Earthquake Source Parameters of Active Faults for Seismic Potential Assessment in the Chianan Region of Taiwan

Earthquake Source Parameters of Active Faults for Seismic Potential Assessment in the Chianan Region of Taiwan

The Chiayi and Tainan(Chianan) regions in southwestern Taiwan are scattered by several active faults that have induced massive earthquakes. The seismicity is generally quite high and widespread in this region. The potential of disastrous earthquakes is expected to be high in the near future. Therefore, the present study aims to monitor micro-earthquakes activity in the Chianan region for three years. The monitoring data will provide important information about recent seismicity and the source parameters of active faults, which are indispensable in assessing the seismic potential for the Chianan region. Twenty-one highly-sensitive broadband stations were installed to develop a regional network covering the Chiayi County and City, Tainan City, and adjacent foothills, as well as the adjoining major seismogenic area. Almost 1,200 earthquakes were observed by this network in the first two years. The data were processed and analyzed periodically to evaluate the seismicity of the Chianan region. The earthquake relocations and focal mechanism solutions were also studied to understand the probable seismogenic structures and source ruptures.