From subduction to collision: Results from seismic profiling, gravity modeling, and earthquake finite fault inversions in Taiwan region

This study used (1) 132-channel reflection profiles, forward gravity modeling, and (2) finite source inversions of earthquakes to analyze crustal evolution from Subduction to collision in the region of Taiwan. Reflection and gravity data in the offshore region shows that the accretionary prism in the Subduction zone is mainly sedimentary; however, due to tectonic wedging in the initial collision zone, high-density basement materials are incorporated into the rear of the accretionary prism and may extend northward to compose a portion of high-density rocks that underly southeastern Taiwan.; Further to the north in the mature collision zone was the site of the 1999, Chi-Chi, Taiwan earthquake. For this earthquake and its large aftershocks, we inverted strong motion data for finite source processes to study the deep fault structures. The mainshock ruptured on a shallow eastward-dipping fault possibly rooted in the proposed decollement of thin-skin deformation model. Several aftershocks either nucleated in or ruptured the basement indicating active deformation below the decollement, suggesting basement-involved deformation.; Interpreting finite-source results requires a thorough understanding of the uncertainty in the parameters. Further more, near-realtime applications of finite-source inversions for estimation of near-fault strong ground motion requires well constrained fault orientation and hypocentral parameters. With this in mind, we tested a wide range of hypocenters and focal mechanisms, and the corresponding fits of the synthetics to the observed waveforms when studying the aftershock source parameters. As a result, we obtained optimal waveform fits and determined how the errors reported in hypocenters and focal mechanisms affected the inverted waveforms and the sensitivity of the waveform fits. For example, if the hypocenter was within 5 km of the optimal hypocenter and the focal mechanism was within 20 degrees of optimal strike, dip, and rake, the waveform fits deteriorated less than 20-percent.; For GPS stations near the aftershock region, the GPS displacements predicted from the aftershock slip models can explain 80-percent of the post Chi-Chi mainshock GPS signals, showing that care must be exercised when interpreting post-seismic deformation signals when there are numerous, moderate-sized aftershocks, and/or aftershocks that are shallow.