Shunsuke Takemura

Based on 3-D finite difference method simulations of seismic wave propagation, we examined the processes by which the complex, scattered high-frequency (f > 1 Hz) seismic wavefield during crustal earthquakes is developed due to heterogeneous structure, which includes small-scale velocity inhomogeneity in subsurface structure and irregular surface topography on the surface, and compared with observations from dense seismic networks in southwestern Japan. The simulations showed the process by whic

Abstract The spatial distributions of shallow slow earthquakes are related to stress accumulation and structural characteristics of the shallow plate boundary, which are important for understanding megathrust earthquakes. To investigate spatiotemporal variation of shallow very low frequency earthquake (SVLFE) activity along the Nankai Trough, we conducted centroid moment tensor inversion method incorporating effects of offshore heterogeneous structures. By applying centroid moment tensor method

Abstract The spatiotemporal characteristics of shallow slow earthquake activity are linked to the tectonic environments of shallow plate boundaries. In this work, the spatiotemporal variations of shallow very low frequency earthquake (SVLFE) activity along the Nankai Trough were investigated using a cross‐correlation analysis. The SVLFEs migrated or spread eastward along the strike direction of the trench during large SVLFE episodes. Migrations and clusters of SVLFEs suggest the occurrence of sh

Abstract Slow earthquakes occur at deep and shallow plate boundaries along the Nankai Trough. Deep slow earthquakes are continuously distributed along the 30–40 km depth contours of the upper surface of the subducted Philippine Sea Plate. In contrast, shallow slow earthquakes occur in limited regions: Hyuga-nada, off Cape Muroto, and southeast off the Kii Peninsula. This review provides an overview of the up-to-date seismological, geodetic, geological, and experimental results in the shallow Nan

SUMMARY Due to complex 3-D heterogeneous structures, conventional 1-D analysis techniques using onshore seismograms can yield incorrect estimation of earthquake source parameters, especially dip angles and centroid depths of offshore earthquakes. Combining long-term onshore seismic observations and numerical simulations of seismic wave propagation in a 3-D model, we conducted centroid moment tensor (CMT) inversions of earthquakes along the Nankai Trough between April 2004 and August 2019 to eval

Abstract Cross‐correlation analysis was applied to long‐term onshore broadband records from April 2004 to March 2021 to detect and relocate shallow very low frequency earthquakes (VLFEs) southeast off the Kii Peninsula, along the Nankai Trough, Japan. We then determined the moment rate functions of detected shallow VLFEs using the Monte Carlo‐based simulated annealing method. According to this new comprehensive catalog, shallow VLFEs are widespread beneath the accretionary prism toe, but shallow

SUMMARY The source characteristics of offshore seismic events, especially regular (or fast) and slow earthquakes, can provide key information on their source physics and frictional conditions at the plate boundary. Due to strong 3-D heterogeneities in offshore regions, such as those relating to sea water, accretionary prism and small-scale velocity heterogeneity, conventional methods using a 1-D earth model may mis-estimate source parameters such as the duration and radiation energy. Estimations

Frequency-dependent model of the apparent radiation pattern has been extensively incorporated into engineering and scientific applications for high-frequency seismic waves, but distance-dependent properties have not yet been fully taken into account. We investigated the unified characteristics of frequency and distance dependences in both apparent P- and S-wave radiation patterns during local crustal earthquakes. Observed distortions of the apparent P- and S-wave radiation patterns could be simp

Abstract We conducted centroid moment tensor inversions of shallow very low frequency earthquakes (SVLFEs) that occurred around off the southeast Kii Peninsula, Japan. A set of Green's functions was evaluated using numerical simulations of seismic wave propagation in a three‐dimensional velocity structure model, including the subducting Philippine Sea slab and the accretionary prism. We used observed seismograms for periods of 20–50 s at an onshore broadband network, which enable us to investiga

Frequency and distance changes in the apparent P-wave radiation pattern (0.75-12 Hz) are investigated using velocity seismograms of shallow strike-slip earthquakes occurring in Chugoku region, southwestern Japan. Data from a dense seismic monitoring network revealed that the four-lobe apparent P-wave radiation pattern was gradually distorted with increasing frequency and propagation distance. Observed features suggest that seismic wave scattering due to smallscale velocity heterogeneity in the c

The southeast offshore Mie earthquake occurred on April 1, 2016 near the rupture area of the 1944 Tonankai earthquake, where seismicity around the interface of the Philippine Sea plate had been very low until this earthquake. Since this earthquake occurred outside of seismic arrays, the focal mechanism and depth were not precisely constrained using a one-dimensional velocity model, as in a conventional approach. We conducted a moment tensor inversion of this earthquake by using a three-dimension

To conduct practical evaluations of the long-period ground motions (period of 4 to 8 s) in a laterally inhomogeneous large sedimentary basin, we constructed a three-dimensional (3D) sedimentary velocity structure model for the northern Kanto Basin in Japan using a simple velocity gradient function, where strong lateral variations of seismic velocities in the sediments were expected. The model construction employs waveform analysis and geophysical data from vertical seismic profiling and microtre

Abstract We detected shallow very low frequency earthquakes (VLFEs) off the Cape Muroto and Kii Channel in the Nankai subduction zone and estimated their moment rate functions. Combining the new and previously estimated catalogs, we obtained the comprehensive catalog of shallow VLFE moment rate functions along the Nankai Trough. We defined the shallow VLFE swarms and investigated the scaling relationships of their cumulative moments, activity area, and durations in each region. Detected swarms w

Systematic difference between first-motion and waveform-inversion solutions for shallow offshore earthquakes was examined by using the seismograms of the 2016 Off Mie (Mw 5.8) earthquake occurred at a depth of 14 km southeast off of the Kii peninsula, central Japan. Observed seismograms illustrated first arrivals with an apparent velocity of 7.2 km/s, which is faster than crustal P waves. The apparent velocity and polarization pattern of the first arrivals were reproduced by a finite-difference