Patterns of seismic swarm activity in the Corinth Rift in 2000–2005

Abstract

Based on the data of the detailed earthquake catalog provided on the website of the Corinth Rift Laboratory, zones of swarm activity are revealed and the variations in the statistical parameters of seismic swarms that occurred in the western part of the Gulf of Corinth are calculated. The preliminary analysis of the catalogue is carried out; the magnitude of completeness and the accuracy of the location of the earth-quake are estimated; the changes in these parameters associated with the development of the observational network are assessed. The b-value (b-values) and the cluster dimension of the set of hypocenters are estimated, and time variations in these parameters in the course of the evolution of swarm activity are revealed. The style of changes in the parameters characterizing the seismic regime during intervals of swarm activity indicates that the process of failure exhibits scale redistribution over the course of time, changing from upscaling (progression from smaller to larger scales) at the stage of increasing seismicity to downscaling (progression from larger to lower scales) at the stage of decay. These particular features of enhancement and reduction of swarm seismicity are qualitatively similar to the scenarios of source preparation and aftershock relaxation of strong earthquakes. The pattern of variations of the swarm seismicity studied is similar to those identified in the previous laboratory and field modeling of various transient modes of seismicity. This fact confirms the relevancy of the retrieved results and conclusions based on the laboratory studies of transient modes, and suggests that the latter have a universal governing mechanism.