Earthquake swarm associated with volcanic eruption, CuraCoa Reef Area, Northern Tonga, July 1973

oleh: G. K. SUTTON, J. H. LATTER, S. J. GIBOWICZ

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) 1974-06-01

Deskripsi

A submarine volcanic eruption near Curagoa Reef, first
 observed on 12 J u l y 1973 (U.T.) f r om Tafalii Island, northern Tonga, was
 associated with an e a r t h q u a k e swarm in t h e same area. The swarm began
 about 03'1 on I I J u l y and died away gradually about 07'' on 13 J u l y , ft
 comprised 504 events of magnitude Mi, „2= 3.4, the largest being of magnitude
 Ml = 5.1. The swarm area for these comparatively low magnitude earthquakes
 was abnormally large
 The v a r i a t i o n in r a t e of e a r t h q u a k e occurrence during t h e s w a rm shows
 two distinct stages, one similar to t h a t in a foresliock sequence, and t h e other
 like t h a t in a n a f t e r s h o c k sequence, with t h e largest events occurring between
 t h e two. The average value of b, defining t h e f r e q u e n c y - m a g n i t u d e relationship,
 was high: 1.77 ± 0.15. Furthermore, this p a r a m e t e r varied during the
 course of t h e swarm, a decrease in t h e b value f r om 1.8 to 1.1 being followed
 by a sharp increase to 2.5 a f t e r t h e largest earthquakes and principal volcanic
 eruption.
 Values of seismic moment were obtained from A B for 118 e a r t h q u a k es
 which were well recorded by long-period seismographs. Other source charact
 e r i s t i c s were determined from the difference between t h e l o g a r i t hm of seismic
 moment and the local magnitude. The source sizes were found to he
 u n u s u a l l y large. There was a t i m e variation of source properties during the
 swarm. The v a r i a t i o n of t h e displacement shows an inverse correlation with
 t h e variation of the coefficient b.
 The swarm produced very d i s t i n c t i v e T phases, well recorded at a hydrophone
 near Wake Island and at seismograph stations s i t u a t e d on t h e oceanic
 side of the Tonga Trench: these were not recorded at seismograph stations
 within the island arcs.