Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America
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Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America; April 1979; v. 69; no. 2; p. 427-444
© 1979 Seismological Society of America
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Secondary faulting near the terminus of a seismogenic strike-slip fault: Aftershocks of the 1976 Guatemala earthquake

C. J. LANGER and G. A. BOLLINGER

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, BOX 25046, STOP 966DENVER FEDERAL CENTER, DENVER, COLORADO 80225
DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY, BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA 24061

Abstract

Aftershocks of the February 4, 1976 Guatemalan earthquake (Ms = 7.5) were monitored by a network of portable seismographs from February 9 to February 27. Although seismic data were obtained all along the 230-km surface rupture of the causal Motagua fault, the field program was designed to concentrate on the aftershock activity at the western terminus of the fault. Data from that locale revealed several linear or near-linear trends of aftershock epicenters that splay to the southwest away from the western end of the main fault. These trends correlate spatially with mapped surface lineaments and, to some degree, with ground breakage patterns near Guatemala City. The observed splay pattern of aftershocks and the normal-faulting mode of the splay earthquakes determined from composite focal mechanism solutions, may be explained by a theoretical pattern of stress trajectories at the terminus of a strike-slip fault. Composite focal mechanism solutions for aftershocks located on or near the surface break of the Motagua fault, to the north and east of the linear trend splay area, agree with the mapped surface movements, i.e., left-lateral strike-slip.




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