Multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis of magnitude series of seismicity of Kachchh region, Western India

The sequence of magnitudes of the earthquakes occurred in Kachchh area (Gujarat, Western India) from 2003 to 2012, has been analysed by using the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis. The complete and the aftershock-depleted catalogues with minimum magnitude M3 were investigated. Both seismic catalogues show multifractal characteristics. The aftershock-depleted catalogue is more multifractal and also more persistent than the whole catalogue; this indicates that aftershock magnitudes contribute to increase the homogeneity and the randomness of the magnitude sequence of the whole seismicity. The singularity spectrum of the whole catalogue, however, is more left-skewed than that of the aftershock-depleted one, indicating a stronger dependence of the multifractality on the large magnitude fluctuations.