The control of earthquake sequences on hillslope stability

Abstract The earthquake sequences connected with the earthquakes of August 31 and September 14, 1963 in the Salinas-Watsonville region of California are here studied with reference to the background seismic activity. A very favorable distribution of permanent and mobile stations in this area permits the analysis to include earthquakes of small magnitudes. The mechanism of the larger aftershocks of both sequences is found to be similar to the mechanism of the main shock of September 14, 1963. The orientation of the principal axes of stress derived from the focal mechanism of the September 14 earthquake, is related to the strike of the San Andreas fault.

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Active Crustal Deformation in the Area of San Carlos, Baja California Sur, Mexico as Shown by Data of Local Earthquake Sequences

Pure and Applied Geophysics ◽

10.1007/s00024-015-1217-4 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 173 (10-11) ◽

pp. 3631-3644 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Luis Munguía ◽

Mario González-Escobar ◽

Miguel Navarro ◽

Tito Valdez ◽

Sergio Mayer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Crustal Deformation ◽

Baja California ◽

Baja California Sur ◽

Local Earthquake ◽

Earthquake Sequences ◽

San Carlos

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Seismogenesis in Central Apennines, Italy: an integrated analysis of minor earthquake sequences and structural data in the Amatrice-Campotosto area

Annals of Geophysics ◽

10.4401/ag-3371 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 47 (6) ◽

Author(s):

P. Boncio ◽

G. Lavecchia ◽

G. Milana ◽

B. Rozzi

Keyword(s):

Late Quaternary ◽

Central Italy ◽

Normal Fault ◽

Structural Data ◽

Integrated Analysis ◽

Fault Plane Solutions ◽

Small Magnitude ◽

Fault Surface ◽

Displacement Profile ◽

Earthquake Sequences

We present a seismotectonic study of the Amatrice-Campotosto area (Central Italy) based on an integrated analysis of minor earthquake sequences, geological data and crustal rheology. The area has been affected by three small-magnitude seismic sequences: August 1992 (M=3.9), June 1994 (M=3.7) and October 1996 (M=4.0). The hypocentral locations and fault plane solutions of the 1996 sequence are based on original data; the seismological features of the 1992 and 1994 sequences are summarised from literature. The active WSWdipping Mt. Gorzano normal fault is interpreted as the common seismogenic structure for the three analysed sequences. The mean state of stress obtained by inversion of focal mechanisms (WSW-ENE-trending deviatoric tension) is comparable to that responsible for finite Quaternary displacement, showing that the stress field has not changed since the onset of extensional tectonics. Available morphotectonic data integrated with original structural data show that the Mt. Gorzano Fault extends for ~28 km along strike. The along-strike displacement profile is typical of an isolated fault, without significant internal segmentation. The strong evidence of late Quaternary activity in the southern part of the fault (with lower displacement gradient) is explained in this work in terms of displacement profile readjustment within a fault unable to grow further laterally. The depth distribution of seismicity and the crustal rheology yield a thickness of ~15 km for the brittle layer. An area of ~530 km2 is estimated for the entire Mt. Gorzano Fault surface. In historical times, the northern portion of the fault was probably activated during the 1639 Amatrice earthquake (I = X, M~ 6.3), but this is not the largest event we expect on the fault. We propose that a large earthquake might activate the entire 28 km long Mt. Gorzano Fault, with an expected Mmax up to 6.7.

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