Application of fuzzy clustering method to determining sub-fault planes of earthquake from aftershocks sequence

Abstract

Earthquake rupture process generally involves several faults activities instead of a single fault. A new method using both fuzzy clustering and principal component analysis makes it possible to reconstruct three dimensional structure of involved faults in earthquake if the aftershocks around the active fault planes distribute uniformly. When seismic events are given, the optimal faults structures can be determined by our new method. Each of sub-fault planes is fully characterized by its central location, length, width, strike and dip. The resolution determines the number of fault segments needed to describe the earthquake catalog. The higher the resolution, the finer the structure of the reconstructed fault segments. The new method successfully reconstructs the fault segments using synthetic earthquake catalogs. By taking the 28 June 1992 Landers earthquake occured in southern California as an example, the reconstructed fault segments are consistent with the faults already known on geological maps or blind faults that appeared quite frequently in longer-term catalogs.