A preliminary report on seismicity declustering methods and completeness magnitude in eastern Sunda Arc

Abstract

Data declustering separates mainshocks from both foreshocks and aftershocks while a reliable estimate of completeness magnitude is a key point in seismic parameter determination. These play a role in seismicity-related work. In this preliminary study, we reported seismicity in two Indonesian provinces, namely NTB and NTT, as part of eastern Sunda Arc using the USGS catalogue during 1970-2021 based on performance of three declustering methods (Gardner and Knopoff, Reasenberg, Uhrhammer). These methods were tested along with three techniques of M c determination (MAXC, EMR, BC) provided by ZMAP to estimate minimum magnitude cut-offs, leading to an accurate completeness magnitude. After careful examination, the Reasenberg and BC techniques were proved to be suitable for characterising seismicity in the regions of interest, where M c was calculated under a linear assumption of the cumulative frequency-magnitude distribution (FMD), widely known as the Gutenberg-Richter law. The results revealed that b and a parameters are influenced by the choice of a specific declustering algorithm and calculation of M c. NTT was found to have a higher level of seismicity than NTB and seismicity rates in the southern part of both provinces were higher than those in the northern part. However, the number of strong ground motion with M w ≥ 6.5 in the northern area was larger than that in the southern, indicating the potency of Flores Back-arc Thrust for generating large earthquakes hence possible tsunamis.