This paper reports a study based on the data obtained from the routine observation of micro-earthquake activity in the vicinity of Kyoto, Central Honshu, Japan. Analysis of recordings of six seismographic observation stations obtained from Oct. 1964 to Aug. 1967 provided 386 hypocentral determinations and 2607 magnitude determinations for events with magnitudes greater than or equal to 1.0. Hypocentral determinations were carried out by using P arrivals that are based on an approximated three-layer model derived from the crustal structure in this district.
Micro-earthquakes in the vicinity of Kyoto concentratedly occur in a belt-like zone lying from the west coast of Lake Biwa to Osaka Bay. All focal depths determined lie in the crust. This seismically active zone corresponds to the mountains characterized by upheaval from geologic viewpoint. Micro-earthquake active zones besides the belt-like zone correspond to the zone of upheaval.
There exist many Quaternary active faults along the east end of the belt-like seismically active zone. Destructive earthquakes in history occurred in the fault zones. It may be considered that micro-earthquake energy is concentratedly released in the one side of the fault zones where destructive earthquakes frequently occurred, as is seen in the case of aftershock energy release.
Focal machanism study by use of first motions of P waves leads to a conclusion that the radiation pattern of the micro-earthquakes treated here is of quadrant type with the principal axis of pressure lying in the E-W direction. The direction of the maximum pressure of micro-earthquakes agrees fairly well with that of the larger earthquakes occurring in this district. The agreement of the direction of one of the nodal lines with the direction of the largest fault is suggestive to consider the relation between the stress producing earthquakes and the tectonic force acting in this zone.
Magnitude determinations were used for obtaining magnitude-frequency relation
log N=3.71-0.98M.
The recurrence times of earthquakes with various magnitudes which were estimated from the above magnitude-frequency relation agree fairly well with the observed recurrence times.
Auto-correlogram and power spectrum estimations based on hourly count seem to suggest that micro-earthquakes occur at random concerning time distribution. Any dominant frequency suggesting to correlate earthquake occurrence with natural phenomena, say, the earth tide was not found from the daily and hourly counts.
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