Abstract
We invert tsunami waveforms recorded on tide gauges to estimate the source parameters of earthquakes for which little or no seismic data exist, such as the 1957 Aleutian and 1938 Alaskan earthquakes. The 1957 earthquake ruptured a smaller segment of the Aleutian Arc than can be inferred from the aftershock area. The slip was concentrated in the western half of the aftershock zone. We estimate the seismic moment as 88×1020 Nm, or Mw=8.6. The Unalaska Island area did not rupture in the 1957 mainshock and can be considered a seismic gap. The rupture length of the 1938 earthquake was approximately 300 km long. We estimate the seismic moment as 20×1020 Nm, or Mw=8.2. The 1938 rupture did not extend into the Shumagin Islands area. Both the Unalaska Island and Shumagin Islands gaps may have a high potential to rupture in large earthquakes and generate transPacific tsunamis.
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© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Johnson, J.M., Satake, K. (1995). Source Parameters of the 1957 Aleutian and 1938 Alaskan Earthquakes from Tsunami Waveforms. In: Tsuchiya, Y., Shuto, N. (eds) Tsunami: Progress in Prediction, Disaster Prevention and Warning. Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8565-1_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8565-1_5
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