Revisiting Seismic Energy of Shallow Tremors: Amplifications due to Site
and Propagation Path Effects Near the Nankai Trough
Abstract
We investigated the effects of the propagation path and site
amplification of shallow tremors along the Nankai Trough. Using
far-field S-wave propagation from intraslab earthquake data, the
amplification factors at the DONET stations were 5–40 times against an
inland outcrop rock site. Thick (~5 km) sedimentary
layers with VS of 0.6–2 km/s beneath DONET stations have been confirmed
by seismological studies. To investigate the effects of thick
sedimentary layers, we synthesized seismograms of shallow tremors and
intraslab earthquakes at seafloor stations. The ratios of the maximum
amplitudes from the synthetic intraslab seismograms between models with
and without thick sedimentary layers were 1–2. This means that the
estimated large amplifications are primarily controlled by thin
lower-velocity (< 0.6 km/s) sediments just below the stations.
Conversely, at near-source (≤ 20 km) distances, 1-order amplifications
of seismic energies for a shallow tremor source can occur due to thick
sedimentary layers. Multiple S-wave reflections between the seafloor and
plate interface are contaminated in tremor envelopes; consequently,
seismic energy and duration are overestimated. If a shallow tremor
occurs within underthrust sediments, the overestimation becomes stronger
because of the invalid rigidity assumptions around the source region.
After 1-order corrections of seismic energies of shallow tremors along
the Nankai Trough, the scaled energies of seismic slow earthquakes were
10-10–10-9 irrespective of the region and source depth. Hence, the
physical mechanisms governing seismic slow earthquakes can be the same,
irrespective of the region and source depth.