A Review of Earthquake Source Parameters in the Main Ethiopian Rift

Abstract

We assessed earthquake source parameters compiled from previous studies and international databases. In addition, moment tensor inversion is made from the broadband seismic data of two earthquakes that occurred in the region in 2017 and 2018 with magnitudes Mw 5.0 and 5.1, respectively. As a result, the two events’ reliable source parameters are retrieved. We found that earthquakes are distributed in the rift floor, at margins and adjacent plateaus. Because the majority of earthquakes occur on the rift floor, deformation is most likely caused by strain accumulation transferred from border faults to magmatic segments along the rift floor. Predominantly normal faulting is observed, but some strike-slip events are also observed. Normal faulting mechanisms are consistent with major plate divergence, whereas the strike-slip components observed in the region might be associated with the counterclockwise rotation of the Danakil microplate, and the mechanism would indicate an oblique-slip deformation between the Nubian plate and the Danakil microplate. However, the focal mechanism obtained from the moment tensor inversion for the Mw 5.1 event indicates dominant normal faulting accompanied by a minor strike-slip component at the western margin of Afar, whereas the Mw 5.0 event has a significant strike-slip component at the central part of MER. The majority of focal depths of earthquakes are found within the upper crust, including the 2017 (Mw 5.0) event with a focal depth of 9.7 km that was computed using moment tensor inversion. A significant number of earthquakes are also found within the lower crust, including the 2018 (Mw 5.1) event with a focal depth of 20.2 km. However, earthquakes with focal depths within the upper mantle are also found in the compiled international database, which may not be consistent with the previously published works in the region. The observed focal depth may suggest a widespread deformation throughout the upper and lower crusts, implying that magmatic intrusions and faulting play a central role in facilitating the seismicity of the main Ethiopian rift (MER). The current investigation will provide further information on the earthquake source parameters and seismogenic depth of earthquake occurrence in the MER.