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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 M-w 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.
Despite its high-seismogenic potential, the details of the seismogenic processes of Zagros Simply Folded Belt (SFB) remains debated. Three large earthquakes (M-w 7.3, 5.9 and 6.3) struck in the Lurestan arc of the Zagros SFB in 2017 and 2018. The sequence was recorded by seismic stations at regional, and teleseismic distances. Coseismic surface displacements, measured by Sentinel-1A/B satellites, provide additional data and a unique opportunity to study these earthquakes in detail. Here, we complement previous studies of the coseismic slip distribution of the 12 November 2017 M-w 7.3 Ezgeleh earthquake by a detailed analysis of its aftershocks, and we analysed the rupture process of the two interrelated earthquakes (25 August 2018 M-w 5.9 Tazehabad and the 25 November 2018 M-w 6.3 Sarpol-e Zahab earthquakes). We model the surface displacements obtained from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) measurements and seismic records. We conduct non-linear probabilistic optimizations based on joint InSAR and seismic data to obtain finite-fault rupture of these earthquakes. The Lurestan arc earthquakes were followed by a sustained aftershock activity, with 133 aftershocks exceeding M-n 4.0 until 30 December 2019. We rely on the permanent seismic networks of Iran and Iraq to relocate similar to 700 M-n 3 + events and estimate moment tensor solutions for 85 aftershocks down to M-w 4.0. The 2017 Ezgeleh earthquake has been considered to activate a low-angle (similar to 17 degrees) dextral-thrust fault at the depth of 10-20 km. However, most of its aftershocks have shallow centroid depths (8-12 km). The joint interpretation of finite source models, moment tensor and hypocentral location indicate that the 2018 Tazehabad and Sarpol-e Zahab earthquakes ruptured different strike-slip structures, providing evidence for the activation of the sinistral and dextral strike-slip faults, respectively. The deformation in the Lurestan arc is seismically accommodated by a complex fault system involving both thrust and strike-slip faults. Knowledge about the deformation characteristics is important for the understanding of crustal shortening, faulting and hazard and risk assessment in this region.
Global earthquake locations are often associated with very large systematic travel-time residuals even for clear arrivals, especially for regional and near-regional stations in subduction zones because of their strongly heterogeneous velocity structure. Travel-time corrections can drastically reduce travel-time residuals at regional stations and, in consequence, improve the relative location accuracy. We have extended the shrinking-box source-specific station terms technique to regional and teleseismic distances and adopted the algorithm for probabilistic, nonlinear, global-search location. We evaluated the potential of the method to compute precise relative hypocentre locations on a global scale. The method has been applied to two specific test regions using existing P- and pP-phase picks. The first data set consists of 3103 events along the Chilean margin and the second one comprises 1680 earthquakes in the Tonga-Fiji subduction zone. Pick data were obtained from the GEOFON earthquake bulletin, produced using data from all available, global station networks. A set of timing corrections varying as a function of source position was calculated for each seismic station. In this way, we could correct the systematic errors introduced into the locations by the inaccuracies in the assumed velocity structure without explicitly solving for a velocity model. Residual statistics show that the median absolute deviation of the travel-time residuals is reduced by 40-60 per cent at regional distances, where the velocity anomalies are strong. Moreover, the spread of the travel-time residuals decreased by similar to 20 per cent at teleseismic distances (>28 degrees). Furthermore, strong variations in initial residuals as a function of recording distance are smoothed out in the final residuals. The relocated catalogues exhibit less scattered locations in depth and sharper images of the seismicity associated with the subducting slabs. Comparison with a high-resolution local catalogue reveals that our relocation process significantly improves the hypocentre locations compared to standard locations.
Detections of pP and sP phase arrivals (the so-called depth phases) at teleseismic distance provide one of the best ways to estimate earthquake focal depth, as the P-pP and the P-sP delays are strongly dependent on the depth. Based on a new processing workflow and using a single seismic array at teleseismic distance, we can estimate the depth of clusters of small events down to magnitude M-b 3.5. Our method provides a direct view of the relative variations of the seismicity depth from an active area. This study focuses on the application of this new methodology to study the lateral variations of the Guerrero subduction zone (Mexico) using the Eielson seismic array in Alaska (USA). After denoising the signals, 1232 M-b 3.5 + events were detected, with clear P, pP, sP and PcP arrivals. A high-resolution view of the lateral variations of the depth of the seismicity of the Guerero-Oaxaca area is thus obtained. The seismicity is shown to be mainly clustered along the interface, coherently following the geometry of the plate as constrained by the receiver-function analysis along the Meso America Subduction Experiment profile. From this study, the hypothesis of tears on the western part of Guerrero and the eastern part of Oaxaca are strongly confirmed by dramatic lateral changes in the depth of the earthquake clusters. The presence of these two tears might explain the observed lateral variations in seismicity, which is correlated with the boundaries of the slow slip events.
AIC-based diffraction stacking for local earthquake locations at the Sumatran Fault (Indonesia)
(2018)
We present a new workflow for the localization of seismic events which is based on a diffraction stacking approach. In order to address the effects from complex source radiation patterns, we suggest to compute diffraction stacking from a characteristic function (CF) instead of stacking the original waveform data. A new CF, which is called in the following mAIC (modified from Akaike Information Criterion) is proposed. We demonstrate that both P- and S-wave onsets can be detected accurately. To avoid cross-talk between P and S waves due to inaccurate velocity models, we separate the P and S waves from the mAIC function by making use of polarization attributes. Then, the final image function is represented by the largest eigenvalue as a result of the covariance analysis between P-and S-image functions. Results from synthetic experiments show that the proposed diffraction stacking provides reliable results. The workflow of the diffraction stacking method was finally applied to local earthquake data from Sumatra, Indonesia. Recordings from a temporary network of 42 stations deployed for nine months around the Tarutung pull-apart basin were analysed. The seismic event locations resulting from the diffraction stacking method align along a segment of the Sumatran Fault. A more complex distribution of seismicity is imaged within and around the Tarutung basin. Two lineaments striking N-S were found in the centre of the Tarutung basin which support independent results from structural geology.
Six large magnitude earthquakes in Central Asia which occurred at the end of the 19th century were recorded on early magnetographs in Great Britain. Scalar seismic moment estimates of the 1911 Chon-Kemin, the 1902 Atushi and the 1907 Karatag earthquakes in Central Asia were recently determined by historical seismogram modelling. For those events, we find agreement between moment magnitudes estimated from seismograms and from magnetograms. This supports the assumption of linear scaling of magnetogram amplitudes as function of M-0, which we then use to estimate the moment magnitudes for earlier large-magnitude events, that is, the 1885 Belovodskoe, 1887 Verny and 1889 Chilik earthquakes. The magnetometer data imply that the Chilik earthquake had M(W)7.9, slightly smaller than the Chon-Kemin event with M(W)8.0. The Verny earthquake, however, for which we estimate M(W)7.7, is likely larger than listed in catalogues (M7.3). Similarly, we find a larger magnitude M(W)7.6 (instead of the previous M6.9) for the Belovodskoe earthquake, but this remains uncertain due to measurement imprecision.
The Ms ∼ 7.7 Sarez-Pamir earthquake of 1911 February 18 is the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in the Pamir region. It triggered one of the largest landslides of the past century, building a giant natural dam and forming Lake Sarez. As for many strong earthquakes from that time, information about source parameters of the Sarez-Pamir earthquake is limited due to the sparse observations. Here, we present the analysis of analogue seismic records of the Sarez-Pamir earthquake. We have collected, scanned and digitized 26 seismic records from 13 stations worldwide to relocate the epicentre and determine the event's depth (∼26 km) and magnitude (mB7.3 and Ms7.7). The unusually good quality of the digitized waveforms allowed their modelling, revealing an NE-striking sinistral strike-slip focal mechanism in accordance with regional tectonics. The shallow depth and magnitude (Mw7.3) of the earthquake were confirmed. Additionally, we investigated the possible contribution of the landslide to the waveforms and present an alternative source model assuming the landslide and earthquake occurred in close sequence.
Several destructive earthquakes have occurred in Tien-Shan region at the beginning of 20th century. However, the detailed seismological characteristics, especially source parameters of those earthquakes are still poorly investigated. The Chon-Kemin earthquake is the strongest instrumentally recorded earthquake in the Tien-Shan region. This earthquake has produced an approximately 200 km long system of surface ruptures along Kemin-Chilik fault zone and killed about similar to 400 people. Several studies presented the different information on the earthquake epicentre location and magnitude, and two different focal mechanisms were also published. The reason for the limited knowledge of the source parameters for the Chon-Kemin earthquake is the complexity of old analogue records processing, digitization and analysis. In this study the data from 23 seismic stations worldwide were collected and digitized. The earthquake epicentre was relocated to 42.996NA degrees and 77.367EA degrees, the hypocentre depth is estimated between 10 and 20 km. The magnitude was recalculated to m(B) 8.05, M-s 7.94 and M-w 8.02. The focal mechanism, determined from amplitude ratios comparison of the observed and synthetic seismograms, was: str = 264A degrees, dip = 52A degrees, rake = 98A degrees. The apparent source time duration was between similar to 45 and similar to 70 s, the maximum slip occurred 25 s after the beginning of the rupture. Two subevents were clearly detected from the waveforms with the scalar moment ratio between them of about 1/3, the third subevent was also detected with less certainty. Taking into account surface rupture information, the fault geometry model with three patches was proposed. Based on scaling relations we conclude that the total rupture length was between similar to 260 and 300 km and a maximum rupture width could reach similar to 70 km.
Aseismic transient driving the swarm-like seismic sequence in the Pollino range, Southern Italy
(2015)
Tectonic earthquake swarms challenge our understanding of earthquake processes since it is difficult to link observations to the underlying physical mechanisms and to assess the hazard they pose. Transient forcing is thought to initiate and drive the spatio-temporal release of energy during swarms. The nature of the transient forcing may vary across sequences and range from aseismic creeping or transient slip to diffusion of pore pressure pulses to fluid redistribution and migration within the seismogenic crust. Distinguishing between such forcing mechanisms may be critical to reduce epistemic uncertainties in the assessment of hazard due to seismic swarms, because it can provide information on the frequency-magnitude distribution of the earthquakes (often deviating from the assumed Gutenberg-Richter relation) and on the expected source parameters influencing the ground motion (for example the stress drop). Here we study the ongoing Pollino range (Southern Italy) seismic swarm, a long-lasting seismic sequence with more than five thousand events recorded and located since October 2010. The two largest shocks (magnitude M-w = 4.2 and M-w = 5.1) are among the largest earthquakes ever recorded in an area which represents a seismic gap in the Italian historical earthquake catalogue. We investigate the geometrical, mechanical and statistical characteristics of the largest earthquakes and of the entire swarm. We calculate the focal mechanisms of the M-l > 3 events in the sequence and the transfer of Coulomb stress on nearby known faults and analyse the statistics of the earthquake catalogue. We find that only 25 per cent of the earthquakes in the sequence can be explained as aftershocks, and the remaining 75 per cent may be attributed to a transient forcing. The b-values change in time throughout the sequence, with low b-values correlated with the period of highest rate of activity and with the occurrence of the largest shock. In the light of recent studies on the palaeoseismic and historical activity in the Pollino area, we identify two scenarios consistent with the observations and our analysis: This and past seismic swarms may have been 'passive' features, with small fault patches failing on largely locked faults, or may have been accompanied by an 'active', largely aseismic, release of a large portion of the accumulated tectonic strain. Those scenarios have very different implications for the seismic hazard of the area.
On 2012 August 11, a pair of large, damaging earthquakes struck the Varzaghan-Ahar region in northwest Iran, in a region where there was no major mapped fault or any well-documented historical seismicity. To investigate the active tectonics of the source region we applied a combination of seismological methods (local aftershock network, calibrated multiple event relocation and focal mechanism studies), field observations (structural geology and geomorphological) and inversions for the regional stress field. The epicentral region is north of the North Tabriz Fault. The first main shock is characterized by right-lateral strike-slip motion on an almost E-W fault plane of about 23 km length extending from the surface to a depth of about 14 km. The second main shock occurred on an ENE-striking fault that dips at 60-70A degrees to the NW. Independent inversions of focal mechanisms and geologically determined fault kinematic data for the active stress state yield a transpressional tectonic regime with sigma(1) oriented N132E. For the region northeast of the North Tabriz Fault, the presence of rigid lithosphere of the South Caspian Basin implies the kinematic adjustment by northward transferring of the contracted masses through both distributed deformation and structural deflections. Our results suggest that the kinematic adjustment inside a contracting wedge may occur along interacting crosswise or conjugate faults to accommodate low rates of internal deformation. At a global scale, our results indicate that despite the basic assumption of 'rigid blocks' in geodetic plate modelling, internal deformation of block-like regions could control the kinematics of deformation and the level of seismic hazard within and around such regions of low deformation rate.