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Rupture length of the October 9, 1995 Colima‐Jalisco Earthquake ( M w 8) estimated from tsunami data
Author(s) -
Ortiz M.,
Singh S. K.,
Pacheco J.,
Kostoglodov V.
Publication year - 1998
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 - 10.1029/98gl02059
Subject(s) - seismology , geology , epicenter , trench , earthquake rupture , geodesy , fault (geology) , chemistry , layer (electronics) , organic chemistry
We analyze tsunami data of the great 1995 Colima‐Jalisco, Mexico earthquake, recorded in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, to estimate its rupture length, L . To model the tsunami arrival time, we assume a rectangular source area, oriented parallel to the trench, whose SE limit is fixed at the point of rupture initiation. The NW limit of the source area, i.e., L , is varied between 120 and 200 km. The comparison between synthetic and observed data strongly suggests that L of the earthquake was 160±20 km. This length agrees with those reported in various other studies of the earthquake. It, however, disagrees with a previous study, based on the same tsunami data, which suggested that the rupture may have extended 250 km NW from the epicenter [ Tanioka and Ruff, 1996]. The cause of this discrepancy is most likely an error in the timing of the records used by Tanioka and Ruff [1996]. We conclude that the earthquake only partially ruptured the Rivera‐North America plate interface. A 120 km‐long segment in the NW extreme of this interface, which apparently ruptured in 1932, remains presently unbroken.