Massive Relocation of Earthquakes Recorded at Regional and Teleseismic Distances Using a Double-Difference Algorithm, with Application to Subduction Zones

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EAR-0229832Felix WaldhauserHigh-resolution hypocenter locations are most crucial in estimating seismichazard, inferring Earth structure, studying tectonics, and to the fundamentalunderstanding of the occurrence and physics of earthquakes. Several recentstudies, of which this is a continuation, have demonstrated the substantialimprovement in earthquake locations by applying a recently developeddouble-difference (DD) earthquake relocation algorithm to thousands of shallowearthquakes recorded at local distances. This project focuses on adapting the DD method to relocate, on a massive scale (several tens of thousands of events) and over large distances (thousands of km), earthquakes recorded at regional andteleseismic distances. The investigators will test and evaluate the performance of the new tools using globally recorded events for which ground truth is known, andcompare the results with results derived from commonly used location techniques.They will also apply the DD method to the 'groomed' ISC bulletin to relocate large numbers of earthquakes in subduction zones with the aim to image the internalstructure of seismicity associated with descending slabs. The focus willinitially be on the Andean subduction zone with the aim to define in detail themorphology of the slab and its correlation with patterns of microseismicity andthe rupture areas of damaging earthquakes. they will also relocate other areaswith dense seismicity to search for characteristic seismicity patterns in timeand space which may provide new insights into the occurrence and physics ofWadati Benioff earthquakes.