Aftershock observation of the 2003 Tokachi-oki earthquake by using dense ocean bottom seismometer network

Masanao Shinohara, Tomoaki Yamada, Toshihiko Kanazawa, Naoshi Hirata, Yoshiyuki Kaneda, Tetsuo Takanami, Hitoshi Mikada, Kiyoshi Suyehiro, Shin'ichi Sakai, Tomoki Watanabe, Kenji Uehira, Yoshio Murai (+9 others)
2004 Earth, Planets and Space  
The Tokachi-Oki earthquake occurred on September 26, 2003. Precise aftershock distribution is important to understand the mechanism of this earthquake generation. To study the aftershock activity, we deployed fortyseven ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) and two ocean bottom pressure meters (OBPs) at thirty-eight sites in the source region. We started the OBS observation four days after the mainshock for an observation period of approximately two months. In the middle of the observation period,
more » ... ne OBSs near the epicenter of the mainshock were recovered to clarify the depth distribution of aftershocks near the mainshock. From the data overall OBS, seventy-four aftershocks were located with high spatial resolution. Most of the aftershocks were located in a depth range of 15-20 km and occurred within the subducting oceanic crust, the 5.5-km/s layer of the landward plate and the plate boundary. No aftershocks were found in the mantle of the subducting plate. The low seismic activity beneath the trench area where the water depth is greater than about 2000 m suggests a weak coupling between the two plates. The depth of the mainshock is inferred to be 15-20 km from the aftershock distribution.
doi:10.1186/bf03353054 fatcat:w2ss25j3ijeqbixdslsjovvefe