Precise relative locations for earthquakes in the northeast Pacific region

Cleveland, K. Michael; VanDeMark, Thomas F.; Ammon, Charles J.

doi:10.1002/2015JB012161

Title: Precise relative locations for earthquakes in the northeast Pacific region

Journal Article · Fri Oct 09 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JB012161 · OSTI ID:1254846

Cleveland, K. Michael ^[1]; VanDeMark, Thomas F. ^[2]; Ammon, Charles J. ^[3]

Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Patrick Air Force Base, FL (United States). Air Force Technical Applications Center
Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)

We report that double-difference methods applied to cross-correlation measured Rayleigh wave time shifts are an effective tool to improve epicentroid locations and relative origin time shifts in remote regions. We apply these methods to seismicity offshore of southwestern Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest, occurring along the boundaries of the Pacific and Juan de Fuca (including the Explorer Plate and Gorda Block) Plates. The Blanco, Mendocino, Revere-Dellwood, Nootka, and Sovanco fracture zones host the majority of this seismicity, largely consisting of strike-slip earthquakes. The Explorer, Juan de Fuca, and Gorda spreading ridges join these fracture zones and host normal faulting earthquakes. Our results show that at least the moderate-magnitude activity clusters along fault strike, supporting suggestions of large variations in seismic coupling along oceanic transform faults. Our improved relative locations corroborate earlier interpretations of the internal deformation in the Explorer and Gorda Plates. North of the Explorer Plate, improved locations support models that propose northern extension of the Revere-Dellwood fault. Relocations also support interpretations that favor multiple parallel active faults along the Blanco Transform Fault Zone. Seismicity of the western half of the Blanco appears more scattered and less collinear than the eastern half, possibly related to fault maturity. We use azimuthal variations in the Rayleigh wave cross-correlation amplitude to detect and model rupture directivity for a moderate size earthquake along the eastern Blanco Fault. Lastly, the observations constrain the seismogenic zone geometry and suggest a relatively narrow seismogenic zone width of 2 to 4 km.

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Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-06NA25396; AC52-06NA25396

OSTI ID:: 1254846

Report Number(s):: LA-UR--15-22679

Journal Information:: Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 120; ISSN 2169-9313

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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58 GEOSCIENCES
Blanco Transform Fault
Juan de Fuca
earthquake location
oceanic transform faults
surface waves
tectonics

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