BEST-GNS Network: Seismic and GPS Observations in the Solomon Islands
摘要
The Solomon Islands comprises a doubly-vergent subduction system situated on the southwestern margin of the Pacific, between the Pacific and Australian plates. As a region with a high seismic rate, the Solomon Islands have experienced several large earthquakes over the past few decades, underscoring the importance of obtaining detailed seismological and geodetic data in the area. These data can help provide a more detailed understanding of seismic activity and seismogenic structures that can be applied to enhance preparedness for, and the mitigation of, catastrophic earthquakes. With this in mind, Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council funded the Bridging Earth Science and Technology (BEST) project. The BEST-GNS network is comprised of 10 GPS and 9 seismic stations deployed by the BEST project in the northwestern Solomon Islands and 5 seismic stations of New Zealand’s Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited (GNS) in the southeast. In this paper we review the results of BEST project seismic and GPS data in the western Solomon Islands and combine it with new, ongoing work using the BEST-GNS network in the eastern Solomon Islands. The hypocenters from the BEST-GNS network reveal smaller magnitude events and clustered seismic data that define various seismogenic structures along the Solomon Islands. The earthquake distribution indicates double subduction, with the Pacific and Australian plates subducting inward and both remaining active. Shallow seismicity where the Woodlark Plate subducts reflects the young and warm characteristics of the crust. The South Solomon slab varies from northwest to southeast, transitioning from an open, shallow structure to a more centered, steeper one. Earthquakes at the end of the subduction clearly define a steeply dipping cluster in the region between Makira and Guadalcanal, and we propose that this thrust-dominated cluster provides evidence for the geometry of the termination of the South Solomon subducting slab against the strike-slip Makira-Santa Cruz Transform. Based on our GPS measurements, the high coupling patches associated with the 2007 earthquake rupture segment likely indicate a semi-permanent asperity on the subducting Woodlark Plate, characterized by rough seafloor topography. In contrast, the currently low coupling patches on the 2010 earthquake rupture segment may only represent the presence of a seismic barrier. Finally, by utilizing the continuous recorded by our seismic stations, we develop 1D velocity models that reveal detailed crustal structure beneath the Solomon Islands.