Earthquake static stress transfer in the 2013 Gulf of Valencia (Spain) seismic sequence
On 24 September 2013, an <i>M</i><sub>l</sub> 3.6 earthquake struck in the Gulf of Valencia (Spain) near the Mediterranean coast of Castelló, roughly 1 week after gas injections conducted in the area to develop underground gas storage had been halted. The event, felt by th...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2017-09-01
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| Series: | Solid Earth |
| Online Access: | https://www.solid-earth.net/8/857/2017/se-8-857-2017.pdf |
| Summary: | On 24 September 2013, an <i>M</i><sub>l</sub> 3.6 earthquake struck in
the Gulf of Valencia (Spain) near the Mediterranean coast of Castelló,
roughly 1 week after gas injections conducted in the area to develop
underground gas storage had been halted. The event, felt by the nearby
population, led to a sequence build-up of felt events which reached a maximum
of <i>M</i><sub>l</sub> 4.3 on 2 October.<br><br>Here, we study the role of static stress transfer as an
earthquake-triggering mechanism during the main phase of the sequence, as
expressed by the eight felt events. By means of the Coulomb failure
function, cumulative static stress changes are quantified on fault planes
derived from focal mechanism solutions (which act as both source and
receiver faults) and on the previously mapped structures in the area
(acting only as stress receivers in our modeling). Results suggest that
static stress transfer played a destabilizing role and point towards an
SE-dipping structure underlying the reservoir (or various with analogous
geometry) that was most likely activated during the sequence. One of
the previously mapped faults could be geometrically compatible, yet our
study supports deeper sources. Based on this approach, the influence of the
main events in the occurrence of future and potentially damaging earthquakes
in the area would not be significant. |
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| ISSN: | 1869-9510 1869-9529 |