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Short-term seismicity patterns along the most active faults in Iran

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Abstract

In this study, six seismically active fault systems located in different tectonic regimes have been surveyed. The data were from three Persian seismotectonic provinces (Alborz-Azarbaijan, Zagros and East-Central Iran) with different seismic properties, covering a time span of 8 years. The earthquake (Eq.) data have been recorded by the seismological network of the Institute of Geophysics of the University of Tehran, Iran (IGUT), the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology of Iran (IIEES), and also include the early large instrumental earthquakes in the Engdahl catalog. During this period, few months of seismic quiescence occurred on the entire length of both Dasht-e Bayaz (DB) and Abiz faults, while most of the moderate and large earthquakes occurred after few months of lack of seismicity on the Main Recent fault, DB, Golbaf and Kazeroun faults. Moreover, single and triple migration patterns of seismicity were regularly seen along Golbaf fault and North Tabriz fault (NTF), respectively. Some large earthquakes (the 2011, MN 5.2 Eq. of Golbaf F. and the 2008, MN 5.2 Eq. of NTF) occurred at the end of these seismicity migration patterns. Along NTF, a diffuse seismicity with no specific seismic pattern has been distinguished. In all the case studies and during the investigated time period the entire lengths of the fault systems were not active at the same time. Finally, there is not a clear relationship between the duration of the seismic gaps and the magnitude of large earthquakes with different co-seismic rupture lengths in depth.

Resumen

En el presente trabajo se estudian seis sistemas de fallas activas sísmicamente localizados en diferentes contextos tectónicos. Los datos han sido obtenidos de tres provincias sismotectónicas persas (Alborz-Azarbaijan, Zagros y Centro-Este de Iran) con diferentes propiedades sísmicas y seguidos durante 8 años. Los datos de terremotos (Eq) han sido registrados mediante una red sismológica en el Instituto de Geofísica de la Universidad de Teheran, Irán (IGUT), el Instituto Internacional de Ingeniería y Sismología de Irán (IIEES), incluyendo también una gran cantidad de datos obtenidos del catálogo Engdahl. Durante este periodo hubo pocos meses de estabilidad a lo largo de las fallas de Dasht-e Bayaz (DB) y Abiz, mientras que la mayoría de los terremotos moderados y de importancia aparecieron después de uno pocos meses de ausencia de sismicidad en las fallas recientes más importantes (DB) Golbaf y Kazeroum. Las tendencias de migración individual y triple fueron comúnmente las más observadas a lo largo de las fallas de Golbaf y del Norte de Tabriz (NTF) respectivamente. Algunos terremotos de gran intensidad (el de 2011, MN 5.2 Eq. of Golbaf F., y el de 2008, MN 5.2 Eq. of NTF) sucedieron al final de estas tendencias de migración sísmicas. Se ha distinguido una sismicidad difusa, sin una tendencia clara, a lo largo de NTF. Las fallas no fueron activas al mismo en los diferentes puntos de estudio durante el periodo de observación. Finalmente, no hay una relación clara entre la duración de los periodos de ausencia de sismicidad y la magnitud de los principales terremotos que tienen diferente ruptura de co-sismicidad en longitud y profundidad.

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Fig. 1

adopted from the active fault map of Iran (Hessami et al. 2003a). b Focal mechanism of large Iranian earthquakes (GCMT, 2019)

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adapted from local networks (see the text) and IGUT catalog. The background image map indicates intensity of the historical earthquakes. Color of rectangles shows maximum intensity in each area in accordance to the intensity bar of the map

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Acknowledgements

Thanks the IGUT and IIEES for their online recent earthquake catalogs (2006 to 2013). All the diagrams, histograms and maps were generated using the GMT software (Wessel and Smith 1998).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science and Earthquake Research Center of Shahid, Bahonar University of Kerman, Pajouhesh Sq., Kerman, Iran

    Majid Nemati

  2. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science of Shahid, Bahonar University of Kerman, Pajouhesh Sq., Kerman, Iran

    Reza Derakhshani

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Reza Derakhshani

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Nemati, M., Derakhshani, R. Short-term seismicity patterns along the most active faults in Iran. J Iber Geol 47, 441–459 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41513-020-00133-0

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