Spatiotemporal variations of shallow very low frequency earthquake
activity southeast off the Kii Peninsula, along the Nankai Trough, Japan
Abstract
Cross-correlation analysis was applied to long-term onshore broadband
records from April 2004 to March 2021 to detect and relocate shallow
very low frequency earthquakes (VLFEs) southeast off the Kii Peninsula,
along the Nankai Trough, Japan. We then determined the moment rate
functions of detected shallow VLFEs using the Monte Carlo-based
simulated annealing method. According to this new comprehensive catalog,
shallow VLFEs are widespread beneath the accretionary prism toe, but
shallow VLFEs with large cumulative moments are localized around the
western edge of the paleo-Zenisu ridge, which is subducted beneath
southeast off the Kii Peninsula. Our results from long-term shallow VLFE
catalog are well consistent with previous studies in this region,
suggesting that heterogeneous structures and stress conditions due to
the subducted paleo-Zenisu ridge promote the occurrence of shallow slow
earthquakes. The relocated shallow VLFE epicenters illustrated three
major episodes characterized by a similar activity area and five minor
episodes characterized by different areas. The three major episodes
exhibited slow frontal migration with different initiation locations,
directions, and speeds, as well as several rapid reverse migrations.
Episodes of minor activity were distributed in different locations
within part of the area of major activity. Different patterns of shallow
VLFE migration could reflect temporal changes in the pore-fluid
distribution or stress conditions of the plate boundary.