Dissipative intraplate faulting during the 2016 M_w 6.2 Tottori, Japan earthquake

Abstract

The 2016 M_w 6.2 Tottori earthquake occurred on 21 October 2016 and produced thousands of aftershocks. Here we analyze high-resolution-relocated seismicity together with source properties of the mainshock to better understand the rupture process and energy budget. We use a matched-filter algorithm to detect and precisely locate >10,000 previously unidentified aftershocks, which delineate a network of sharp subparallel lineations exhibiting significant branching and segmentation. Seismicity below 8 km depth forms highly localized fault structures subparallel to the mainshock strike. Shallow seismicity near the main rupture plane forms more diffuse clusters and lineations that often are at a high angle (in map view) to the mainshock strike. An empirical Green's function technique is used to derive apparent source time functions for the mainshock, which show a large amplitude pulse 2–4 s long. We invert the apparent source time functions for a slip distribution and observe a ~16 km^2 patch with average slip ~3.2 m. 93% of the seismic moment is below 8 km depth, which is approximately the depth below which the seismicity becomes very localized. These observations suggest that the mainshock rupture area was entirely within the lower half of the seismogenic zone. The radiated seismic energy is estimated to be 5.7 × 10^(13) J, while the static stress drop is estimated to be 18–27 MPa. These values yield a radiation efficiency of 5–7%, which indicates that the Tottori mainshock was extremely dissipative. We conclude that this inefficiency in energy radiation is likely a product of the immature intraplate environment and the underlying geometric complexity.

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