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Volume 60 Supplement 2

Special Issue: Special Section for the 2007 Noto Hanto Earthquake (1)

Three-dimensional velocity structure in the source region of the Noto Hanto Earthquake in 2007 imaged by a dense seismic observation

Earth, Planets and Space volume 60, pages 105–110 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

The velocity structure and accurate aftershock distributions of the Noto Hanto Earthquake in 2007 (thrust type) are elucidated by inverting the arrival times from 917 aftershocks using double-difference tomography. P-wave velocity (V p ) of the hanging wall in the southeast appears to be higher than that of the footwall in the northwest, and the high-V p body of the hanging wall has a relatively high V p /V s ratio. Conversely, the low-V p body in the footwall appears to have a low V p /V s ratio at depths greater than 3 km. Aftershocks associated with the mainshock fault are roughly distributed along this velocity boundary between the hanging wall and footwall. Near-surface thin layers with significantly low V p and high V p /V s are imaged in a northwest direction from the mainshock epicenter. A likely explanation is that the mainshock fault plane was reactivated as a reverse fault in terms of the inversion tectonics due to the crustal shortening which initiated from the late Miocene. Both the mainshock hypocenter and the vertical alignment of aftershocks beneath it are located in the low-V p and low-V p /V s zones, indicating the potential presence of water-filled pores. Crustal stretching and shortening in and around the Noto Peninsula have created complex structures, including weak high-dip angle faults, almost vertical faults, and low velocity zones, which can potentially affect the seismic activities around the source region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Aitaro Kato, Shinichi Sakai, Takashi Iidaka, Takaya Iwasaki, Eiji Kurashimo, Toshihiro Igarashi, Naoshi Hirata & Toshihiko Kanazawa

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  1. Aitaro Kato
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  2. Shinichi Sakai
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  3. Takashi Iidaka
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  4. Takaya Iwasaki
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  5. Eiji Kurashimo
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  6. Toshihiro Igarashi
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  7. Naoshi Hirata
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  8. Toshihiko Kanazawa
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Group for the aftershock observations of the 2007 Noto Hanto Earthquake

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Correspondence to Aitaro Kato.

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Kato, A., Sakai, S., Iidaka, T. et al. Three-dimensional velocity structure in the source region of the Noto Hanto Earthquake in 2007 imaged by a dense seismic observation. Earth Planet Sp 60, 105–110 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03352769

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Key words

  • Tomography
  • the Noto Hanto Earthquake in 2007
  • aftershocks
  • inversion tectonics