The preliminary study of the 4 March 2010 Mw 6.3 Jiasian, Taiwan earthquake sequence

Abstract

On 4 March 2010, an inland Mw 6.3 earthquake occurred near the town of Jiasian in Kaohsiung County, Taiwan causing large ground shaking and extensive Earthquake Damage. In this study, we integrate the records from the Central Weather Bureau Seismic Network (CWBSN) and Taiwan Strong Motion Instrumentation Program (TSMIP) to obtain the relocated earthquake sequence and its first-motion focal mechanisms. This dataset offers us precise and reliable results which suggest a focal depth of 23 km and a possible fault plane of strike 313°, dip 41°, and rake 42° for the Jiasian earthquake. This fault plane significantly differs from the N-S striking Chaochou Fault (CCF) as well as the principal trend of Taiwan orogenic belt, and should be an undiscovered fault in southern Taiwan. The relocated Jiasian earthquake sequence initiating from the 23-km-deep mainshock and terminating at around 10 km in depth also indicates it is a blind fault. Peak ground acceleration (PGA) and peak ground velocity (PGV) recorded by the TSMIP stations reveal a distinct NW-SE-shape pattern from the epicenter area toward the Chiayi region, likely due to the directivity and site effects. Such phenomena should be considered for future regional hazard assessments.