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Seismicity and active stress field derived from the inversion of focal mechanism data, South Atlas of Tunisia

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Abstract

Seismicity is not uniformly distributed throughout the southern Tunisian Atlas and is mainly clustered around active strike-slip faults, thrust-related anticlines, and shear zones. In the present study, focal mechanisms of 14 events computed from 1978 to 2019 were studied on the basis of stress inversion of focal mechanism parameters in order to investigate the spatial variations of the stress regime and understand the detailed tectonics. Study of earthquake focal mechanisms reveals prevailing strike-slip faulting using the Win-Tensor program that changes into thrust faulting locally in relation to the complexity of the regional tectonic domain. Pressure/tension axes are mostly horizontal and maximum horizontal stress directions (SHmax) are directed mainly in the NW-SE direction which corresponds to the slip character of the E-W strike-slip motion of Chotts faults and its splays. Furthermore, maximum (σ1) and minimum (σ3) principal stresses show a subhorizontal trend and the intermediate principal stress (σ2) is vertically orientated, in fit with the prevailing strike-slip regime. Indeed, these orientations seem to shift, locally, from N to S where NW-SE-directed σ1 turns towards N-S in some zones. Our observations are in strong alignment with the NW-SE Africa-Eurasia convergence, which is accommodated by an array of strike-slip movement along the major fault systems in this segment of Tunisian Atlas.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to the editor and anonymous reviewers for comments that much improved the paper manuscript.

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  1. Water, Energy and Environment Laboratory, Engineering National School of Sfax (ENIS), University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia

    Harzali Makrem

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  1. Harzali Makrem
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Correspondence to Harzali Makrem.

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Makrem, H. Seismicity and active stress field derived from the inversion of focal mechanism data, South Atlas of Tunisia. Arab J Geosci 14, 1395 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-07802-z

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