The upper part of the Ubaye Valley (French Alps) is characterized by alternating mainshock-aftershock sequences and swarms. Particularly, during the 2012-2015 crisis, four mainshocks with Ml > 3.5 occurred. We here focus on the aftershocks of the largest one (Ml = 4.8, 7 April 2014), in order to better understand the involved processes behind this peculiar seismic behavior. We use template matching detection, waveform classification, and double-difference relocations to analyze this seismicity, on average and at the scale of the clusters that compose it. Most event sources are aligned along a plane consistent with the mainshock fault (N165, 65°W), but occurred on conjugate structures. A few clusters of seismicity are also observed far from the mainshock source. Our analysis shows that distinct, spatially separated processes are at play. While coseismic stress transfer explains the seismicity close to the mainshock source, fluid-pressure diffusion and distant stress triggering are required to generate events farther away. The overall distributions in time and magnitude followed a slow Omori's decay and a Gutenberg-Richter relationship, respectively. However, these classical responses arise from the superposition of very different behaviors, associated with different processes at depth.Plain Language Summary Earthquakes have regularly shaken the upper part of the Ubaye valley, near the town of Barcelonnette in the Southwestern French Alps, for nearly 20 years. The earthquake behavior is peculiar, as swarms of numerous low magnitude events alternate with larger earthquakes, such as the Ml 4.8 one occurring on 7 April 2014. To understand this dual behavior, we performed an in-depth analysis of the aftershock of this event. The seismicity mainly aligns on a plane consistent with the mainshock fault (N165, 65°W). However, most of the events occurred on branching structures, belonging to the damaged zone of this fault, or on some other small faults far away. While the average behavior of this aftershock sequence is close to a standard one, we show that two different processes occurred at depth. Events occurring close to the mainshock are triggered by coseismic stress transfer, while fluid-pressure diffusion are likely required to explain the seismicity further away. Such dual process should be considered for seismic hazard assessment.
A broadband seismological station (PRIMA) installed offshore Nice airport (southeastern France) reveals a strong amplification effect of seismic waves. PRIMA station was in operation for 2 years (9/2016 to 10/2018) on the outer shelf at a water depth of 18 m. Situated at the mouth of the Var River, this zone is unstable and prone to landslides. A catastrophic landslide and tsunami already occurred in 1979, causing 10 casualties. Given the level of seismicity of the area, it is important to infer the impact of an earthquake on this zone. We analyze the recordings of earthquakes and seismic noise at the PRIMA station by comparing them to nearby inland stations. We find that the seismic waves are strongly amplified at PRIMA at some specific frequencies (with an amplification factor greater than 10 at 0.9 Hz). Using geological and geophysical data, we show that the main amplification frequency peak (at 0.9 Hz) is due to the velocity contrast between the Pliocene sedimentary layer and fine-grained sediments dated from the Holocene, at about 100 m depth. This velocity contrast is also present along the Var valley, but the level of amplification detected on PRIMA station is larger. Using numerical simulations of seismic waves in a 2D model that accounts for the pinch-out geometry related to the termination of the Holocene sedimentary layer, we can partially explain this amplification. This offshore site effect could have a crucial impact on the triggering of a submarine landslide by an earthquake in this region. More generally, this effect should be taken into account for the modeling of landslides and induced tsunamis triggered by seismic waves.
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