2004 Articles

Streaks, multiplets, and holes: High-resolution spatio-temporal behavior of Parkfield seismicity

Waldhauser, Felix; Ellsworth, W. L.; Schaff, David P.; Cole, A.

Double-difference locations of ∼8000 earthquakes from 1969–2002 on the Parkfield section of the San Andreas Fault reveal detailed fault structures and seismicity that is, although complex, highly organized in both space and time. Distinctive features of the seismicity include: 1) multiple recurrence of earthquakes of the same size at precisely the same location on the fault (multiplets), implying frictional or geometric controls on their location and size; 2) sub-horizontal alignments of hypocenters along the fault plane (streaks), suggestive of rheological transitions within the fault zone and/or stress concentrations between locked and creeping areas; 3) regions devoid of microearthquakes with typical dimensions of 1–5 km (holes), one of which contains the M6 1966 Parkfield earthquake hypocenter. These features represent long lived structures that persist through many cycles of individual events.