comprehensive study on the changing process of focal mechanisms of the 2014 huoshan ms4.3 earthquake sequence |
| |
| Authors: | NI Hong-yu LIU Ze-min HONG De-quan WANG Xiao-li ZHAO Peng |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Anhui Earthquake Administration, Hefei 230031, China;
2. Mengcheng National Geophysical Observatory, Mengcheng 233500, China |
| |
| Abstract: | In this paper, the focal mechanisms of Huoshan MS4.3 earthquake sequence since October 2013 are calculated with the method developed recently by Snoke, which combines the use of first motion of P, SV and SH waves and their amplitude ratios(referred to as Snoke method). We estimate the difference(also referred to consistency parameter θ)between the stress axis direction of focal mechanism solution and the mean stress tensor on one hand, and get the relative changes of focal mechanisms rather than the focal mechanisms themselves on the other hand, by using methods of correlation coefficient of body-wave spectral amplitudes, first motions and amplitude ratios of vertical P wave of single station, as limited by the network layout and density of observation points, focal mechanism solutions of small earthquakes are not easy to obtain. We studied the changing process of focal mechanisms of Huoshan MS4.3 earthquake sequence since October 2013 with many methods such as consistency parameter, correlation coefficient of body-wave spectral amplitudes, first motion and amplitude ratio of vertical P wave of single station, to determine the type of the sequence. The result shows that: before Huoshan MS4.3 earthquake of April 20, 2014, the consistency parameter of the earthquake sequence was lower than the mean for a long period, correlation coefficient of body-wave spectral amplitudes was always at high values(about 0.9), odds ratio of first motions of vertical P wave of single station near the epicenter, defined as the ratio of predominant number to contrast number of first motions, was up to 13.8 at station SJH, 3.8 at BZY and 3.6 at LNA, respectively; first motions of vertical P wave of single station showed an obvious predominant distribution as a whole, and the amplitude ratios of vertical P were consistent, which suggests that before Huoshan MS4.3 earthquake, focal mechanisms were consistent, so the earthquake sequence before Huoshan MS4.3 earthquake is the foreshock sequence. After Huoshan MS4.3 earthquake, correlation coefficient of body-wave spectral amplitudes was lower(about 0.6), first motions and amplitude ratios of vertical P wave of single station were in disorder, which suggest that the focal mechanisms are inconsistent after the Huoshan MS4.3 earthquake, so the earthquake sequence after Huoshan MS4.3 earthquake is the aftershock sequence, and subsequent larger earthquakes are not likely to occur. The focal mechanisms in Huoshan region during the period of Huoshan MS4.3 earthquake experienced a process from scattering to convergency and to scattering again. |
| |
| Keywords: | consistency of focal mechanisms parameter correlation coefficient of body-wave spectral amplitudes initial motion amplitude ratio Huoshan MS4 3 earthquake |
|
|
