Macrossismicity associated with the Arraiolos earthquake of January 15, 2018 with M = 4.9 and possible implications in the geometry of the rupture

Abstract

We performed a study about the macrossismicity associated to the Arraiolos (Portugal) earthquake, that occurred on January 15th, (M = 4.9), in order to construct a map of seismic intensities. The fieldwork took place in the second half of January, using the questionnaire available in the website of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA). We provided the same questionnaire on the internet, and collected responses from many parts of the country. The results obtained allowed to construct a map of intensi- ties showing a clear elongation of the intensities in a N-S direction. This orientation can be explained by the differences in the behaviour of seismic waves depending on the nature of the rocks or by a directivity effect associated with the rupture along a fault with this direction. On the one hand, an earthquake of magnitude 4.9 will hardly have the capacity to produce a directivity effect, however on the other hand the analysis of the Portuguese Geological Map seems to discard the first hypothesis. The IPMA provides on its website, a strike slip focal mechanism for this earthquake (E-W dextral and N-S sinistral). The conjugation of this focal mechanism with the distribution of intensities, seems to reinforce the hypothesis of rupture along an N-S fault plane. Similar focal mechanisms are known, associated with other earthquakes that occurred in this region, but previous works propose that they are related, not to N-S ruptures, but to WNW-ESE structures present in the region, with geolog- ical and geomorphological evidence of recent tectonic activity. In this type of studies, there is always a factor of subjectivity inherent to the sensitivity of the people who were questioned, so these data are not sufficient to clearly affirm that the earthquake occurred associated with a N-S-trending fault. The com- bination of these data with the information published in previous works allows to consider the possibility that the "Arraiolos seismic cluster" corresponds to an intersection of active WNW-ESE and N-S strike slip faults. Assuming that there are alternating ruptures in both systems, temporary block occurs in the system that has been cut, leading to a local stress concentration. Though, a movement that in depth can be ductile, aseismic throughout most of the area of the faults, in the zone of intersection of the two systems the crust will have to respond necessarily as brittle, generating earthquakes and explaining the existence of this seismic cluster.