Manami Nakamoto

Spatial heterogeneities in tectonic stress in Kyushu, Japan and their relation to a major shear zone

We investigated the spatial variation in the stress fields of Kyushu Island, southwestern Japan. Kyushu Island is characterized by active volcanoes (Aso, Unzen, Kirishima, and Sakurajima) and a shear zone (western extension of the median tectonic line). Shallow earthquakes frequently occur not only along active faults but also in the central region of the island, which is characterized by active volcanoes. We evaluated the focal mechanisms of the shallow earthquakes on Kyushu Island to determine the relative deviatoric stress field. Generally, the stress field was estimated by using the method proposed by Hardebeck and Michael (2006) for the strike-slip regime in this area. The minimum principal compression stress (σ3), with its near north–south trend, is dominant throughout the entire region. However, the σ3 axes around the shear zone are rotated normal to the zone. This result is indicative of shear stress reduction at the zone and is consistent with the right-lateral fault behavior along the zone detected by a strain-rate field analysis with global positioning system data. Conversely, the stress field of the normal fault is dominant in the Beppu–Shimabara area, which is located in the central part of the island. This result and the direction of σ3 are consistent with the formation of a graben structure in the area.

Migrating tremor off southern Kyushu as evidence for slow slip of a shallow subduction interface

Silent slip events get shallow Clues to help better predict the likelihood of devastating earthquakes and tsunamis may be embedded in a more gentle type of rumbling. Using oceanbottom seismometers, Yamashita et al. report rare observations of migrating tremors in the shallow part of a subduction zone off southern Kyushu, Japan. The tremors appear to be linked to a very low-frequency earthquake and seem to migrate to the region where big earthquakes are generated. The tremors may be tracing how and where stress gets concentrated onto the earthquake-producing portion of the fault. Science, this issue p. 676 Earthquake and tsunami hazard forecasts may benefit from shallow observations of seismic tremor migration in subduction zones. Detection of shallow slow earthquakes offers insight into the near-trench part of the subduction interface, an important region in the development of great earthquake ruptures and tsunami generation. Ocean-bottom monitoring of offshore seismicity off southern Kyushu, Japan, recorded a complete episode of low-frequency tremor, lasting for 1 month, that was associated with very-low-frequency earthquake (VLFE) activity in the shallow plate interface. The shallow tremor episode exhibited two migration modes reminiscent of deep tremor down-dip of the seismogenic zone in some other subduction zones: a large-scale slower propagation mode and a rapid reversal mode. These similarities in migration properties and the association with VLFEs strongly suggest that both the shallow and deep tremor and VLFE may be triggered by the migration of episodic slow slip events.

Short-term spatial change in a volcanic tremor source during the 2011 Kirishima eruption

Volcanic tremors are indicators of magmatic behavior, which is strongly related to volcanic eruptions and activity. Detection of spatial and temporal variations in the source location is important for understanding the mechanism of volcanic eruptions. However, short-term temporal variations within a tremor event have not always been detected by seismic array observations around volcanoes. Here, we show that volcanic tremor sources were activated at both the top (i.e., the crater) and the lower end of the conduit, by analyzing seismograms from a dense seismic array 3 km from the Shinmoedake crater, Kirishima volcano, Japan. We observed changes in the seismic ray direction during a volcanic tremor sequence, and inferred two major sources of the tremor from the slowness vectors of the approaching waves. One was located in a shallow region beneath the Shinmoedake crater. The other was found in a direction N30°W from the array, pointing to a location above a pressure source. The fine spatial and temporal characteristics of volcanic tremors suggest an interaction between deep and shallow conduits.

Prestate of Stress and Fault Behavior During the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake (M7.3)

Fault behavior during an earthquake is controlled by the state of stress on the fault. Complex coseismic fault slip on large earthquake faults has recently been observed by dense seismic networks, which complicates strong motion evaluations for potential faults. Here we show the three-dimensional prestress field related to the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. The estimated stress field reveals a spatially variable state of stress that forced the fault to slip in a direction predicted by the “Wallace and Bott Hypothesis.” The stress field also exposes the pre-condition of pore fluid pressure on the fault. Large coseismic slip occurred in the low-pressure part of the fault. However, areas with highly pressured fluid also showed large displacement, indicating that the seismic moment of the earthquake was magnified by fluid pressure. These prerupture data could contribute to improved seismic hazard evaluations. Plain Language Summary The three-dimensional prestress field around the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake controlled fault behavior of the earthquake. The estimated heterogeneous state of stress on the fault forced the fault to slip in the direction predicted. The stress field also exposed the precondition of pore fluid pressure on the fault. Large coseismic slip occurred not only at the low-pressure part of the fault but also highly pressured part. It indicates that the seismic moment of the earthquake was magnified by fluid pressure. These prerupture data could contribute to upgrading seismic hazard evaluation.