DETERMINATION OF INTERPLATE COUPLING ZONE IN THE SOUTH OF PERU AND

NORTH OF CHILE (15S-25S)

Vcto M!"#$% U&'$
1
( M!&o P!)o
2
A'*t!ct
South of Peru and North of Chile are charaterized to present a constant earthquake activity caused by
subduction of Nazca plate beneath Southdamerican Plate. Big earthquakes (!"#.#$ are origined in this
zone% implying long periods of deformation and accumulation of stress !hich at the moment of being
liberated% produce suddenly slips along seismogenic zones. &e had determined the updip and do!ndip
boundaries quantitatively from coupled zone bet!een '()S and *()S% since the analysis of earthquake
activity and integrating !ith thermal and geodesical models. +ata used belong to ,SC catalogue% !hich
are relocated by Combined -ypocentral +etermination ethod (.-+$. /esults permited us to determined
the limits of interplate coupled zone. &e found that updip is controled thermally ('001'(0)C$% obtaining
depth bet!een '( to '2 3m.% do!dip limit !as calculated for (( to 4# km of depth.
5igure '. ap of the
rupture area from big
interplate subdcuction
earthquakes of magnitud
!"#.#. (6avera 7
Bernal% *00($. /ed zone
correspond to a gap from
8rica elbo!. Blue zones
correspond to rupture
zones of recent 8requipa
seismicity from Peru
(8requipa *9:04:*00'$
and Chile (6ocopilla
';:'':*00#$% !hich
delimited the gap.
SEISMOTECTONIC CONFIGURATION
Currently study comprend Central 8ndes in the area called <8rica elbo!= !hich comprend from '()S to
*()S. 6ectonic activity is characterized by subduction of Nazca Plate beneath Southdamerican Plate. 6his
activity present a constant deformation and uplift from the 8ndean Chain during the last *0 a (Soler 7
S>brier% '220$.
6his uplift had created morphostructure on the Southdamerican Plate !hich characterized 8nden /ange?
Backarc @one% Aolcanic 8rch% Bccidental /ange and Briental /ange% 8ltiplane% Puna and Subandean
zone. Ceometry of subducted Nazca Plate% can define active vulcanism zones% !hich are development
along almost all 8rica elbo! and around the 8ltiplane. Central 8ndes present no!adays volcanic activity%
!ith a eDception bet!een ,sluga and ,rutupuncu volcano ('2.()S y *')S$ (&ormer et al.% *000a$.
1
G#+o )$ &",$*t&-!c&." T$ct."&c! U"&,$*&)!) N!c&o"!% /!0o )$ S!" M!co* 1 P$2
2
D$+!t!/$"to )$ G$o3*&c! 1 U"&,$*&)!) )$ C4&%$5
5rom historical seismicity and currently seismicity subduction generate big earthquakes in Chile and
Peru. Earthquakes !ith magnitude !"#.# !ere originated in the seismological contac of both plates
especifically in the interface bet!een '0 and 40 3m of depth (6ichellar 7 /uff% '22'F Comte et al.%
'22;F$. 5igure ' sho!s the main earthquakes !hich !ere ocurred in the studied area. 6his data sho!s no
!"#.# seismic events since the start of GG century% making an important seismic gap% !ith a high
potential to create a big earthquake. ,n the last '0 years% it has ocurred important earthquakes outside of
this <seismic breach=% in the south of Peru !e have an earthquake in 8requipa% from .une *9rd% *00'
(!HI.;$% and in the north of Chile both 8ntofagasta earthquak from .uly 90th% '22( (!HI.'$% and
6ocopilla earthquake November ';th% *00# (!H#.#$.
DATA
,nternational Seismological Centre (,SC$ catalogue !ith teleseismic data.
6emporal Catalogue implemented by Crange ('2I;$.
&e obtained focal mechanism data from Seismic oment 6ensor1 Centroide determined by -arvard
Jniversity (CC6$. 6his data base allo! to kno!? location in time and space of centroide% orientation of
the rupture zone (focal mechanism$% seismic moment (o$ and geometric parameters responsible of the
fault. &e has taken focal mechanism data from CC6 catalogue for period 0':0':'2I( to '*:9':*004 1
similar period for seismic data 1% having !ith a 40( solution in total% taken from shallo! to deep depth (0
K #00 3m$.
6his data !as relocated after% from lecture of the phases reported by ,SC% in this !ay !e improve the
hipocentral location.
SEISMIC RELOCALIZATION (6HD)5
Program .-+I2 !as developed by +e!ey ('2#'$ to determined hipocenter by minimum square% using
arriving time from P% pP and S% in addition% it uses time interval bet!een coupled phases (S1P$% using one
or group of seismic reference data (master seismic$% !hich allo! to determine time correction for stations.
6hen% locations obtained by the technique <master event and the program .-+ is better than used
individual locations. -o!ever% !e need to clarify the importance that master events have to have a
eDcellent hipocentral location% because the quality of the master event is directly related !ith
relocalization. 6hen% eDit of the relocalization depend in the localization of the master events.
DISCUSSION
Continuos friction bet!een Nazca Plate and Southdamerican Plate give origin to violent seismic kno!n
along history of Peru and Chile (Silgado% '2#IF +orbath et al.% '220bF Comte 7 Pardo% '22'$. 6his
friction is made along all the contact surface. 6hese areas are kno!n like Linterplate coupling zoneM. 6his
contact zone can be determined from rupture co1seismic data !ith geodesic measures (3hazaradze 7
3lotz% *009$ and% from aftershock analysis of big earthquakes (! N#.#$ (6ichelaar 7 /uff% '22'$.
1
G#+o )$ &",$*t&-!c&." T$ct."&c! U"&,$*&)!) N!c&o"!% /!0o )$ S!" M!co* 1 P$2
2
D$+!t!/$"to )$ G$o3*&c! 1 U"&,$*&)!) )$ C4&%$5
6he main seismogenic zones !ere described by Shimamoto et al. ('229$% from rupture process of fault.
6his zone present * boundaries? updip aseismic% and don!dip. Jsing relocated sesimicity from ,SC% !e
proyected I seismological sections% to analyze depth distribution.
,n the seismological section% !e can see shallo! seismicity in the backarc% especifically in the interplate
zone% it starts their activity bet!een '( and *0 3m. of depth and it correlates very good !ith isotherms
'001'(0)C. 5or more deep sediments they !ill present more deshidratation then change in physics
properties of materials. ,f the updip of coupled zone comprend bet!een '(1*0 3m% then it !ill eDist a
transition aseismic1zone. 6his transition zone is observerd clearly in the 5ig. (red sector$% representing a
stable zone (Scholz% '22I$% !hich could be eDplain like friction stage% and could be related !ith the
temperature% pressure and lithology of the zone.
+o!ndip boundary of couple zone% could be estimated by t!o solutions? a$ -o! !ell it is controlled
thermally% because !e observe a rock behaviour (fragile1ductile$% !hich is made at ;(0 )C. ,n other !ords
bet!een 9(0 and ;(0)C it is considered a stable region% and not a seismic zone. b$ Correlating our data
(seismicity$% !ith a geodesic model called +islocation Elastic 8ndean odel (8E+$% developed by
3hazaradze 7 3lotz (*009$% !hich measures deformation of the earth along seismic cycle. 5or don!dip
boundary !e could observe clearly a transition zone !hich alternate !ith seismic slip of aseismic zone%
called slip1stick !hich have a fragile material. 6his model determined the do!ndip boundary bet!een (0
and (( 3m. of depth for the studied area. Bur results for don!dip boundary sho!s a slightly variation
!ith geodesic model (3hazaradze 7 3lotz% *009$. &e located do!ndip boundary at (( to 4# 3m (6abla
(.*$. 8nd transition zone seismic1aseismic achieve until #( 3m of depth. ,n addition% section # and I
present a second strong seismic zone boundary by a gradient O;(0)C. Some authors suggest that this
temeperature is do!ndip boundary of coupled zone% for hot subduction zone relatively young% like Nazca
plate (6se 7 /ice '2I4$.
1
G#+o )$ &",$*t&-!c&." T$ct."&c! U"&,$*&)!) N!c&o"!% /!0o )$ S!" M!co* 1 P$2
2
D$+!t!/$"to )$ G$o3*&c! 1 U"&,$*&)!) )$ C4&%$5
5igure *. Seismic distribution in depth
of the main seisogenic zone using
relocated catalogue of ,SC. /ed zones
corespond to a stable behaviour% and
blue zones correspond to the block
zone.
REFERENCES5
&orner% C.% 3. -ammerschmidt% 5. -enPes13unst% .. Qezaun% and -. &ilke% Ceochronology (;08r:928r% 318r and
-e1eDposure ages$ of Cenozoic magmatic rocks from northern Chile ('IS1**S$? ,mplications for magmatism and
tectonic evolution of the central 8ndes% /ev. Ceol. Chile% *#% *0(K*;0% *000a.
6ichelaar% B.% and Q. /uff% Seismic coupling along the Chilean subduction zone% .. Ceophys. /es.% 24% ''%22#K'*%0**%
'22'.
Comte% +.% and . Pardo% /eappraisal of Creat -istorical Earthquakes in the Northern Chile and Southern Peru
Seismic Caps% Natural -azards% ;% *9K;;% '22'.
Crange% 5.% P. Cunningham% +. -atzfeld% S. /oecker% P. olnar% 8. /odriguez% C. Suarez% and Q. Bcola% 6ectonic
implications of the micro1earthquake seismicity and fault plane solutions in the southern Peru% .. Ceophys. /es.% I2%
4'92K4'(*% '2I;.
+e!ey% ..&.% Seismicity studies !ith the method of Poin hipocenter determination. Ph+ 6hesis. Jniversity of
Californnia% Berkeley. '2#'.
3hazaradze% C.% and .. 3lotz% Short1 and long1term effects of CPS measured crustal deformation rates along the south
central 8ndes% .. Ceophys. /es.% '0I% 'K'(% *009.
1
G#+o )$ &",$*t&-!c&." T$ct."&c! U"&,$*&)!) N!c&o"!% /!0o )$ S!" M!co* 1 P$2
2
D$+!t!/$"to )$ G$o3*&c! 1 U"&,$*&)!) )$ C4&%$5