Epidemic-type Aftershock Sequence Model Research Articles

Declustering of Iran earthquake catalog (1983–2017) using the epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model

The main goal of this article is to decluster Iranian plateau seismic catalog by the epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model and compare the results with some older methods. For this purpose, Iranian plateau bounded in 24°–42°N and 43°–66°E is subdivided into three major tectonic zones: (1) North of Iran (2) Zagros (3) East of Iran. The extracted earthquake catalog had a total of 6034 earthquakes (Mw > 4) in the time span 1983–2017. The ETAS model is an accepted stochastic approach for seismic evaluation and declustering earthquake catalogs. However, this model has not yet been used to decluster the seismic catalog of Iran. Until now, traditional methods like the Gardner and Knopoff space–time window method and the Reasenberg link-based method have been used in most studies for declustering Iran earthquake catalog. Finally, the results of declustering by the ETAS model are compared with result of Gardner and Knopoff (Bull Seismol Soc Am 64(5):1363–1367, 1974), Uhrhammer (Earthq Notes 57(1):21, 1986), Gruenthal (pers. comm.) and Reasenberg (Geophys Res 90:5479–5495, 1985) declustering methods. The overall conclusion is difficult, but the results confirm the high ability of the ETAS model for declustering Iranian earthquake catalog. Use of the ETAS model is still in its early steps in Iranian seismological researches, and more parametric studies are needed.

Activated seismicity by strain rate change in the Yaeyama region, south Ryukyu

We evaluated the long-term strain rate by using continuous global navigation satellite system data of GEONET and compared it with seismicity activation between 1996 and 2017 near Iriomote Island, south Ryukyu arc. We analyzed the seismicity by using the epidemic-type aftershock sequence model to detect the timing when the seismicity had changed. The results revealed that the long-term shear strain rate had increased on around 2002 and around 2013, and this was accompanied by an increase in seismicity in both 2002 and 2013. The change in the shear strain rate in 2002 could be explained by the crustal movement induced by the 2002 afterslip in the area west of Iriomote Island. The change in the shear strain rate in 2013 could be explained by the post-seismic crustal movement induced by the dike intrusion that occurred during the earthquake swarm in the Okinawa Trough in April 2013. These findings suggest that the long-term seismicity near Iriomote Island is strongly affected by changes in the crustal strain rate, which have occurred in the past in response to dike intrusions in the Okinawa Trough and slow earthquakes in the Ryukyu Trench.

Recurring Slow Slip Events and Earthquake Nucleation in the Source Region of the M 7 Ibaraki‐Oki Earthquakes Revealed by Earthquake Swarm and Foreshock Activity

AbstractSlow slip events (SSEs) on the plate interface are closely related to the occurrence of earthquakes and often trigger earthquake swarms in subduction zones. Moreover, some SSEs, accompanied by intensive foreshocks, precede large interplate earthquakes. Therefore, detecting and monitoring SSEs is important for assessing the potential of future large earthquakes. However, there are many SSEs not followed by large earthquakes, and it is unclear whether these can be distinguished from SSEs preceding large earthquakes. Here we use the epidemic‐type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model and matched‐filter technique to examine the spatial‐temporal distribution of earthquake swarms and foreshocks at Ibaraki‐Oki in the Japan Trench. We found that 19 swarm sequences repeatedly occurred during the period 1982–2008 at the same location as the foreshock sequences of the 1982 and 2008 M 7 Ibaraki‐Oki earthquakes. Both the foreshock and swarm sequences contain repeating earthquakes and have anomalously high seismicity rates inexplicable by the ETAS model, suggesting the recurrence of SSEs. The foreshock sequences in 1982 and 2008 contain more events inexplicable by the ETAS model than the swarm sequences. The fault slip of repeating earthquakes in the 2008 foreshock sequence was also larger than those of the swarm sequences, and the slip rate showed an abrupt increase 12 hr before the 2008 M 7 event. Our results imply that the SSEs that preceded the M 7 events had larger seismic moments than the other SSEs. These large SSEs might be related to the nucleation phase of the M 7 earthquakes.

A coupled ETAS-I2GMM point process with applications to seismic fault detection

Epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) point process is a common model for the occurrence of earthquake events. The ETAS model consists of a stationary background Poisson process modeling spontaneous earthquakes and a triggering kernel representing the space–time-magnitude distribution of aftershocks. Popular nonparametric methods for estimation of the background intensity include histograms and kernel density estimators. While these methods are able to capture local spatial heterogeneity in the intensity of spontaneous events, they do not capture well patterns resulting from fault line structure over larger spatial scales. Here we propose a two-layer infinite Gaussian mixture model for clustering of earthquake events into fault-like groups over intermediate spatial scales. We introduce a Monte Carlo expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm for joint inference of the ETAS-I2GMM model and then apply the model to the Southern California Earthquake Catalog. We illustrate the advantages of the ETAS-I2GMM model in terms of both goodness of fit of the intensity and recovery of fault line clusters in the Community Fault Model 3.0 from earthquake occurrence data.

Analysis of the 2012 Ahar-Varzeghan (Iran) seismic sequence: Insights from statistical and stress transfer modeling

Abstract The 2012 Ahar-Varzeghan (Northwestern Iran) earthquake doublet and its following seismic sequence are analyzed in this paper. First, it is examined the time-varying statistical characteristics of seismic activity since the occurrence of the doublet (two large events with Mw = 6.4 and 6.2) that initiated the sequence on 11 August 2012. A power law magnitude-frequency distribution (1.9 ≤ M ≤ 6.4) is obtained, with relatively low b-values for the complete series indicating the existence of relatively large magnitudes and high-stress level in the area. The Omori-Utsu model of the aftershock population decay with time shows a moderate decrease in activity rate. An epidemic-type aftershock sequence model that separates background seismicity from triggered aftershocks is then used to describe the temporal evolution of the seismicity during the period following the occurrence of the doublet. Results for the entire series (above cutoff magnitude Mc = 1.9) indicate a relatively low productivity related to the earthquake-earthquake triggering. Indeed, the majority of these events seems to be generated by underlying transient or aseismic processes, which might be added to the tectonic loading stress. The proportion of aftershock events significantly increases when the analysis is limited to larger events (M ≥ 3.0) suggesting that the triggered large aftershocks entail a substantial portion of the energy released. In order to analyze the spatial distribution of the sequence, new source models are proposed for the two main shocks. For the first shock, the coseismic slip distribution is constrained by the available data on surface ruptures. A Coulomb failure stress transfer model produced by the first event along optimally-oriented planes allows identifying the areas with positive stress loads where the rupture of the subsequent aftershocks may have occurred. The positive ∆ CFS areas are compared for two depth intervals: 3–10 km and 15–22 km overlapping over 350 relocated hypocenters, giving arguments supporting the interpretation of ∆ CFS as a main mechanism for aftershock triggering in deeper zones of the upper crust.

Are triggering rates of labquakes universal? Inferring triggering rates from incomplete information

The acoustic emission activity associated with recent rock fracture experiments under different conditions has indicated that some features of event-event triggering are independent of the details of the experiment and the materials used and are often even indistinguishable from tectonic earthquakes. While the event-event triggering rates or aftershock rates behave pretty much identical for all rock fracture experiments at short times, this is not the case for later times. Here, we discuss how these differences can be a consequence of the aftershock identification method used and show that the true aftershock rates might have two distinct regimes. Specifically, tests on a modified Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequence model show that the model rates cannot be correctly inferred at late times based on temporal information only if the activity rates or the branching ratio are high. We also discuss both the effect of the two distinct regimes in the aftershock rates and the effect of the background rate on the inter-event time distribution. Our findings should be applicable for inferring event-event triggering rates for many other types of triggering and branching processes as well.

Possible correlation between annual gravity change and shallow background seismicity rate at subduction zone by surface load

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has monitored global gravity changes since 2002. Gravity changes are considered to represent hydrological water mass movements around the surface of the globe, although fault slip of a large earthquake also causes perturbation of gravity. Since surface water movements are expected to affect earthquake occurrences via elastic surface load or pore-fluid pressure increase, correlation between gravity changes and occurrences of small (not large) earthquakes may reflect the effects of surface water movements. In the present study, we focus on earthquakes smaller than magnitude 7.5 and examine the relation between annual gravity changes and earthquake occurrences at worldwide subduction zones. First, we extract amplitudes of annual gravity changes from GRACE data for land. Next, we estimate background seismicity rates in the epidemic-type aftershock sequence model from shallow seismicity data having magnitudes of over 4.5. Then, we perform correlation analysis of the amplitudes of the annual gravity changes and the shallow background seismicity rates, excluding source areas of large earthquakes, and find moderate positive correlation. It implies that annual water movements can activate shallow earthquakes, although the surface load elastostatic stress changes are on the order of or below 1 kPa, as small as a regional case in a previous study. We speculate that periodic stress perturbation is amplified through nonlinear responses of frictional faults.

Measuring seismicity diversity and anomalies using point process models: case studies before and after the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes in Kyushu, Japan

This paper reviews seismic activity in and around the Kumamoto region before and after the April 16, 2016, Kumamoto earthquake of M7.3 using statistical models such as stationary, two-stage, and non-stationary epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) models to examine seismicity anomalies. Our findings are summarized as follows. First, most of the earthquake clusters before April 2016 are explained by the stationary ETAS model, except for a few clusters of swarm activity, one of which was remotely induced by the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake (M9). The non-stationary ETAS model describes changes in the rate of background seismicity of swarm activity. Second, we revealed seismic quiescence relative to the stationary ETAS model in the foreshock sequence from the M6.5 earthquake on April 14, 2016, and further in the aftershock activity of the 2000 M5.0 earthquake that occurred in the shallower extension of the M6.5 foreshock zone. Thirdly, the main-fault and two off-fault aftershock clusters of the M7.3 mainshock show different features, caused by static triggering effects of the mainshock and/or effects induced by fault weakening. Finally, the b-value increased stepwise over time during the entire period of foreshocks and aftershocks, the reason of which is explained.

Rushan earthquake swarm in eastern China and its indications of fluid-triggered rupture

An extraordinary earthquake swarm occurred at Rushan on the Jiaodong Peninsula from October 1, 2013, onwards, and more than 12,000 aftershocks had been detected by December 31, 2015. All the activities of the whole swarm were recorded at the nearest station, RSH, which is located about 12 km from the epicenter. We examine the statistical characteristics of the Rushan swarm in this paper using RSH station data to assess the arrival time difference, t_{{{text{S}} ,-, {text{P}}}}, of Pg and Sg phases. A temporary network comprising 18 seismometers was set up on May 6, 2014, within the area of the epicenter; based on the data from this network and use of the double difference method, we determine precise hypocenter locations. As the distribution of relocated sources reveals migration of seismic activity, we applied the mean-shift cluster method to perform clustering analysis on relocated catalogs. The results of this study show that there were at least 16 clusters of seismic activities between May 6, 2014, and June 30, 2014, and that each was characterized by a hypocenter spreading process. We estimated the hydraulic diffusivity, D, of each cluster using envelope curve fitting; the results show that D values range between 1.2 and 3.5 m2/d and that approximate values for clusters on the edge of the source area are lower than those within the central area. We utilize an epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model to separate external triggered events from self-excited aftershocks within the Rushan swarm. The estimated parameters for this model suggest that α = 1.156, equivalent to sequences induced by fluid-injection, and that the forcing rate (μ) implies just 0.15 events per day. These estimates indicate that around 3% of the events within the swarm were externally triggered. The fact that variation in μ is synchronous with swarm activity implies that pulses in fluid pressure likely drove this series of earthquakes.

Statistical Features of the 2010 Beni-Ilmane, Algeria, Aftershock Sequence

The aftershock sequence of the 2010 Beni-Ilmane (M W 5.5) earthquake is studied in depth to analyze the spatial and temporal variability of seismicity parameters of the relationships modeling the sequence. The b value of the frequency–magnitude distribution is examined rigorously. A threshold magnitude of completeness equal to 2.1, using the maximum curvature procedure or the changing point algorithm, and a b value equal to 0.96 ± 0.03 have been obtained for the entire sequence. Two clusters have been identified and characterized by their faulting type, exhibiting b values equal to 0.99 ± 0.05 and 1.04 ± 0.05. Additionally, the temporal decay of the aftershock sequence was examined using a stochastic point process. The analysis was done through the restricted epidemic-type aftershock sequence (RETAS) stochastic model, which allows the possibility to recognize the prevailing clustering pattern of the relaxation process in the examined area. The analysis selected the epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model to offer the most appropriate description of the temporal distribution, which presumes that all events in the sequence can cause secondary aftershocks. Finally, the fractal dimensions are estimated using the integral correlation. The obtained D 2 values are 2.15 ± 0.01, 2.23 ± 0.01 and 2.17 ± 0.02 for the entire sequence, and for the first and second cluster, respectively. An analysis of the temporal evolution of the fractal dimensions D −2, D 0, D 2 and the spectral slope has been also performed to derive and characterize the different clusters included in the sequence.

Robust seismicity forecasting based on Bayesian parameter estimation for epidemiological spatio-temporal aftershock clustering models

In the immediate aftermath of a strong earthquake and in the presence of an ongoing aftershock sequence, scientific advisories in terms of seismicity forecasts play quite a crucial role in emergency decision-making and risk mitigation. Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS) models are frequently used for forecasting the spatio-temporal evolution of seismicity in the short-term. We propose robust forecasting of seismicity based on ETAS model, by exploiting the link between Bayesian inference and Markov Chain Monte Carlo Simulation. The methodology considers the uncertainty not only in the model parameters, conditioned on the available catalogue of events occurred before the forecasting interval, but also the uncertainty in the sequence of events that are going to happen during the forecasting interval. We demonstrate the methodology by retrospective early forecasting of seismicity associated with the 2016 Amatrice seismic sequence activities in central Italy. We provide robust spatio-temporal short-term seismicity forecasts with various time intervals in the first few days elapsed after each of the three main events within the sequence, which can predict the seismicity within plus/minus two standard deviations from the mean estimate within the few hours elapsed after the main event.

Fault reactivation and earthquakes with magnitudes of up to Mw4.7 induced by shale-gas hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China

This paper presents a timely and detailed study of significant injection-induced seismicity recently observed in the Sichuan Basin, China, where shale-gas hydraulic fracturing has been initiated and the aggressive production of shale gas is planned for the coming years. Multiple lines of evidence, including an epidemic-type aftershock sequence model, relocated hypocenters, the mechanisms of 13 large events (MW > 3.5), and numerically calculated Coulomb failure stress results, convincingly suggest that a series of earthquakes with moment magnitudes up to MW 4.7 has been induced by “short-term” (several months at a single well pad) injections for hydraulic fracturing at depths of 2.3 to 3 km. This, in turn, supports the hypothesis that they represent examples of injection-induced fault reactivation. The geologic reasons why earthquake magnitudes associated with hydraulic fracturing operations are so high in this area are discussed. Because hydraulic fracturing operations are on the rise in the Sichuan Basin, it would be beneficial for the geoscience, gas operator, regulator, and academic communities to work collectively to elucidate the local factors governing the high level of injection-induced seismicity, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that shale gas fracking can be carried out effectively and safely.

Forecasting the (Un)Productivity of the 2014 M 6.0 South Napa Aftershock Sequence

ABSTRACT The 24 August 2014 M w 6.0 South Napa mainshock produced fewer aftershocks than expected for a California earthquake of its magnitude. In the first 4.5 days, only 59 M ≥1.8 aftershocks occurred, the largest of which was an M 3.9 that happened a little over two days after the mainshock. We investigate the aftershock productivity of the South Napa sequence and compare it with other M ≥5.5 California strike‐slip mainshock–aftershock sequences. While the productivity of the South Napa sequence is among the lowest, northern California mainshocks generally have fewer aftershocks than mainshocks further south, although the productivities vary widely in both regions. An epidemic‐type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model (Ogata, 1988) fit to Napa seismicity from 1980 to 23 August 2014 fits the sequence well and suggests that low‐productivity sequences are typical of this area. Utilizing regional variations in productivity could improve operational earthquake forecasting (OEF) by improving the model used immediately after the mainshock. We show this by comparing the daily rate of M ≥2 aftershocks to forecasts made with the generic California model (Reasenberg and Jones, 1989; hereafter, RJ89), RJ89 models with productivity updated daily, a generic California ETAS model, an ETAS model based on premainshock seismicity, and ETAS models updated daily following the mainshock. RJ89 models for which only the productivity is updated provide better forecasts than the generic RJ89 California model, and the Napa‐specific ETAS models forecast the aftershock rates more accurately than either generic model. Therefore, forecasts that use localized initial parameters and that rapidly update the productivity may be better for OEF than using a generic model and/or updating all parameters.

Heterogeneity of direct aftershock productivity of the main shock rupture

AbstractThe epidemic type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model is widely used to describe and analyze the clustering behavior of seismicity. Instead of regarding large earthquakes as point sources, the finite‐source ETAS model treats them as ruptures that extend in space. Each earthquake rupture consists of many patches, and each patch triggers its own aftershocks isotropically. We design an iterative algorithm to invert the unobserved fault geometry based on the stochastic reconstruction method. This model is applied to analyze the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) catalog during 1964–2014. We take six great earthquakes with magnitudes >7.5 after 1980 as finite sources and reconstruct the aftershock productivity patterns on each rupture surface. Comparing results from the point‐source ETAS model, we find the following: (1) the finite‐source model improves the data fitting; (2) direct aftershock productivity is heterogeneous on the rupture plane; (3) the triggering abilities of M5.4+ events are enhanced; (4) the background rate is higher in the off‐fault region and lower in the on‐fault region for the Tohoku earthquake, while high probabilities of direct aftershocks distribute all over the source region in the modified model; (5) the triggering abilities of five main shocks become 2–6 times higher after taking the rupture geometries into consideration; and (6) the trends of the cumulative background rate are similar in both models, indicating the same levels of detection ability for seismicity anomalies. Moreover, correlations between aftershock productivity and slip distributions imply that aftershocks within rupture faults are adjustments to coseismic stress changes due to slip heterogeneity.

Temporal variation of intermediate‐depth earthquakes around the time of the M9.0 Tohoku‐oki earthquake

AbstractThe temporal evolution of intermediate‐depth seismicity before and after the 2011 M9.0 Tohoku‐oki earthquake reveals interactions between plate interface slip and deformation in the subducting slab. We investigate seismicity rate changes in the upper and lower planes of the double seismic zone beneath northeast Japan using both a β statistic approach and a temporal epidemic type aftershock sequence model. We do not observe an anomalous precursory increase in intermediate‐depth earthquake activity preceding the mainshock; however, following the mainshock, we observe a rate increase for the intermediate‐depth earthquakes in the upper plane. The average ratio of upper plane to lower plane activity and the mean deep aseismic slip rate both increased by factor of 2. An increase of downdip compression in the slab resulting from coseismic and postseismic deformation enhanced seismicity in the upper plane, which is dominated by events accommodating downdip shortening from plate unbending.

Statistical Features of Foreshocks in Instrumental and ETAS Catalogs

We study the spatial distribution of earthquakes in temporal intervals before and after the occurrence of large shocks (mainshocks) in the magnitude range $$m \in [2,5]$$ for four different regional catalogs. We find that the spatial organization of pre-shock seismicity depends on the mainshock magnitude and is independent of the lower magnitude threshold. These properties are found to be a stable feature of regional catalogs and cannot be reproduced by Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequence models. Our findings suggest that the area fractured during the mainshock is encoded in the foreshock spatial organization and, therefore, enhance the prognostic value of foreshocks.

Spatial Variations of Aftershock Parameters and their Relation to Geodetic Slip Models for the 2010 Mw8.8 Maule and the 2011 Mw9.0 Tohoku-oki Earthquakes

Recent development in analysis tools and deployments of the geodetic and seismic instruments give an opportunity to investigate aftershock sequences at local scales, which is important for the seismic hazard assessment. In particular, we study the dependencies between aftershock sequences properties and deformational/geological data on a scale of the rupture extension of megathrust earthquakes. For this goal we use, on one hand, published models of inter-, co- and postseismic slip and geological information and, on the other hand, aftershock parameters, obtained by fitting a modified Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS) model. The altered ETAS model takes into account the mainshock rupture extension and it distinguishes between primary and the secondary aftershock triggering involved in the total seismicity rate. We estimate the Spearman correlation coefficients between the spatially distributed aftershock parameters estimated by the modified ETAS model and crustal physical properties for the Maule 2010 Mw8.8 and the Tohoku-oki 2011 Mw9.0 aftershock sequences. We find that: (1) modified ETAS model outperforms the classical one, when the mainshock rupture extension cannot be neglected and represented as a point source; (2) anomalous aftershock parameters occur in the areas of the reactivated fault systems; (3) aftershocks, regardless of their generation, tend to occur in the areas of high coseismic slip gradient, afterslip and interseismic coupling; (4) aftershock seismic moment releases preferentially in regions of large coseismic slip, coseismic slip gradient and interseismically locked areas; (5) b value tends to be smaller in interseismically locked regions.

Etas_solve: A Robust Program to Estimate the ETAS Model Parameters

The temporal epidemic‐type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model is widely used to describe seismicity. However, only a few programs for estimation of the temporal ETAS model parameters are publicly available, and it is difficult to routinely apply some of them to observed data, due to initial value dependence. A robust temporal ETAS estimation program is required to routinely process earthquake catalogs or to perform Monte Carlo simulations. In this study, we developed a new Fortran program, etas\_solve, which is based on the steepest descent method and calculates exact gradient and Hessian using the automatic differentiation technique. We performed numerical tests for a real earthquake catalog and for synthetic catalogs. Through the numerical tests, we found that initial value dependence of etas\_solve is several orders of magnitude smaller than that of statistical analysis of point processes (SAPP), which is an R wrapper of statistical analysis of seismicity. We also found that standard error estimated from a Hessian at a maximum‐likelihood estimate (MLE) is useful to quantify the uncertainty of the MLE. Computation time of etas\_solve was comparable to that of SAPP on a single‐core machine and faster on a multicore machine (around eightfold speed up on a 16‐core machine). In addition, etas\_solve provides rich features that may be useful in real‐world applications, such as options to use fixed parameters and an auxiliary window in time and magnitude.

Magnitude-dependent epidemic-type aftershock sequences model for earthquakes.

We propose a version of the pure temporal epidemic type aftershock sequences (ETAS) model: the ETAS model with correlated magnitudes. As for the standard case, we assume the Gutenberg-Richter law to be the probability density for the magnitudes of the background events. Instead, the magnitude of the triggered shocks is assumed to be probabilistically dependent on that of the relative mother events. This probabilistic dependence is motivated by some recent works in the literature and by the results of a statistical analysis made on some seismic catalogs [Spassiani and Sebastiani, J. Geophys. Res. 121, 903 (2016)10.1002/2015JB012398]. On the basis of the experimental evidences obtained in the latter paper for the real catalogs, we theoretically derive the probability density function for the magnitudes of the triggered shocks proposed in Spassiani and Sebastiani and there used for the analysis of two simulated catalogs. To this aim, we impose a fundamental condition: averaging over all the magnitudes of the mother events, we must obtain again the Gutenberg-Richter law. This ensures the validity of this law at any event's generation when ignoring past seismicity. The ETAS model with correlated magnitudes is then theoretically analyzed here. In particular, we use the tool of the probability generating function and the Palm theory, in order to derive an approximation of the probability of zero events in a small time interval and to interpret the results in terms of the interevent time between consecutive shocks, the latter being a very useful random variable in the assessment of seismic hazard.

Statistical monitoring of aftershock sequences: a case study of the 2015 Mw7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake

Early forecasting of aftershocks has become realistic and practical because of real-time detection of hypocenters. This study illustrates a statistical procedure for monitoring aftershock sequences to detect anomalies to increase the probability gain of a significantly large aftershock or even an earthquake larger than the main shock. In particular, a significant lowering (relative quiescence) in aftershock activity below the level predicted by the Omori–Utsu formula or the epidemic-type aftershock sequence model is sometimes followed by a large earthquake in a neighboring region. As an example, we detected significant lowering relative to the modeled rate after approximately 1.7 days after the main shock in the aftershock sequence of the Mw7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake of April 25, 2015. The relative quiescence lasted until the May 12, 2015, M7.3 Kodari earthquake that occurred at the eastern end of the primary aftershock zone. Space–time plots including the transformed time can indicate the local places where aftershock activity lowers (the seismicity shadow). Thus, the relative quiescence can be hypothesized to be related to stress shadowing caused by probable slow slips. In addition, the aftershock productivity of the M7.3 Kodari earthquake is approximately twice as large as that of the M7.8 main shock.