Temporal characteristics of some earthquake sequences in Greece

Abstract

Temporal features of the aftershock activities following some moderate shallow earthquakes in Greece have been studied by making use of the modified Omori formula and Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC). Although the main shocks occurred in different seismogenic regions in Greece, the aftershock activities show almost the same anomalous pattern. In most cases, the secondary aftershocks of the aftershock activity of the main event are preceded by seismic quiescence. Also, in some cases, the aftershock activity recovers to a normal level or increases beyond it prior to the occurrence of the large aftershock. The observed temporal pattern may be useful in predicting a large aftershock which might be as large and destructive as the main shock, if the aftershock activity is monitored immediately after the occurrence of the main shock.