The 2009 L'Aquila (central Italy) MW6.3 earthquake: Main shock and aftershocks
Top Cited Papers
Open Access
- 30 September 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Geophysical Research Letters
- Vol. 36 (18)
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2009gl039627
Abstract
A MW 6.3 earthquake struck on April 6, 2009 the Abruzzi region (central Italy) producing vast damage in the L'Aquila town and surroundings. In this paper we present the location and geometry of the fault system as obtained by the analysis of main shock and aftershocks recorded by permanent and temporary networks. The distribution of aftershocks, 712 selected events with ML ≥ 2.3 and 20 with ML ≥ 4.0, defines a complex, 40 km long, NW trending extensional structure. The main shock fault segment extends for 15–18 km and dips at 45° to the SW, between 10 and 2 km depth. The extent of aftershocks coincides with the surface trace of the Paganica fault, a poorly known normal fault that, after the event, has been quoted to accommodate the extension of the area. We observe a migration of seismicity to the north on an echelon fault that can rupture in future large earthquakes.Keywords
This publication has 17 references indexed in Scilit:
- Finite fault inversion of DInSAR coseismic displacement of the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake (central Italy)Geophysical Research Letters, 2009
- Effect of Time Dependence on Probabilistic Seismic-Hazard Maps and Deaggregation for the Central Apennines, ItalyBulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 2009
- Active tectonics of the Adriatic region from GPS and earthquake slip vectorsJournal of Geophysical Research, 2008
- Background seismicity in the Central Apennines of Italy: The Abruzzo region case studyTectonophysics, 2007
- Connecting seismically active normal faults with Quaternary geological structures in a complex extensional environment: The Colfiorito 1997 case history (northern Apennines, Italy)Tectonics, 2005
- A new view of Italian seismicity using 20 years of instrumental recordingsPublished by Elsevier ,2004
- Defining a model of 3D seismogenic sources for Seismic Hazard Assessment applications: The case of central Apennines (Italy)Journal of Seismology, 2004
- Complex Normal Faulting in the Apennines Thrust-and-Fold Belt: The 1997 Seismic Sequence in Central ItalyBulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 2004
- Inversion of source parameters from near‐ and far‐field observations: An application to the 1915 Fucino earthquake, central Apennines, ItalyJournal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 1998
- The 1997 Umbria‐Marche, Italy, Earthquake Sequence: A first look at the main shocks and aftershocksGeophysical Research Letters, 1998