SeismicaPub Date : 2024-04-04DOI: 10.26443/seismica.v3i1.1157
Boris Rösler, Seth Stein, A. Ringler, Jiří Vackář
{"title":"Apparent Non-Double-Couple Components as Artifacts of Moment Tensor Inversion","authors":"Boris Rösler, Seth Stein, A. Ringler, Jiří Vackář","doi":"10.26443/seismica.v3i1.1157","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/seismica.v3i1.1157","url":null,"abstract":"Compilations of earthquake moment tensors from global and regional catalogs find pervasive non-double-couple (NDC) componentswith a mean deviation from a double-couple (DC) source of around 20%. Their distributions vary only slightly with magnitude, faulting mechanism, or geologic environments. This consistency suggests thatfor most earthquakes, especially smaller ones whose rupture processes are expected to be simpler, the NDC components are largely artifacts of the moment tensor inversion procedure. This possibility is also supported by the fact that NDC components for individual earthquakes with Mw<6.5 are only weakly correlated betweencatalogs. We explore this possibility by generating synthetic seismograms for the double-couple components of earthquakes around theworld using one Earth model and inverting them with a different Earth model. To match the waveforms with a different Earth model, the inversion changes the mechanisms to include a substantial NDC component while largely preserving the fault geometry (DC component). The resulting NDC components have a size and distribution similar to those reported for the earthquakes in the Global Centroid Moment Tensor (GCMT) catalog. The fact that numerical experiments replicate general features of the pervasive NDC components reported in moment tensor catalogs implies that these components are largely artifacts of the inversions not adequately accounting for the effects of laterally varying Earth structure.","PeriodicalId":509514,"journal":{"name":"Seismica","volume":"43 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140743613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeismicaPub Date : 2024-01-25DOI: 10.26443/seismica.v3i1.1007
Yann Capdeville, A. Sladen
{"title":"DAS sensitivity to heterogeneity scales much smaller than the minimum wavelength","authors":"Yann Capdeville, A. Sladen","doi":"10.26443/seismica.v3i1.1007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/seismica.v3i1.1007","url":null,"abstract":"Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) is a photonic technology allowing toconvert fiber-optics into long (tens of kilometers) and dense (every few meters) arrays of seismo-acoustic sensors which are basically measuring the strain of the cable all along the cable. The potential of such a distributed measurement is very important and has triggered strong attention in the seismology community for a wide range of applications. In this work, we focus on the interaction of such measurements with heterogeneities of scale much smaller than the wavefield minimum wavelength. With a simple 2-D numerical modeling, we first show that the effect of such small-scale heterogeneities, when located in the vicinity of the instruments, is very different depending on whether we measure particle velocity or strain rate: in the case of velocity, this effect is small but becomes very strong in the case of the strain rate. We then provide a physical explanation of these observations based on the homogenization method showing that indeed, the strain sensitivity to nearby heterogeneities is strong, which is not the case for more traditional velocity measurements. This effect appears as a coupling of the strain components to the DAS measurement. Such effects can be seen as a curse or an advantage depending on the applications.","PeriodicalId":509514,"journal":{"name":"Seismica","volume":"32 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139598214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeismicaPub Date : 2024-01-19DOI: 10.26443/seismica.v3i1.367
David Naranjo, Laura Parisi, Sigurjón Jónsson, Philippe Jousset, Dieter Werthmüller, C. Weemstra
{"title":"Ocean Bottom Seismometer Clock Correction using Ambient Seismic Noise","authors":"David Naranjo, Laura Parisi, Sigurjón Jónsson, Philippe Jousset, Dieter Werthmüller, C. Weemstra","doi":"10.26443/seismica.v3i1.367","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/seismica.v3i1.367","url":null,"abstract":"Ocean-bottom seismometers (OBSs) are equipped with seismic sensors that record acoustic and seismic events at the seafloor, which makes them suitable for investigating tectonic structures capable of generating earthquakes offshore. One critical parameter to obtain accurate earthquake locations is the absolute time of the incoming seismic signals recorded by the OBSs. It is, however, not possible to synchronize the internal clocks of the OBSs with a known reference time, given that GNSS signals are unable to reach the instrument at the sea bottom. To address this issue, here we introduce a new method to synchronize the clocks of large-scale OBS deployments. Our approach relies on the theoretical time-symmetry of time-lapse (averaged) crosscorrelations of ambient seismic noise. Deviations from symmetry are attributed to clock errors. This implies that the recovered clock errors will be obscured by lapse crosscorrelations' deviations from symmetry that are not due to clock errors. Non-uniform surface wave illumination patterns are arguably the most notable source which breaks the time symmetry. Using field data, we demonstrate that the adverse effects of non-uniform illumination patterns on the recovered clock errors can be mitigated by means of a weighted least-squares inversion that is based on station-station distances. In addition, our methodology permits the recovery of timing errors at the time of deployment of the OBSs. This error can be attributed to either: i) a wrong initial time synchronization of the OBS or ii) a timing error induced by changing temperature and pressure conditions while the OBS is sunk to the ocean floor. The methodology is implemented in an open-source Python package named OCloC, and we applied it to the OBS recordings acquired in the context of the IMAGE project in and around Reykjanes, Iceland. As expected, most OBSs suffered from clock drift. Surprisingly, we found incurred timing errors at the time of deployment for most of the OBSs.","PeriodicalId":509514,"journal":{"name":"Seismica","volume":"13 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139612483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeismicaPub Date : 2024-01-16DOI: 10.26443/seismica.v3i1.981
R. Bossu, Florian Haslinger, Hélène Hébert
{"title":"History and activities of the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre","authors":"R. Bossu, Florian Haslinger, Hélène Hébert","doi":"10.26443/seismica.v3i1.981","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/seismica.v3i1.981","url":null,"abstract":"The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) provides rapid information on earthquakes and their effects, but does not operate seismic stations. It collects and merges parametric earthquake data from seismological agencies and networks around the world and collects earthquake observations from global earthquake eyewitnesses. Since its creation in 1975, it has developed strategies to complement earthquake monitoring activities of national agencies and coordinated its activities in Europe with its sister organisations ORFEUS and EFEHR as well as with global actors, while being part of the transformative EPOS initiative. The purpose of this article is to give a brief history of the EMSC and describe its activities, services and coordination mechanisms.","PeriodicalId":509514,"journal":{"name":"Seismica","volume":" 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139618616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeismicaPub Date : 2024-01-16DOI: 10.26443/seismica.v3i1.692
Zhiang Chen, Ramón Arrowsmith, Jnaneshwar Das, Christine Wittich, Chris Madugo, A. Kottke
{"title":"Virtual Shake Robot: Simulating Dynamics of Precariously Balanced Rocks for Overturning and Large-displacement Processes","authors":"Zhiang Chen, Ramón Arrowsmith, Jnaneshwar Das, Christine Wittich, Chris Madugo, A. Kottke","doi":"10.26443/seismica.v3i1.692","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/seismica.v3i1.692","url":null,"abstract":" Understanding the dynamics of precariously balanced rocks (PBRs) is important for seismic hazard analysis and rockfall prediction. Utilizing a physics engine and robotic tools, we develop a virtual shake robot (VSR) to simulate the dynamics of PBRs during overturning and large-displacement processes. We present the background of physics engines and technical details of the VSR, including software architecture, mechanical structure, control system, and implementation procedures. Validation experiments show the median fragility contour from VSR simulation is within the 95% prediction intervals from previous physical experiments, when PGV/PGA is greater than 0.08 s. Using a physical mini shake robot, we validate the qualitative consistency of fragility anisotropy between the VSR and physical experiments. By overturning cuboids on flat terrain, the VSR reveals the relationship between fragility and geometric dimensions (e.g., aspect and scaling ratios). The ground motion orientation and lateral pedestal support affect PBR fragility. Large-displacement experiments estimate rock trajectories for different ground motions, which is useful for understanding the fate of toppled PBRs. Ground motions positively correlate with large displacement statistics such as mean trajectory length, mean largest velocity, and mean terminal distance. The overturning and large displacement processes of PBRs provide complementary methods of ground motion estimation.","PeriodicalId":509514,"journal":{"name":"Seismica","volume":" 28","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139619608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeismicaPub Date : 2024-01-15DOI: 10.26443/seismica.v3i1.386
Emily Schottenfels, C. Regalla, Yasuyuki Nakamura
{"title":"Influence of outer-rise faults on shallow décollement heterogeneity and sediment flux at the Japan trench","authors":"Emily Schottenfels, C. Regalla, Yasuyuki Nakamura","doi":"10.26443/seismica.v3i1.386","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/seismica.v3i1.386","url":null,"abstract":"We investigate the impact of outer-rise normal fault subduction on the structural evolution of the décollement and frontal prism in a portion of the Japan trench that hosted the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. We use seismic reflection data to map the relative occurrence of sediment accretion, sediment subduction, and frontal tectonic erosion in the shallow portion of the subduction zone and correlate these deformation styles to the magnitude of outer-rise fault throw and incoming plate sediment thickness. These data reveal spatial heterogeneity in the modes of deformation over distances of 5-10 km that necessitate correlative heterogeneity in the geometry and composition of the shallow décollement over similar length-scales. We find that sediment accretion predominantly occurs in regions where incoming plate sediment thickness is greater than fault throw. In these areas, the décollement appears to be non-planar and compositionally homogenous. Conversely, frontal tectonic erosion and slope failures are predominantly observed in regions where fault throw is greater than sediment thickness. In these areas, the décollement may be planar but compositionally heterogeneous. Additionally, spatial variations in near trench slip appear to correlate with the dominant deformation modes, suggesting that both sediment thickness and outer-rise fault throw may be important controls on shallow megathrust behavior.","PeriodicalId":509514,"journal":{"name":"Seismica","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139529872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeismicaPub Date : 2023-11-29DOI: 10.26443/seismica.v2i2.1033
Jordi Diaz
{"title":"Seismic record of a long duration dispersive signal after the 15 January 2022 Hunga-Tonga eruption","authors":"Jordi Diaz","doi":"10.26443/seismica.v2i2.1033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/seismica.v2i2.1033","url":null,"abstract":"Data acquired by broadband seismic stations distributed around the world are used to document the exceptionally long duration signal from the tsunami-associated gravity wave that followed the January 2022 Hunga-Tonga eruption. The first arrivals of this wave, with a frequency of around 2 mHz, are recorded at the time the tsunami arrives to each station, but the highest recorded frequencies, which reach 40 mHz, arrive 5 days later at some sites, following the prediction of a gravity wave originating at the Hunga-Tonga region and traveling in deep water. This dispersive signal is detected in most of the stations located in the Pacific Ocean basin and its coasts, but also in the Indian Ocean, Antarctica, and some stations in North America located hundreds of kilometers from the coastline. The signal is compared with the data gathered after earthquakes that have produced large tsunamis, showing that the seismic records from the Hunga-Tonga eruption are very different. Following the hypothesis pointed out by Omira et al 2023, we propose that the origin of this exceptional characteristic is due to the interaction between the tsunami and atmospheric waves that travel a little faster.","PeriodicalId":509514,"journal":{"name":"Seismica","volume":"253 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139209478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeismicaPub Date : 2023-11-16DOI: 10.26443/seismica.v2i2.498
M. Roth, A. Verdecchia, Rebecca M. Harrington, Yajing Liu
{"title":"Inferring rock strength and fault activation from high-resolution in situ Vp/Vs estimates surrounding induced earthquake clusters","authors":"M. Roth, A. Verdecchia, Rebecca M. Harrington, Yajing Liu","doi":"10.26443/seismica.v2i2.498","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/seismica.v2i2.498","url":null,"abstract":"Fluid injection/extraction activity related to hydraulic fracturing can induce earthquakes. Common mechanisms attributed to induced earthquakes include elevated pore pressure, poroelastic stress change, and fault loading through aseismic slip. However, their relative influence is still an open question. Estimating subsurface rock properties, such as pore pressure distribution, crack density, and fracture geometry can help quantify the causal relationship between fluid-rock interaction and fault activation. Inferring rock properties by means of indirect measurement may be a viable strategy to help identify weak structures susceptible to failure in regions where increased seismicity correlates with industrial activity, such as the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Here we present in situ estimates of Vp/Vs for 34 induced earthquake clusters in the Kiskatinaw area in northeast British Columbia. We estimate significant changes of up to ±4.5% for nine clusters generally associated with areas of high injection volume. Predominantly small spatiotemporal Vp/Vs variations suggest pore pressure increase plays a secondary role in initiating earthquakes. In contrast, computational rock mechanical models that invoke a decreasing fracture aspect ratio and increasing fluid content in a fluid-saturated porous medium that are consistent with the treatment pressure history better explain the observations.","PeriodicalId":509514,"journal":{"name":"Seismica","volume":"161 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139267082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeismicaPub Date : 2023-11-16DOI: 10.26443/seismica.v2i2.691
R. Yani-Quiyuch, L. Asturias, D. Castro
{"title":"The rupture plane of the February 2022 Mw 6.2 Guatemala, intermediate depth earthquake","authors":"R. Yani-Quiyuch, L. Asturias, D. Castro","doi":"10.26443/seismica.v2i2.691","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26443/seismica.v2i2.691","url":null,"abstract":"An intermediate depth intraplate earthquake with Mw 6.2 was generated in the Guatemalan subduction zone on 16 February 2022 with epicenter to Southwest of the department of Escuintla. More than 275 aftershocks were registered, which were relocated with the HypoDD algorithm, being able to identify a fault with an area of ~350 km2, which is considerably higher than expected for an earthquake of that magnitude. The moment tensor at the centroid of the main earthquake and the estimation of other focal mechanisms of the largest aftershocks, allowed us to identify extension earthquakes, related to the fault plane, and compression earthquakes that were associated with seismicity on the upper part of the slab. The region of the sequence has presented high seismic activity in recent years. It is proposed that the mainshock nucleated in the lower seismicity layer (LSL) of the double seismicity zone proposed for the region, triggering seismic activity on a pre-existing active fault, also triggering seismic activity in the upper seismicity layer (USL). The separation between these seismicity layers was estimated to be 12.2±5.0 km.","PeriodicalId":509514,"journal":{"name":"Seismica","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139266683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}