Revealing the spatiotemporal complexity of the magnitude distribution and b-value during an earthquake sequence

Author:

Herrmann MarcusORCID,Piegari EsterORCID,Marzocchi WarnerORCID

Abstract

AbstractThe Magnitude–Frequency-Distribution (MFD) of earthquakes is typically modeled with the (tapered) Gutenberg–Richter relation. The main parameter of this relation, the b-value, controls the relative rate of small and large earthquakes. Resolving spatiotemporal variations of the b-value is critical to understanding the earthquake occurrence process and improving earthquake forecasting. However, this variation is not well understood. Here we present remarkable MFD variability during the complex 2016/17 central Italy sequence using a high-resolution earthquake catalog. Isolating seismically active volumes (‘clusters’) reveals that the MFD differed in nearby clusters, varied or remained constant in time depending on the cluster, and increased in b-value in the cluster where the largest earthquake eventually occurred. These findings suggest that the fault system’s heterogeneity and complexity influence the MFD. Our findings raise the question “b-value of what?”: interpreting and using MFD variability needs a spatiotemporal scale that is physically meaningful, like the one proposed here.

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Subject

General Physics and Astronomy,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Chemistry,Multidisciplinary

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