Investigating Earthquake Source Scaling Laws in the Akhisar Seismic Zone

Year 2025, Volume: 14 Issue: 3, 1980 - 1995, 30.09.2025

Alper Demirci

https://doi.org/10.17798/bitlisfen.1745357

Abstract

Spectral earthquake source parameters like corner frequency, fmax, stress drop and source radius are important parameters in terms of an earthquake’s source properties. In this study, the source parameters of 40 local earthquakes (3.5≤M≤5.0) were calculated using Matlab-based codes. From 2011 to 2017 a database belonging to broadband earthquake stations for earthquakes occured near the location of the 12 September 2016 Akhisar (Manisa) earthquake was created from the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute seismic station network. Displacement and acceleration spectra including P and SH waves were analysed with a Brune ω-2 source model. A total of 40 earthquakes had 1097 waveforms investigated and parameters belonging to each earthquake were manually calculated. For each source parameter, mean values were calculated according to the number of seismic stations used for each earthquake. Observational spectra had damping effect removed using the Qs quality factor previously determined for the region. Seismic moment values obtained for the earthquakes varied from 0.19×1015 and 36.19 ×1015 Nm (3.5 ≤ Mw ≤ 5) with corner frequency values from 1.01 Hz to 5.07 Hz for P phase and 0.69 Hz to 2.63 Hz for SH phase. Additionally, calculations for SH phase in a circular fracture area varied from 0.72 km2 to 11.12 km2, with analyses of P phase calculated from 0.4 km2 to 9.42 km2. Noting the two phase calculations, the stress drop of the sources appeared to vary from 0.02 Mpa to 1.37 Mpa. In conclusion, these source parameters calculated at local scale revealed empirical relation functions with great importance to represent the region and as input for other scientific studies and were compared with results obtained from other similar studies in the literature.

Keywords

Corner frequency , Seismic Moment , Source Radius , Spectral Source Parameters , Stress Drop

Ethical Statement

The study is complied with research and publication ethics.

Thanks

Analyses are performed by using modified form of Matlab –based EQK-SRC-PARA codes [24] and some figures were created with the Generic Mapping Tools of Wessel and Smith [48].

References

• T. C. Hanks and M. Wyss, “Use of body-wave spectra in determination of seismic-source parameters,” Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 561–589, Apr. 1972.
• T. C. Hanks and W. Thatcher, “Graphical representation of seismic source parameters,” J. Geophys. Res., vol. 77, no. 23, pp. 4393–4405, Dec. 1972.
• R. E. Abercrombie, “Earthquake source scaling relationships from 1 to 5 ML using seismograms recorded at 2.5 km depth,” J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, vol. 100, no. B12, pp. 24015–24036, Dec. 1995.
• N. Akyol and Ö. Karagöz, “Empirical attenuation relationships for Western Anatolia, Turkey,” Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 351–382, 2009.
• A. Demirci, T. Bekler, İ. B. Karaşin, and E. Işık, “Karlıova (Bingöl) üçlü birleşim noktasında spektral kaynak parametreleri,” in Proc. 1st Int. Multidisciplinary Studies Congr., Dec. 28–29, 2018.
• E. Gök, “Source parameters and scaling relations of local earthquakes from a strong motion network in Izmir, Western Turkey,” Pure Appl. Geophys., vol. 176, no. 8, pp. 3391–3409, 2019.
• B. Gutenberg and C. F. Richter, “Frequency of earthquakes in California,” Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 185–188, Oct. 1944.
• H. Kanamori, “Importance of historical seismograms for geophysical research,” in Historical Seismograms and Earthquakes of the World, W. H. K. Lee, H. Meyers, and K. Shimazaki, Eds. San Diego, CA, USA: Academic Press, 1988.
• K. Aki, “Scaling law of seismic spectrum,” J. Geophys. Res., vol. 72, no. 4, pp. 1217–1231, Feb. 1967.
• Y. Iio, “Scaling relation between earthquake size and duration of faulting for shallow earthquakes in seismic moment between 10¹⁰ and 10²⁵ dyne/cm,” J. Phys. Earth, vol. 34, pp. 127–169, 1986.
• J. N. Brune, “Tectonic stress and the spectra of seismic shear waves from earthquakes,” J. Geophys. Res., vol. 75, no. 26, pp. 4997–5009, Sep. 1970.
• R. E. Abercrombie and P. Leary, “Source parameters of small earthquakes recorded at 2.5 km depth, Cajon Pass, southern California: Implications for earthquake scaling,” Geophys. Res. Lett., vol. 20, no. 14, pp. 1511–1514, Jul. 1993.
• M. L. Sharma and H. R. Wason, “Occurrence of low stress drop earthquakes in the Garhwal Himalayan region,” Phys. Earth Planet. Interiors, vol. 85, no. 3–4, pp. 265–272, 1994.
• KOERI Earthquake Catalog, Boğaziçi Univ., Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute, National Earthquake Monitoring Center. [Online]. Available: http://www.koeri.boun.edu.tr/sismo/2/data-request/
• R. F. Kartal, R. Demirtaş, F. T. Kadirioğlu, and S. Zünbül, “12 Eylül 2016 Akhisar-Manisa depremleri (Mw=4.6, Mw=4.5),” in Proc. 20th Active Tectonic Research Group Workshop, Denizli, Türkiye, Oct. 13–15, 2016, p. 10. (in Turkish)
• A. Koçyiğit, E. Bozkurt, N. Kaymakcı, and F. Şaroğlu, “3 Şubat 2002 Afyon Çay depreminin kaynağı ve ağır hasarının nedenleri: Akşehir Fay Zonu,” Jeolojik Ön Rapor, Ortadoğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Ankara, Türkiye, 2002, 19 pp. (in Turkish)
• Ö. Emre, T. Y. Duman, S. Özalp, H. Elmacı, Ş. Olgun, and F. Şaroğlu, Açıklamalı Türkiye Diri Fay Haritası. Ankara, Türkiye: Maden Tetkik ve Arama Genel Müdürlüğü, 2013.
• D. M. Boore, “Stochastic simulation of high-frequency ground motions based on seismological models of the radiated spectra,” Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., vol. 73, no. 6, pp. 1865–1894, Dec. 1983.
• T. C. Hanks, “fmax,” Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., vol. 72, no. 6, pp. 1869–1879, Dec. 1982.
• J. G. Anderson and S. E. Hough, “A model for the shape of the Fourier amplitude spectrum of acceleration at high frequencies,” Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., vol. 74, no. 5, pp. 1969–1993, Oct. 1984.
• A. S. Papageorgiou and K. Aki, “A specific barrier model for the quantitative description of inhomogeneous faulting and the prediction of strong ground motion – Part I: Description of the model,” Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., vol. 73, no. 3, pp. 693–722, Jun. 1983.
• A. S. Papageorgiou and K. Aki, “A specific barrier model for the quantitative description of inhomogeneous faulting and the prediction of strong ground motion – Part II: Applications of the model,” Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., vol. 73, no. 4, pp. 953–978, Aug. 1983.
• T. Yokai and K. Irikura, “Meaning of source-controlled fmax in empirical Green's function technique based on a T²-scaling law,” Annu. Disas. Prev. Res. Inst., Kyoto Univ., vol. 34, no. B-1, 1991.
• A. Kumar, A. Kumar, H. Mittal, A. Kumar, and R. Bhardwaj, “Software to estimate earthquake spectral and source parameters,” Int. J. Geosci., vol. 3, pp. 1142–1149, 2012.
• T. Ö. Kurtulmuş and N. Akyol, “Crustal attenuation characteristics in western Türkiye,” Geophys. J. Int., vol. 195, no. 2, pp. 1384–1394, 2013.
• D. Gajewski, R. Stangl, K. Fuchs, and K. Sandmeier, “A new constraint on the composition of the topmost continental mantle: Anomalously different depth increases of P and S velocity,” Geophys. J. Int., vol. 103, pp. 497–507, 1990.
• T. C. Hanks and H. Kanamori, “A moment magnitude scale,” J. Geophys. Res., vol. 84, no. B5, pp. 2348–2350, May 1979.
• K. Sivaram, D. Kumar, and S. S. Teotia, “Source parameters and scaling relations for small earthquakes in Kumaon Himalaya, India,” J. Seismol., vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 579–592, 2013.
• A. Gusev, M. Radulian, M. Rizescu, and G. F. Panza, “Source scaling of intermediate-depth Vrancea earthquakes,” Geophys. J. Int., vol. 151, no. 3, pp. 879–889, 2002.
• A. Lin, T. Satsukawa, M. Wang, A. Z. Mohammadi, R. Fueta, and F. Nakajima, “Coseismic rupturing stopped by Aso volcano during the 2016 Mw 7.1 Kumamoto earthquakes,” Science, vol. 354, no. 6314, pp. 869–875, Nov. 2016.
• V. Convertito, A. Zollo, N. Sharma, A. Orefice, and A. Emolo, “Earthquake source parameters and scaling relationships at The Geysers geothermal field, California,” in Proc. AGIS Workshop Induced Seismicity, Davos, Switzerland, Mar. 10–30, 2015.
• W. B. Ambeh and J. D. Fairhead, “Spectral characteristics and source parameters of micro earthquakes from the Mt Cameroon volcanic region, West Africa,” Geophys. J. Int., vol. 106, no. 2, pp. 229–237, 1991.
• D. Kalafat, C. Gürbüz, and S. B. Üçer, “Batı Türkiye'de kabuk ve üst manto yapısının araştırılması,” Deprem Araştırma Bülteni, vol. 59, pp. 43–64, 1987. (in Turkish)
• K. Watanabe, H. Sato, S. Kinoshita, and M. Ohtake, “Source characteristics of small to moderate earthquakes in the Kanto region, Japan: Application of a new definition of the S-wave time window length,” Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., vol. 86, no. 5, pp. 1284–1291, Oct. 1996.
• U. Dutta, N. Biswas, A. Martirosyan, A. Papageorgiou, and S. Kinoshita, “Estimation of earthquake source parameters and site response in Anchorage, Alaska, from the strong motion network data using generalized inversion method,” Phys. Earth Planet. Interiors, vol. 137, pp. 13–29, 2003.
• D. Kumar, V. Sriram, I. Sarkar, and S. S. Teotia, “An estimate of a scaling law of seismic spectrum for earthquakes in Himalaya,” Indian Minerals, vol. 61, no. 3–4, pp. 83–92, 2008.
• A. Kumar, “Study of earthquake source parameters using micro-earthquakes and strong motion data,” Ph.D. dissertation, Indian Inst. Technol., Roorkee, India, 2011.
• Y. Borkar, A. Kumar, and S. C. Gupta, “Source parameters and scaling relation for local earthquakes in the Garhwal and Kumaun Himalaya, India,” Int. J. Adv. Seismol., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1–15, 2013.
• S. H. Yoo, J. R. Rhie, H. Choi, and K. Mayeda, “Coda-derived source parameters of earthquakes and their scaling relationships in the Korean Peninsula,” Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., vol. 101, no. 5, pp. 2388–2398, Oct. 2011.
• O. Stavroulopoulou, E. Sokos, and G. A. Tselentis, “S-wave spectral analysis and estimation of spectral parameters in Northwestern Greece,” Bull. Geol. Soc. Greece, vol. 50, pp. 1232–1240, 2016.
• A. A. Dobrynina, “Source parameters of the earthquakes of the Baikal rift system,” Izv., Phys. Solid Earth, vol. 45, no. 12, pp. 1093–1109, 2009.
• B. Süle and Z. Wéber, “Earthquake source parameters and scaling relationships in Hungary (central Pannonian basin),” J. Seismol., vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 507–521, 2013.
• M. Sanoujam, “Seismotectonic studies in Manipur,” Ph.D. dissertation, Manipur Univ., Manipur, India, 2002.
• E. Popescu, A. O. Placinta, F. Borleasnu, and M. Radulian, “Repeated earthquakes in the Vrancea subcrustal source and source scaling,” IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci., vol. 95, p. 032005, 2017.
• H. H. Mohamed, “Determination of basic physical source parameters and scaling relations for Kalabsha earthquakes, Aswan, Egypt,” Acta Geodyn. Geomater., vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 201–212, 2004.
• J. M. García-García, M. D. Romacho, and A. Jiménez, “The corner frequencies, stress drops and apparent stresses of microearthquakes in the Betic region (Southern Spain),” Física de la Tierra, vol. 14, pp. 161–182, 2002.
• M. Radulian and M. Popa, “Scaling of source parameters for Vrancea (Romania) intermediate depth earthquakes,” Tectonophysics, vol. 261, pp. 67–81, 1996.
• P. Wessel and W. H. F. Smith, “New version of generic mapping tools released,” EOS Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, vol. 76, p. 329, 1995.