Temporal evolution of the focal mechanism consistency of the 2021 Yangbi MS 6.4 earthquake sequence in Yunnan

Abstract

Using the Cut And Paste (CAP) method, we invert the focal mechanism of 38 moderate earthquakes (M_S ≥ 3.0) recorded by Yunnan seismic network and analyze the corresponding focal mechanism consistency based on the minimum spatial rotation angle. Our results indicate that the M_S 6.4 mainshock is induced by a lateral strike slip fault (with a rake angle of ∼ −165°) and a little normal-faulting component event along a nearly vertical plane (dipping angle∼ 79° and strike ∼138°). Combining our results with high resolution catalog, we argue that the seismogenic fault of this earthquake sequence is a secondary fault western to the major Weixi-Qiaohou-Weishan fault. The focal mechanism evolution can be divided into three periods. During the first period, the foreshock sequence, the focal mechanism consistency is the highest (KA<36°); during the second period which is shortly after the mainshock, the focal mechanism shows strong variation with KA ranging from 8° to 110°; during the third period, the seismicity becomes weak and the focal mechanism of the earthquakes becomes more consistent than the second period (18°<KA<73°). We suggest that the KA, to some extent, represents the coherence between local tectonic stress regime and the stress state of each individual earthquake. Furthermore, high focal mechanism consistency and high linearity of seismic distribution may serve as indicators for the identification of foreshock sequence.