Temporal changes of seismic velocities in the San Jacinto Fault zone associated with the 2016 Mw 5.2 Borrego Springs earthquake

Abstract

We study temporal changes of seismic velocities associated with the 10 June 2016 Mw 5.2 Borrego Springs earthquake in the San Jacinto fault zone, using nine component Green's function estimates reconstructed from daily cross correlations of ambient noise. The analysed data are recorded by stations in two dense linear arrays, at Dry Wash (DW) and Jackass Flat (JF), crossing the fault surface trace ∼3 km northwest and southeast of the event epicentre. The two arrays have 9 and 12 stations each with instrument spacing of 25-100 m. Relative velocity changes (δv/v) are estimated from arrival time changes in the daily correlation coda waveforms compared to a reference stack. The obtained array-average δv/v time-series exhibit changes associated with the Borrego Springs event, superposed with seasonal variations. The earthquake-related changes are characterized by a rapid coseismic velocity drop followed by a gradual recovery. This is consistently observed at both arrays using time-and frequency-domain δv/v analyses with data from different components in various frequency bands. Larger changes at lower frequencies imply that the variations are not limited to the near surface material. A decreasing coseismic velocity reduction with coda wave lapse time indicates larger coseismic structural perturbations in the fault zone and near-fault environment compared to the surrounding rock. Observed larger changes at the DW array compared to the JF array possibly reflect the northwestward rupture directivity of the Borrego Springs earthquake.