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A broadband P wave analysis of the large deep Fiji Island and Bolivia Earthquakes of 1994
Author(s) -
Goes Saskia,
Ritsema Jeroen
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/95gl02011
Subject(s) - seismology , fault plane , geology , waveform , focal mechanism , p wave , amplitude , moment magnitude scale , seismic moment , fault (geology) , geometry , medicine , physics , cardiology , atrial fibrillation , mathematics , quantum mechanics , voltage , scaling
The complex broadband P ‐wave displacement recordings of the 570 km deep March 9, 1994, M w 7.6 Fiji Island and the 660 km deep June 9, 1994, M w 8.2 Bolivia earthquakes are analyzed to estimate the spatial and temporal characteristics of their ruptures. We model relative arrival times and amplitudes of coherent subevents in P waveforms, and perform waveform analyses. We resolve: (1) short rupture durations relative to their seismic moments, 12 and 40 s for the Fiji and Bolivia earthquakes, respectively; (2) small areas of main moment release, for both earthquakes 30 × 40 km²; (3) high stress drops compared to shallow earthquakes, with the stress drop of the Bolivia event (283 MPa) being significantly higher than the stress drop of the Fiji event (26 MPa); (4) small changes in mechanism (up to 10° changes in fault plane orientation); and (5) a steeply dipping rupture plane for the Fiji earthquake, and a shallowly dipping rupture plane for the Bolivia earthquake. Details of the ruptures are difficult to resolve using teleseismic P waveforms.