The 14 April 2012 Koyna Earthquake of Mw 4.8: Insights into active tectonics of the Koyna region

摘要

The 14 April 2012 earthquake of M_w 4.8 is the best monitored event in the Koyna region, a globally significant site of reservoir triggered seismicity in western India. Hence, investigation of this event assumes great importance, also considering its epicentral location close to that of the 1967 Koyna earthquake of M 6.3, the world's largest reservoir triggered earthquake. Inversion of P-wave amplitude data along with the first motion polarities at 30 digital seismic stations provides a well-constrained strike-slip type focal mechanism solution, similar to that of the 1967 earthquake. The mechanism is further confirmed by moment tensor inversion of 3-component waveform data recorded at the three nearest broadband stations. The depth distribution of the aftershocks clearly delineates a NNE-SSW trending fault plane dipping about 78° to the WNW and coinciding with the trend of the Donachiwada fault, as well as the left-lateral fault plane of the focal mechanism solution obtained. The precise location, focal mechanism and the seismicity distribution from our dense network indicate that the activity in the Koyna region is mainly controlled by the NNE-SSW trending Donachiwada (D) fault zone rather than the Koyna River Fault Zone (KRFZ) on the west as suggested previously.