Abstract
SUMMARYIn earthquake swarms, seismic energy is released gradually by many earthquakes without a dominant event, which offers detailed insight into the processes on activated faults. The swarm of May 2018 that occurred in West Bohemia/Vogtland region included more than 4000 earthquakes with ML = 〈0.5, 3.8〉 and its character showed significant changes during the two weeks duration: what started as a pure earthquake swarm ended as a typical main shock–aftershock sequence. Based on precise double-difference relocations, four fault segments differing in strikes and dips were identified with similar dimensions. First, two segments of typical earthquake swarm character took place, and at the end a fault segment hosting a main shock–aftershock sequence was activated. The differences were observable in the earthquakes spatio-temporal evolutions (systematic versus disordered migration of the hypocentres), b-values (>1.3 for the swarm, <1 for the main shock–aftershocks), or the smoothness of seismic moment spatial distribution along the fault plane. Our findings can be interpreted by local variations of fault rheology, differential stress and/or smoothness of the faults surface, possibly related to the crustal fluids circulating along the fault plane and their interplay with the seismic cycle.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.