth Earthquakes Generated by Vrancea Seismic Source

Geosciences ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 282
Author(s):  
Paul Olteanu ◽  
Radu Vacareanu
Keyword(s):  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Response Spectrum ◽  
Structural Response ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Seismic Source ◽  
Code Design ◽  
Type B ◽  
Intermediate Depth ◽  
Ground Motion Model ◽  
Displacement Based

In support of displacement-based design (DBD), an attenuation model for the prediction of the spectral displacement of intermediate-depth earthquakes generated by Vrancea source is proposed. DBD is an alternative to force-based design, the main benefits being a better and confident description of the structural response and the removal of some of the inconsistencies of force-based code design. The basic input for DBD is the displacement response spectrum (DRS). Vrancea intermediate-depth source is responsible for the seismic hazard for most of the Romanian territory. The source produces, on average, two or three earthquakes with MW >7.0 per century, the prominent characteristics being the large displacement demand and large predominant periods (≈ 1.5 s) for sites located in the Romanian Plain. The model is applicable for sites positioned in front of the South-Eastern Carpathian Arc on type B and C soils. Equations predicting spectral displacement were developed by two-stage regression analysis, using a database containing national analog records of moderate-strong earthquakes and the available digital records, of smaller earthquakes. The model was extended for periods up to 8.0 s using national digital strong motion records and Japanese high-quality digital records of earthquakes triggered by a similar seismo-tectonic environment. The model successfully reproduced observed data, for both type B and C soils and the goodness of fit was tested using methods available in literature.

scholarly journals Vertical to Horizontal UHS Ratios for Low to Medium Seismicity Regions with Deep Soil atop Deep Geological Sediments—An Example of the City of Osijek, Croatia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 6782
Author(s):  
Borko Đ. Bulajić ◽  
Marijana Hadzima-Nyarko ◽  
Gordana Pavić
Keyword(s):  
Ground Motions ◽  
Spectral Amplitude ◽  
Eurocode 8 ◽  
Uniform Hazard Spectra ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Spectral Estimates ◽  
Local Soil ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Deep Soils ◽  
The City

The severity of vertical seismic ground motions is often factored into design regulations as a component of their horizontal counterparts. Furthermore, most design codes, including Eurocode 8, ignore the impact of local soil on vertical spectra. This paper investigates vertical pseudo-absolute acceleration spectral estimates, as well as the ratios of spectral estimates for strong motion in vertical and horizontal directions, for low to medium seismicity regions with deep local soil and deep geological sediments beneath the local soil. The case study region encompasses the city of Osijek in Croatia. New regional frequency-dependent empirical scaling equations are derived for the vertical spectra. According to these equations, for a 0.3 s spectral amplitude at deep soils atop deep geological sediments compared to the rock sites, the maximum amplification is 1.48 times. The spectra of vertical components of various real strong motions recorded in the surrounding region are compared to the empirical vertical response spectra. The new empirical equations are used to construct a Uniform Hazard Spectra for Osijek. The ratios of vertical to horizontal Uniform Hazard Spectra are generated, examined, and compared to Eurocode 8 recommendations. All the results show that local soil and deep geology conditions have a significant impact on vertical ground motions. The results also show that for deep soils atop deep geological strata, Eurocode 8 can underestimate the vertical to horizontal spectral ratios by a factor of three for Type 2 spectra while overestimating them by a factor of two for Type 1 spectra.

scholarly journals Anomalous azimuthal variations with 360° periodicity of Rayleigh phase velocities observed in Scandinavia

2020 ◽  
Vol 224 (3) ◽  
pp. 1684-1704
Author(s):  
Alexandra Mauerberger ◽  
Valérie Maupin ◽  
Ólafur Gudmundsson ◽  
Frederik Tilmann
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Anisotropy ◽  
Broad Band ◽  
Shear Velocity ◽  
Velocity Variation ◽  
The South ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Lithospheric Thickness ◽  
Phase Velocities ◽  
The North ◽  
Southern Norway

SUMMARY We use the recently deployed ScanArray network of broad-band stations covering most of Norway and Sweden as well as parts of Finland to analyse the propagation of Rayleigh waves in Scandinavia. Applying an array beamforming technique to teleseismic records from ScanArray and permanent stations in the study region, in total 159 stations with a typical station distance of about 70 km, we obtain phase velocities for three subregions, which collectively cover most of Scandinavia (excluding southern Norway). The average phase dispersion curves are similar for all three subregions. They resemble the dispersion previously observed for the South Baltic craton and are about 1 per cent slower than the North Baltic shield phase velocities for periods between 40 and 80 s. However, a remarkable sin(1θ) phase velocity variation with azimuth is observed for periods >35 s with a 5 per cent deviation between the maximum and minimum velocities, more than the overall lateral variation in average velocity. Such a variation, which is incompatible with seismic anisotropy, occurs in northern Scandinavia and southern Norway/Sweden but not in the central study area. The maximum and minimum velocities were measured for backazimuths of 120° and 300°, respectively. These directions are perpendicular to a step in the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB) inferred by previous studies in southern Norway/Sweden, suggesting a relation to large lithospheric heterogeneity. In order to test this hypothesis, we carried out 2-D full-waveform modeling of Rayleigh wave propagation in synthetic models which incorporate a steep gradient in the LAB in combination with a pronounced reduction in the shear velocity below the LAB. This setup reproduces the observations qualitatively, and results in higher phase velocities for propagation in the direction of shallowing LAB, and lower ones for propagation in the direction of deepening LAB, probably due to the interference of forward scattered and reflected surface wave energy with the fundamental mode. Therefore, the reduction in lithospheric thickness towards southern Norway in the south, and towards the Atlantic ocean in the north provide a plausible explanation for the observed azimuthal variations.

scholarly journals Searching for energy-resolved quasi-periodic oscillations in AGN

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic I Ashton ◽  
Matthew J Middleton
Keyword(s):  
Power Law ◽  
Spectral Component ◽  
Broad Band ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Periodic Oscillations ◽  
Single Observation ◽  
Curved Space ◽  
Multiple Observations ◽  
Band Noise ◽  
The Impact

Abstract X-ray quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in AGN allow us to probe and understand the nature of accretion in highly curved space-time, yet the most robust form of detection (i.e. repeat detections over multiple observations) has been limited to a single source to-date, with only tentative claims of single observation detections in several others. The association of those established AGN QPOs with a specific spectral component has motivated us to search the XMM-Newton archive and analyse the energy-resolved lightcurves of 38 bright AGN. We apply a conservative false alarm testing routine folding in the uncertainty and covariance of the underlying broad-band noise. We also explore the impact of red-noise leak and the assumption of various different forms (power-law, broken power-law and lorentzians) for the underlying broad-band noise. In this initial study, we report QPO candidates in 6 AGN (7 including one tentative detection in MRK 766) from our sample of 38, which tend to be found at characteristic energies and, in four cases, at the same frequency across at least two observations, indicating they are highly unlikely to be spurious in nature.

Mathematical modeling of the impact of a pulse seismic source on geological media

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Efimov ◽  
V. M. Sadovskii ◽  
O. V. Sadovskaya
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Modeling ◽  
Seismic Source ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Near-Source Simulation of Strong Ground Motion in Amatrice Downtown Including Site Effects

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 186
Author(s):  
Alessandro Todrani ◽  
Giovanna Cultrera
Keyword(s):  
Ground Motion ◽  
Site Effects ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Seismic Source ◽  
Spectral Ratio ◽  
Intensity Measures ◽  
Standard Spectral Ratio ◽  
Heavy Damage ◽  
Strong Ground

On 24 August 2016, a Mw 6.0 earthquake started a damaging seismic sequence in central Italy. The historical center of Amatrice village reached the XI degree (MCS scale) but the high vulnerability alone could not explain the heavy damage. Unfortunately, at the time of the earthquake only AMT station, 200 m away from the downtown, recorded the mainshock, whereas tens of temporary stations were installed afterwards. We propose a method to simulate the ground motion affecting Amatrice, using the FFT amplitude recorded at AMT, which has been modified by the standard spectral ratio (SSR) computed at 14 seismic stations in downtown. We tested the procedure by comparing simulations and recordings of two later mainshocks (Mw 5.9 and Mw 6.5), underlining advantages and limits of the technique. The strong motion variability of simulations was related to the proximity of the seismic source, accounted for by the ground motion at AMT, and to the peculiar site effects, described by the transfer function at the sites. The largest amplification characterized the stations close to the NE hill edge and produced simulated values of intensity measures clearly above one standard deviation of the GMM expected for Italy, up to 1.6 g for PGA.

Estimating the accuracy of source “parameters”

1967 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen W. Freedman
Keyword(s):  
Standard Error ◽  
Source Parameters ◽  
Seismic Source ◽  
Origin Time ◽  
Intermediate Depth ◽  
Seismic Source Parameters ◽  
Space And Time

abstract This paper suggests a method for estimating the errors accompanying estimates of seismic source parameters. While the method is a general one, the data here are from 1962 and 1963 and special attention is given to a few regions, such as the Kuriles. The overall standard error of about one-half a degree in each coordinate and four seconds in origin time are broken down and analyzed in terms of magnitude, depth, and location in space and time. The most accurately located earthquakes appear to be those of intermediate depth and magnitude in highly seismic areas. There is some indication that these errors are decreasing with time.

Role of forest fires in Holocene stand-scale dynamics in the unmanaged taiga forest of northwestern Russia

The Holocene ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 1503-1514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niina Kuosmanen ◽  
Keyan Fang ◽  
Richard HW Bradshaw ◽  
Jennifer L Clear ◽  
Heikki Seppä
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fires ◽  
Siberian Larch ◽  
Wavelet Coherence ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Taiga Forest ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Wavelet Coherence Analysis ◽  
Northwestern Russia

Fossil pollen, conifer stomata, and charcoal records for the last 10,000 years were studied from three small hollow sites (Larix Hollow, Mosquito Hollow, and Olga Hollow) located at the modern western range limit of Siberian larch ( Larix sibirica) in northwestern Russia to investigate the role of forest fires in stand-scale dynamics of taiga vegetation. Wavelet coherence analysis was utilized to reveal the significance of fire on the vegetation composition at different timescales by assessing the phase and strength of the relationship between forest fires and most common boreal tree taxa in a time–frequency window. Pollen and stomata data show that all of the modern-day common tree taxa, including Norway spruce ( Picea abies) and Siberian larch, have been present in the study region since the early Holocene. The absence of charcoal layers at Mosquito Hollow suggests that this site has acted as a fire-free refugium with continuous dominance of spruce throughout the Holocene. Meanwhile, the Larix Hollow record indicates frequent local fire events and as a consequence, a more variable tree species composition. The wavelet coherence results show that the impact of forest fires on vegetation varies from short-term (<200-year periods) changes in individual tree taxa to long-term (400–800 years) changes in forest composition, such as the expansion of spruce population after local high-intensity fires around 7500–7000 cal. yr BP and the increase in abundance of birch and alder during periods of high fire frequency. Our results suggest that Holocene fire histories can be markedly different within a small geographical area, demonstrating the importance of site-specific factors in the local fire regime in the unmanaged taiga forest.

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