Fractal dimension and b value of the aftershock sequence of the 2008 M S 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake

Hao-Yu Wu (), Hong-Fu Liu, Wei-Jin Xu and Xia Wang
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Hao-Yu Wu: Taiyuan University of Technology
Hong-Fu Liu: Taiyuan University of Technology
Wei-Jin Xu: China Seismological Bureau
Xia Wang: Earthquake Administration of Shanxi Province

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2017, vol. 88, issue 1, No 14, 315-325

Abstract: Abstract This study analyzed the seismicity of aftershock events recorded around the earthquake fault area following the 2008 Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake (China). We calculated the fractal dimension (D) and b value of the Gutenberg–Richter law for the aftershocks that occurred within one year of the original earthquake. The results showed that the D values of the earthquake fault ruptures reflected the complexities of the fault structures, and that higher D values were obtained for areas with larger fault slip and larger coseismic ground displacement. The b values for the Wenchuan aftershock sequence were relatively small, which indicated that the larger stress changes occurred in the area of the earthquake faults. Generally, b values are associated with the rupture mechanism of earthquake faults. Here, lower b values were correlated with those regions where thrust ruptures occurred and higher b values were found for those areas with strike-slip ruptures. More importantly, medium- and large-sized aftershocks appeared to occur primarily within areas with small D and b values. A positive correlation between b and D was established from the aftershock sequence, which is described by the relation D = 2b.

Keywords: Wenchuan earthquake; Aftershock sequence; Fractal dimension; b value (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1007/s11069-017-2866-7

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