Fault zone head waves (FZHW) are seismic waves that travel along the boundary between two rock bodies with different speeds. They can reveal contrasts in fault-zone structure that are hard to see with other methods.
In a recent paper we used data from the MONGAN seismic network (MONitoring of the GANos Fault) to detect clear FZHW arrivals along the 1912 Mw 7.4 Şarköy–Mürefte (Ganos) rupture zone and to map how velocity changes across the fault.
The results show that the northern side of the fault transmits waves faster than the southern side. This contrast can influence how the rupture evolution during a future earthquake could evolve, and thereby affects how much shaking reaches nearby towns. By quantifying the size and shape of this contrast, the study adds a new piece to the puzzle of the Ganos fault’s deep structure. That information is important for refining seismic hazard models for this region.
For the full paper, see here.
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