Crustal Fault Connectivity of the Mw 7.8 2016 Kaikōura Earthquake Constrained by Aftershock Relocations

Abstract

AbstractThe 14 November 2016 Mw7.8 Kaikōura earthquake in the northern South Island, New Zealand, involved highly complex, multifault rupture. We combine data from a temporary network and the permanent national seismograph network to repick and relocate ~2,700 aftershocks of M≥3 that occurred between 14 November 2016 and 13 May 2017. Automatic phase‐picking is carried out using REST, a newly developed hybrid method whose pick quality is assessed by comparing automatic picks for a subset of 138 events with analysts' picks. Aftershock hypocenters computed from high‐quality REST picks and a 3‐D velocity model cluster almost exclusively in the shallow crust of the upper plate and reveal linkages at depth between surface‐rupturing fault segments. Only eight aftershocks are relocated on a deeper structure positioned between patches of geodetically detected afterslip. This indicates that afterslip has not triggered significant earthquake activity on the subduction interface during the period of aftershock activity analyzed.