Self-organized Fractal Seismicity of Reservoir Triggered Earthquakes in the Koyna-Warna Seismic Zone, Western India

Abstract

— Analysis of the Koyna-Warna earthquake catalog (1968–1996) shows that on an average there is a positive correlation between the b value (decrease) and fractal dimensions (decrease in both D₂^s and D₂^t) of earthquake epicenters 0.5 and 2.5 years prior to 1973 (M5.2) and 1980 (M5.5) events, respectively, except a negative correlation for about five years (1988–1993) prior to the 1993/1994 sequence (M5.4). This positive correlation indicates a weaker clustering, or that the epicenters tend to fill the two-dimensional plane. While the origin of the negative correlation seems to be that during periods of large events (low b value), there is strong clustering around the main shock epicenter (high fractal dimension). Interestingly, during the last year (1995–1996) of the studied period both the b value and correlation dimensions rose significantly, suggesting that stress release occurs through increased levels of low magnitude and increasingly scattered seismicity, suggesting an increased risk of larger magnitude events. Incidentally, during 2000 three earthquakes of magnitude M ≥ 5.0, one earthquake of M 4.0, 45 earthquakes of magnitude M 3.0–3.9, and several thousand earthquakes of M < 3 have occurred in the region. Thus it can be inferred that at local scales the relationship yields both positive and negative correlation that appears to be controlled by different modes of failure within the active fault complex.