Earthquake Doublet Sequences: Evidence of Static Triggering in the Strong Convergent Zones of Taiwan

Three earthquake sequences, each with two main earthquakes of almost the same magnitudes (ML from 5.9 to 7.0 with differences less than 0.1), have recently been observed in Taiwan. The two largest earthquakes in each sequence occurred with a short delay time between them, were strikingly similar in terms of magnitude, location and/or focal mechanism and are referred to as doublets. They were markedly distinct from typical single mainshock sequences. Our estimated static stress field generated by the first shock in the doublet shows that the second shock and most of their aftershocks were located within a region where static stress increased substantially. Thus, a possible explanation for earthquake doublet is that seismic energy for each shock had accumulated independently within adjacent crustal volumes, separated by an asperity, and that the second shock is triggered by the increased static stress after the first one. An important implication of doublet sequence is that works by emergency response teams after the first earthquake could be made more hazardous by the second

The Volcanic Earthquake Swarm of October 20, 2009 in the Tatun Area of Northern Taiwan

On October 20, 2009, a series of felt earthquakes with local magnitudes ranging from 2.8 - 3.2 occurred in the Tatun volcanic area off the northern tip of Taiwan. Although there was no damage caused by those earthquakes, many residents in the Taipei metropolitan area, particularly for people who live near the Yangminshan National Park, felt strong ground shaking. In order to know what the possible mechanisms were that generated those earthquakes, we carefully examined seismic data recorded by a dense seismic array in the Tatun volcanic area. During the period between October 18 and 22, 2009 we detected at least 202 micro-earthquakes. Most of the earthquakes were relocated using the double-difference method and were clustered in the shallow crust beneath the Dayoukeng area, which is the strongest fumarole in the Tatun volcanic area. Among these earthquakes, 72 focal mechanisms were determined by polarizing the first P-wave motion. Most earthquakes belonged to normal faulting. An extremely high b-value of 2.17 was obtained from those earthquakes. Based on the seismic variations in both the temporary and spatial distribution as well as an extremely high b-value, we conclude that the earthquake sequence on October 20, 2009 was a typically seismic swarm associated with possible active volcanism in the Tatun volcanic area

Static Stress Transfer between the Chinshan and Shanchiao Faults in the Taipei Metropolitan Area

In the Taipei Metropolitan Area, there is a significant problem to be resolved: Can two major active faults, i.e., the Chinshan and Shanchiao faults fail simultaneously? The two faults are both normal faulting based upon recent observations. In order to explore this problem, the static stress transfer between the two faults has been analyzed. We compute the static Coulomb failure stress changes, £GCFS, on a fault plane due to a failure of the neighboring fault. Numerical computations are conducted for the combinations of three different dip and rake angles of the two fault planes. Results show that the Chinshan fault can be more likely triggered by a failure of the Shanchiao fault. Rupture of a fault is more capable of triggering the neighboring fault, when the rake angle of the ruptured fault is toward than opposite to the striking direction of the to-be-triggered fault

Free-Air Gravity Map of Taiwan and Its Applications

An island-wide gravity in Taiwan was conducted by the Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica, between 1980 and 1987. The 603 stations at which the gravity values were determined included 308 points in the 500 m or higher mountain range where few readings were available previously. The average spacing of the stations in the present survey is about 7 km apart. A new Free-air gravity anomaly map has been constructed based on these values. The map is dominated by a NNE-SSW gravity high trend with a maximum value of 300 mgal, that follows closely the Central Range, a folded and faulted mountain belt with many peaks 3000 m or higher. The magnitude of the Free-air anomaly in the Taiwan area is quite large compared to that elsewhere in the world. The good correlation between the Free-air anomaly and elevation suggests that the Taiwan area is not in isostatic equilibrium. An average surface rock density of 2.57 g cm-3 is estimated from the Free-air gravity data by using the least-squares method. This value can be used for both terrain and Bouguer corrections. The undulation of the geoid and the deflections of the vertical in the Taiwan area are also calculated by using the Free-air anomaly data. The geoid undulation is not rugged over the Taiwan area. The maximum difference is about 5 m. And the deflection of the vertical seems mainly to be affected by both land and submarine topographies

A Low Velocity Zone along the Chaochou Fault in Southern Taiwan: Seismic Image Revealed by a Linear Seismic Array

The Chaochou fault is one of the major boundary faults in southern Taiwan where strong convergence has taken place between the Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates. The surface fault trace between the Pingtung plain and the Central Range follows a nearly N-S direction and stretches to 80 km in length. In order to examine the subsurface structures along the Chaochou fault, a linear seismic array with 14 short-period stations was deployed across the fault to record seismic data between August and December 2001. Detailed examination of seismic data generated by 10 local earthquakes and recorded by the linear array has shown that the incidence angles of the first P-waves recorded by several seismic stations at the fault zone were significantly larger than those located farther away from the fault zone. This difference might reflect the lateral variation of velocity structures across the Chaochou fault. Further examination of ray-paths of seismic wave propagation indicates that a low-velocity zone along the Chaochou fault is needed to explain the significant change in incidence angles across the fault zone. Although we do not have adequate information to calculate the exact geometry of the fault zone well, the variation in incidence angles across the fault can be explained by the existence of a low-velocity zone that is about 3 km in width on the surface and extends downward to a depth of 5 km. The low-velocity zone along the Chaochou fault might imply that the fault system consists of several splay faults on the hanging wall in the Central Range

Evaluation of the Applicability of the Chapman-Miller Method on Variation of the Geomagnetic Total Intensity Field in Taiwan from 1988 to 2007

The solar (S) and lunar (L) variations of geomagnetic fields at the horizontal (H), declination (D), and the downward vertical component data (Z) are modeled by the Chap man-Miller method with four order harmonics. In this paper, we compare S and L variations of the geomagnetic total intensity field using a consistent method with 3-component data for seasonal variations (summer, winter, and equinox) for three distinct phases during the years 1988 - 2007. The results show that consistency in the S and L variations for geomagnetic total intensity indicates normal stations and discrepancies are occurred due to data quality. In application, consistent results also prove that the function of the magnetometers at TW was normal and that large anomalies were certainly in existence during the Chia-Yi earthquake

Magnetic Survey of Taiwan and Its Preliminary Interpretations

To achieve an improved over all under standing of the tectonics of Tai wan, an is land-wide magnetic survey, especially in the mostly inaccessible mountain ranges, was carried out from July 2003 to February 2004. In total, 6063 magnetic points were surveyed at an average spacing of 2 km. After data reductions, a new magnetic anomaly map of Taiwan was constructed. The map shows the range of magnetic anomalies mostly distributing between -400 to 400 nT. Anomalies in the southern part of Taiwan are much higher than those in the north whilst anomalies in the western plains area are higher than those of the mountain ranges