Iterative de-convolution of the local waveforms: Characterization of the seismic sources in Kachchh, India

The deviatoric and double couple (DC) constrained moment tensor inversions of multiple point sources (10-20 s) for regional (or local) earthquakes, developed by Zahradnik et al. (2005), has been applied on the data of nine significant Bhuj aftershocks of Mw4.4-Mw5.6 recorded at three-component 5-15 accelerograph and 5-11 seismograph stations (epicentral distances < 130 km). The deviatoric moment tensor solutions of events on the north Wagad fault (NWF) in the 15-29 km depth range reveal a systematic depth-wise variation in the faulting patterns. At shallow depth (~ 15 km), they suggest a left lateral strike-slip movement with a minor reverse component along a south dipping plane (~ 61°), whereas, at 18-22 km depth range they change to pure reverse movement on a preferred south dipping plane (10-54°) and finally they change to the normal movement with minor strike-slip (S-S) component at deeper (25-29 km) depth range. The deviatoric MT solution of one event on the south Wagad fault (SWF) suggests a reverse movement with a minor S-S component on a 35° southeast dipping plane at 24 km depth. The deviatoric MT solutions for two events on the Gedi fault reveal a reverse movement with a minor left-lateral strike-slip component on an E-W trending and south dipping (40-61°) plane at 3-4 km depth. Whereas, one event on the Island belt fault (IBF) suggests a right lateral strike slip movement with a normal component on an almost vertical (~ 79°) plane at 29 km depth. The deviatoric moment tensor solutions of all the nine events show a larger (94-99%) double-couple (DC) component at shallow (3-15 km) depth range suggesting domination of brittle failure in the upper crust beneath the Kachchh region. However, the deeper events show larger non-DC (i.e. compensated linear vector dipole, CLVD) component suggesting increase in deviation from the double-couple (DC) solution in the lower crust (15-30 km depth range). This increase in non-DC component could be attributed to the source complexity in the lower crust. Further, the increase in normal component on NWF as well as IBF in the 25-30 km depth range can be explained in terms of presence of aqueous fluid in the lower crust as revealed by the tomographic studies.