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The Hakodate Plain in the southern part of the Oshima Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan, is a sedimentary basin surrounded by mountains. The vertical displacements caused by active faults along the western margin of the Hakodate Plain increased the basin depth in the western part of the Hakodate Plain. Small-to-large-sized microtremor array surveys were conducted at five sites in the Hakodate Plain to estimate the S-wave velocity structure down to the seismic bedrock for each site to develop a detailed velocity structure model. A new three-dimensional velocity structure model of the Hakodate Plain was developed by integrating the results of microtremor array surveys and other existing geophysical explorations data. This three-dimensional velocity model was modeled as a stack of homogeneous isotropic layers to facilitate its incorporation into the present nation-wide three-dimensional velocity model for ground motion prediction. The bottom depth of the Quaternary sediments is deep along the western margin of the Hakodate Plain. The total thickness of the Quaternary and Neogene sedimentary layers reaches 2.9 km in the western Hakodate Plain. The proposed velocity model was validated by gravity anomaly modeling and ground motion simulation of a moderate-sized inland earthquake. The location of the low-gravity anomaly around the coastline of the Hakodate Bay was improved using the new model. The numerical ground motion simulation using FDM also demonstrated that the amplification and long duration observed in the western part of the Hakodate Plain were reproduced effectively using this velocity model. The spatial variation in long-period ground motion amplifications (period > 1 s) is discussed based on numerical simulations utilizing our three-dimensional velocity model. The highest amplifications at periods of 4 and 5 s were expected in the southwestern Hakodate Plain. The amplification at a period of 3 s was relatively high near the western margin of the plain. Conversely, t

Deep tectonic tremors occur at the downdip extent of the seismogenic zone due to fluid processes. Beneath the northeastern Kii Peninsula, southwestern Japan, there is an along-dip bimodal distribution of tremor. However, no constraint exists on the structures controlling that distribution. We extract detailed seismological structures from multi-band receiver functions and evaluate conditional differences in the distribution. To achieve high resolution images along the plate interface, we utilize records of regional deep-focus earthquakes from the Pacific slab. Cross-section images show the subducting oceanic plate with depth-dependent phases along the bimodal distribution, revealing a conspicuous plate interface at the updip portion and an inconspicuous interface below the mantle wedge at the downdip portion. This indicates that episodic tremors occur in the high pore-fluid plate interface below the impermeable forearc crust, and that continual tremors occur at the permeable mantle wedge corner, owing to continuous fluid supply from the oceanic crust. [Plain Language Summary] Deep slow earthquakes have mainly been detected at the deeper extent of estimated large-slip regions of large-scale regular earthquakes in the Nankai subduction zone, southwestern Japan. Epicenters of tectonic tremors are also downdip-aligned. However, some clusters of continual tremor with frequent small bursts were found at further downdip portions beneath the northeastern Kii Peninsula. The complexity of the bimodal tremor distribution poses a structural question regarding whether the tectonic tremor occurs below a mantle wedge or below the continental crust. We utilize a receiver function method that surveys subsurface velocity boundaries and evaluate detailed seismological structures around the plate interface using a multi-band analysis. Furthermore, regional deep-focus earthquake records are effectively utilized for receiver function mapping. The high-frequency cross section exhibits dep

Strong near‐fault ground motions associated with the M[JMA] 7.3 mainshock of the 2016 Kumamoto, central Kyushu, Japan, earthquake sequence have received attention by seismological and engineering communities. In this study, the kinematic source rupture process was reanalyzed based on an improved approach for the representation of source faults. The slips at densely distributed point sources were defined via the bilinear interpolation of those at surrounding control points. The result shows that the rupture started on the Hinagu fault with a small initial rupture and propagated beyond the junction to the Futagawa fault. The rupture on the Futagawa fault mainly propagated up and northeastward. A large slip area with a peak slip of 4.9 m and peak slip velocity of 3.1 m/s was detected at depths ranging from 3 to 15 km in the central part of the Futagawa fault. This asperity spatially coincides with a body with moderate‐seismic velocity (⁠VP∼6 km/s⁠) and low‐seismic attenuation. The slips on the Futagawa fault have significant normal‐slip components, whereas the slip vectors of the Hinagu fault represent almost pure right‐lateral strike slip. The shallower part of the fault segments in the western Aso caldera is characterized by relatively large normal slips. The estimated slip‐velocity functions at shallower depths (⁠<3 km⁠) are almost temporally symmetric and relatively long. The shallower portion of the source fault significantly contributes to the velocity and displacement waveforms at near‐fault sites. On the contrary, the slip‐velocity functions at deeper depths (⁠>3 km⁠) are temporally asymmetric and have a sharp peak. The simulation of the ground‐motion evolution suggests that the lateral flow in the Aso Valley was primarily triggered by the strong forward‐directivity pulse generated from the asperity on the Futagawa fault.

To elucidate the spatial variation in period‐dependent seismic radiation for the 2011 Ibaraki‐oki earthquake (Mw 7.9) in Japan, we applied a multiple‐period‐band source inversion approach to near‐source strong‐motion waveforms of this earthquake. We estimated source models of this earthquake in three successive period bands (5–10, 10–25, and 25–50 s) using strong‐motion data and Green's functions based on a 3‐D velocity structure model. The source models in the period bands of 10–25 and 25–50 s had large slips in the area to the south and southeast of the hypocenter in the depth range of 23–35 km, while the large slip area for the source model in the period band of 5–10 s was located in the deeper region ~30 km west of the hypocenter in the depth range of 35–45 km. These results indicate that long‐period (10–25 and 25–50 s) and short‐period (5–10 s) seismic waves were predominantly radiated from these different regions along the dip direction during the 2011 Ibaraki‐oki earthquake. This along‐dip variation in the dominant period of seismic radiation can be explained by the variation in scale in unstable sliding patches according to depth.

The source rupture process of the 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake (MJMA 6.7) was analyzed by a kinematic waveform inversion method using strong-motion data in 0.04–0.5 Hz. This earthquake occurred close to the Hidaka Collision Zone and the Ishikari depression, where the crustal structure is rather complex. Thus, we used a three-dimensional velocity structure model to compute the theoretical Green’s functions by the finite difference method. A source fault model with strike-angle variation was set based on the spatial distribution of the early aftershocks. The strong-motion stations used for the source inversion were selected based on the result of forward ground motion simulation of a moderate aftershock. The slip in the first 5 s was relatively small, but an area of significant slip with peak slip of 1.7 m was found in the depth range from 22 to 32 km. The rupture propagated upward mainly in the southwest direction. Based on the regional crustal structure and the configuration of the Moho discontinuity, the large-slip area was thought to be located in the lower crust, and its rupture did not reach the upper part of the continental crust. Most of the early aftershocks occurred around the large-slip area. The later aftershocks at the depth shallower than 20 km occurred outside the causative source fault of the mainshock. Three-dimensional ground motion simulation demonstrated that the heterogeneous source process and the three-dimensional basin and crustal velocity structure brought a large velocity pulse to an area to the southwest of the source fault, where the largest PGV was observed during the mainshock. The spatial distribution of the simulated PGV resembled the observed PGV distribution except some sites located inside the Ishikari depression where thick Quaternary soft low-velocity sediments exist at the top of the basin.

Inter-station cross-correlation functions estimated using continuous ambient noise or microtremor records were used to extract the seismic wave propagation characteristics of the Osaka sedimentary basin, Japan. Temporary continuous observations were conducted at 15 sites in the Osaka basin between 2011 and 2013. The data were analyzed using seismic interferometry. The target period range was 2–8 s. Cross-correlations between all of the possible station pairs were calculated and stacked to produce a year-long data set, and Rayleigh wave signals in the vertical and radial components and Love wave signals in the transverse component were identified from the results. Simulation of inter-station Green’s functions using the finite difference method was conducted to check the performance of the current three-dimensional velocity structure model. The measured time lag between the observed and theoretical Green’s functions was less than 2 s for most station pairs, which is less than the wave period of interest in the target frequency range. Group velocity tomography was applied to group delay times estimated by means of multiple filter analysis. The estimated group velocities for longer periods of 5–8 s exhibited spatial variation within the basin, which is consistent with the bedrock depth distribution; however, the group velocities for shorter periods of 2–3 s were almost constant over the studied area. The waveform and group velocity information obtained by seismic interferometry analysis can be useful for future reconstruction of a three-dimensional velocity structure model in the Osaka basin.

In the estimation of spatiotemporal slip models, kinematic source inversions using Akaike's Bayesian Information Criterion (ABIC) and the multiple-time-window method have often been used. However, there are cases in which conventional ABIC-based source inversions do not work well in the determination of hyperparameters when a non-negative slip constraint is used. In order to overcome this problem, a new source inversion method was developed in this study. The new method introduces a fully Bayesian method into the kinematic multiple-time-window source inversion. The multiple-time-window method is one common way of parametrizing a source time function and is highly flexible in terms of the shape of the source time function. The probability distributions of model parameters and hyperparameters can be directly obtained by using the Markov chain Monte Carlo method. These probability distributions are useful for simply evaluating the uniqueness and reliability of the derived model, which is another advantage of a fully Bayesian method. This newly developed source inversion method was applied to the 2011 Ibaraki-oki, Japan, earthquake (Mw 7.9) to demonstrate its usefulness. It was demonstrated that the problem with using the conventional ABIC-based source inversion method for hyperparameter determination appeared in the spatiotemporal source inversion of this event and that the newly developed source inversion could overcome this problem.

The 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence started with an MJMA 6.5 foreshock occurring along the northern part of the Hinagu fault, central Kyushu, Japan, and the MJMA 7.3 mainshock occurred just 28 h after the foreshock. We analyzed the source rupture processes of the foreshock and mainshock by using the kinematic waveform inversion technique on strong motion data. The foreshock was characterized by right-lateral strike-slip occurring on a nearly vertical fault plane along the northern part of the Hinagu fault, and it had two large-slip areas: one near the hypocenter and another at a shallow depth. The rupture of the mainshock started from the deep portion of a northwest-dipping fault plane along the northern part of the Hinagu fault, then continued to transfer to the Futagawa fault. Most of the significant slip occurred on the Futagawa fault, and the shallow portion of the Hinagu fault also had a relatively large slip. The slip amount on the shallowest subfaults along the Futagawa fault was approximately 1–4 m, which is consistent with the emergence of surface breaks associated with this earthquake. Right-lateral strike-slip dominated on the fault segment along the Hinagu fault, but normal-slip components were estimated to make a significant contribution on the fault segment along the Futagawa fault. The large fault-parallel displacements recorded at two near-fault strong motion stations coincided with the spatiotemporal pattern of the fault slip history during the mainshock. The spatial relationship between the rupture areas of the foreshock and mainshock implies a complex fault structure in this region.

The source-rupture process of the 2011 Ibaraki-oki earthquake was estimated from the joint inversion of the strong-motion and global positioning system (GPS) data. The estimated seismic moment and maximum slip are 7.8 × 1020 Nm (Mw 7.9) and 6.3 m, respectively. The total rupture duration is approximately 30 s. The derived source model has one large slip area, which is surrounded by the subducted seamount and the northeastern edge of the Philippine Sea plate. From this model, we concluded that the rupture propagation of the 2011 Ibaraki-oki earthquake was stopped by the seamount and the Philippine Sea plate. We also showed the possibility of the rupture of this event being the reactivation of the preexisting asperity of an event that occurred in 1923.

The source model of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, which is composed of four strong motion generation areas (SMGAs), is estimated based on the broadband strong ground motion simulations in the frequency range 0.1–10 Hz using the empirical Green’s function method. Two strong motion generation areas are identified in the Miyagi-oki region west of the hypocenter. Another two strong motion generation areas are located in the Fukushima-oki region southwest of the hypocenter. The strong ground motions in the frequency range 0.1–10 Hz along the Pacific coast are mainly controlled by these SMGAs. All the strong motion generation areas exist in the deeper portion of the source fault plane. The stress drops of the four SMGAs range from 6.6 to 27.8 MPa, which are similar to estimations for past M 7-class events occurring in this region. Compared with the slip models and aftershock distributions of past interplate earthquakes in the Miyagi-oki and Fukushima-oki regions since the 1930s, the SMGAs of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake spatially correspond to the asperities of M 7-class events in 1930s. In terms of broadband strong ground motions, the 2011 Tohoku earthquake is not only a tsunamigenic event with a huge coseismic slip near the trench but is also a complex event simultaneously rupturing pre-existing asperities.

The source-rupture process during the 2007 Noto Hanto earthquake, which was a reverse-faulting event located near the western coast of the Noto peninsula in central Japan, was estimated by the kinematic linear waveform inversion method. The waveform inversion was conducted by jointly using velocity waveforms recorded at 12 near-source strong-motion stations and static horizontal displacements recorded at 19 Global Positioning System (GPS) stations. In order to implement reliable Green’s functions into the inversion, a one-dimensional underground velocity structure for each individual strong-motion station was modeled through waveform modeling of an aftershock. The waveform inversion result showed the following image of the source-rupture process. The larger slip concentrated in the vicinity of the hypocenter, and it extended to the shallow portion of the source fault with a maximum slip of 5.1 m. The whole source process was characterized by the total seismic moment of 1.57×10[19] N · m (Mw 6.7) with the rupture duration of approximately 9 s. The obtained source model explained observed strong ground motions and GPS-measured static horizontal displacements well. The slip distribution correlated well with the spatiotemporal aftershock distribution, and the northeast end of the rupture was blocked by the resistive structure in the crust. From these facts, the 2007 Noto Hanto earthquake could be concluded as reactivation of preexisting seafloor active faults, F14 and F15, which were reported by the previous geophysical and geological surveys off the shore of the Noto peninsula.

The kinematic source rupture process of the 2004 Chuetsu, mid-Niigata prefecture, Japan, earthquake, is estimated from strong-motion data by the linear waveform inversion method. In order to develop appropriate Green’s functions, one-dimensional velocity structure models for each station are constructed by modeling the aftershock waveforms. The estimated top of the bedrock is deeper at the western side of the fault and relatively shallow at the eastern side. This tendency coincides with other investigations of seismic tomography and microtremor array observations. The obtained source model shows large slips in the vicinity of the hypocenter. The reverse slipping rupture originated from the deeper part of the fault and propagated toward the up-dip and southwest directions. The near-surface slip is small. Two tests are demonstrated to check the stability of the obtained source model. The first test examines the effects of the number of available stations on the solution, and the second test examines how the difference in the target waveform type affects the solution. The number of stations affects the variation of slip amount, and more than 12 stations appear to be sufficient to obtain a stable solution in this case. The difference in the target wave type in the data set does not significantly affect the solution if the number of stations is sufficient and the Green’s functions are well calibrated. The model obtained using calibrated velocity structure models shows clear image of high-slip area compared to the model obtained using a single velocity structure model.

A MW 7.9 inland crustal earthquake occurred in the Denali fault system, Alaska, on 3 November 2002 at 22:12 (UTC). In this study, we estimated the source process of the 2002 Denali earthquake by a multiple time-window linear kinematic waveform inversion using strong motion and Global Positioning System (GPS)-measured static displacement data. The obtained source model could explain both the observed strong motion waveforms and GPS-measured static displacements. Large slips on the fault plane are observed at approximately 80–90 km and 150–200 km east from the hypocenter. These features are consistent with the observed surface rupture distribution and the other inversion results obtained using teleseismic body waves. We also observed some portions of the whole fault with a local rupture propagation velocity of more than 4.0 km/sec that exceeded the shear-wave velocity of the source region. The relation between the rupture area and seismic moment of this earthquake seems to follow the bilinear L-model scaling rather than the self-similar source scaling model. The combined area of asperities is somewhat smaller than that expected from the empirical scaling relationship with seismic moments developed by compiling inverted source models. Finally, we conducted a forward ground motion simulation using the finite difference method to estimate the influence of the heterogeneous source process obtained here on the spatial distribution of strong ground motions. The calculated ground motions are relatively large above and around the large slip areas and also in the region east of the fault area because of the forward directivity effect of unilateral rupture propagation.

We developed the crustal structure model from the source region of the Nankaitrough to the Osaka basin in Kinki area for ground motion modeling by comparingobserved records and simulated long-period (>2s) ground motions using finitedifference method. We examined the records of an intermediate-size event (MW4.3) andthe largest aftershock (MJ7.0) of the 1946 Nankai earthquake occurred at the Nankaitrough. The simulations of the S-wave part by a constructed 3D underground structuremodel reproduced well the observed records than the results by a simple 1D (flat layer)model. We showed that the 3D structure model is applicable for the ground motionsimulation in the long period range, however it is needed more detail crustal velocitystructure information for a better reproduction of the whole observed records.

Phinney's method was extended so as to be able to extract the seismic effects of the underground structures containing irregular interfaces. The spectral ratios of the vertical component to the horizontal one of P- and S-wave motions were expressed as a function of only the propagation-media parameters. The underground structure model was iteratively determined by finding out the theoretical values consistent with the observed ones. The validity and the range of applicability of this method were examined by using the seismic data observed at two sites: one obtained with the array observation in the area across the buried fault (Obaku fault in the south-eastern side of Kyoto basin) and the other, at a single station near a seaside (Urakawa observatory at the southern coast of central Hokkaido). The spectral ratios of the seismic waves with the array observation show the spatial variation, being related to the lateral variation of the layer thickness. Further, even with a single station observation from the azimuthal variation of the spectral ratios, we can estimate the irregularities of the underground structure.