Fractal dimension and area of seismicity in the Baikal Rift System: Implications for modern geodynamics

Abstract

The fractal geometry and extent of seismicity in the Baikal Rift System (BRS) are estimated from data on 52,700 instrumental events of MLH ≥ 2.5 magnitudes for fifty years (1964–2013). The seismic pattern is characterized by the box-counting Hausdorff dimension D0, multifractal spectra f(α), and surface area S of seismicity at three scales: the rift system as a whole, its three zones, and six subzones. The multifractal spectra record a self-similar hierarchical structure of the BRS seismicity pattern. The space and time variations in the fractal dimension (D0) and area of seismicity (S), which are mapped and plotted as a function of time, show good correlation. The two parameters depend on three related factors: progressive increase in the amount of instrumental data (dataset size), structure of seismogenic fault network, and geodynamic activity. They increase as ever more data appear with time and acquire high local values at increasing extent and density of quakes. Moreover, the obtained D0 estimates reflect statistical self-similarity of earthquake patterns being in the range ≈ 1.45–1.55 over most of BRS, except one zone and one subzone in the rift flanks. They are the highest in the southwest and the lowest in the northeast of the rift system (D0 ≈ 1.60 ± 0.02 and D0 ≈ 1.37 ± 0.02 respectively). This dissimilarity indicates that seismogenic faulting occurs by different mechanisms: distributed failure as a result of superposed global-scale collisional compression and regional rifting in the SW flank and quasi-linear rift propagation in the NE flank. In general, D0 decreases toward the northeastern part of the BRS, where the pattern of earthquakes becomes localized along lineaments instead of being distributed over an area. The space and time variations of D0 and S revealed in the earthquake data are consistent with the location and activity pulses of rifting attractors and provide a realistic explanation of BRS geodynamics and tectonophysics. The global lithospheric compression and the regional pulse-like activity of rifting attractors control the network of seismogenic faults which, in turn, govern the fractal geometry and 2D structure of seismicity in the region. The obtained results confirm the oscillatory dynamics of the regional seismicity at a decadal period correlated with activity pulses of rifting attractors. The oscillations stand out against the background of decreasing global low-frequency secular cycle of the BRS seismicity. The BRS lithospheric geodynamics fits the model of a nonlinear oscillator with dissipation. The suggested analysis of the fractal geometry and extent of seismicity as proxies of the faulting evolution provides insights into modern geodynamics of the Baikal Rift System and its constituents.