Evidence for fluid-triggering underlying the year 2014 aftershock sequences in NW Bohemia

Abstract:

The West Bohemia/Vogtland region, central Europe, is a place of localized repeating swarm activity continuously monitored during the last two decades, allowing a detailed study of the driving mechanisms. Previous earthquake episodes where characterized by swarm-type activity with gradual onsets and decays which were not related to mainshocks. However, the latest activity in the year 2014 occurred exactly in the same location as previous swarm activity but consisted of three classical aftershock sequences triggered by a M4.4 event and two ~M3.5 events. The apparent system change from swarm-type to mainshock-aftershock characteristics can have important implications for the understanding of swarm and aftershock generation as well as for seismic hazard assessment in this region. Thus we have analyzed in detail the spatiotemporal aftershock sequence based on a relocated earthquake catalog. Our analysis shows that the largest mainshock occurred in a step-over region of the fault plane with increased Coulomb stress due to previous activity. Its rupture plane connecting both segments is significantly rotated compared to most aftershocks, which occurred in-plane. The aftershock characteristics are classical in the way that (i) the aftershocks are clearly triggered by the mainshock, (ii) the maximum magnitude of the aftershocks is approximately 1.2 units less than the mainshock magnitude (Bath law), and (iii) the decay can be well fitted by the Omori-Utsu law. However, the absolute number of aftershocks and the fitted c and p values of the Omori-Utsu decay are significantly larger than for typical sequences. The fit of the epidemic type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model reveals a time-dependent background activity which exponentially decays with time after the mainshock. Pore pressure simulations with an exponentially decreasing flow rate of the fluid source show a good agreement with the observed spatial migration front of the aftershocks extending approximately with log(t). Thus we conclude that the mainshock opened fluid pathways into the fault plane explaining the migration patterns and the exponential decrease of the flow rate due to a finite fluid source. This interpretation is backed by the independent observation of a postseismic increase of gas flow in a mofette on top of the activity.