Source parameters and scaling relations for small earthquakes in the Kachchh region of Gujarat, India

Abstract

The scaling relationships for stress drop and corner frequency with respect to magnitude have been worked out using 159 accelerograms from 34 small earthquakes (M w 3.3–4.9) in the Kachchh region of Gujarat. The 318 spectra of P and S waves have been analyzed for this purpose. The average ratio of P- to S-wave corner frequency is found to be 1.19 suggestive of higher corner frequency for P wave as compared to that for S wave. The seismic moments estimated from P waves, M 0(P), range from 1.98 × 1014 N m to 1.60 × 1016 N m and those from S waves, M 0(S), range from 1.02 × 1014 N m to 3.4 × 1016 N m with an average ratio, M 0(P)/M 0(S), of 1.11. The total seismic energy varies from 1.83 × 1010 J to 2.84 × 1013 J. The estimated stress drop values do not depend on earthquake size significantly and lie in the range 30–120 bars for most of the events. A linear regression analysis between the estimated seismic moment (M 0) and corner frequency (f c) gives the scaling relation M 0 f c 3 = 7.6 × 1016 N m/s3. The proposed scaling laws are found to be consistent with similar scaling relations obtained in other seismically active regions of the world. Such an investigation should prove useful in seismic hazard and risk-related studies of the region. The relations developed in this study may be useful for the seismic hazard studies in the region.