Seismic Velocity Structure Across the Quebrada and Gofar Oceanic Transform Faults from 2D Refraction Tomography - A Comparison of Faults with High and Low Seismic Slip Deficits

We perform two 2-D tomographic inversions using data collected as a part of the Quebrada-Discovery-Gofar (QDG) Transform Fault Active/Passive Experiment. The QDG transform faults are located in the southern Pacific Ocean and offset the East Pacific Rise (EPR) at approximately 4° south. In the spring of 2008, two ~100 km refraction profiles were collected, each using 8 short period Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBS) from OBSIP and over 900 shots from the RV Marcus Langseth, across the easternmost segments of the Quebrada and Gofar transform faults. The two refraction profiles are modeled using a 2-D tomographic code that allows joint inversion of the Pg, PmP, and Pn arrivals (Korenaga et al., 2000). Variations in crustal velocity and thickness, as well as the width and depth extent of a significant low velocity zone within and below the transform valley provide some insight into the material properties of each of the fault-zones. Reduced seismic velocities that are 0.5 to over 1.0 km/s slower than velocities associated with the oceanic crust outside the fault zone may indicate the highly fractured fault zone lithology. The low velocity zone associated with the Quebrada fault also extends to the south of the active fault zone, beneath a fossil fault trace. Because Gofar is offset by an intratransform spreading center, we are able to compare ‘normal’ oceanic crust produced at the EPR to the south of the fault with crust associated with the ~15 km intratransform spreading center to the north. These two high slip rate (14 cm/yr) faults look similar morphologically and demonstrate comparable microseismicity characteristics, however their abilities to generate large earthquakes differ significantly. Gofar generates large earthquakes (Mw ~6) regularly every few years, but in the past 24 years only one large (Mw 5.6) event has been reliably located on Quebrada. The contrasting seismic behavior of these faults represents the range of behavior observed in the global population of oceanic transform faults and exemplifies the complex variation in seismic coupling associated with this unique tectonic setting. With results from this analysis, we begin to constrain differences in the fault zone material properties that provide valuable insight into the question of what causes the variation in seismically active and aseismic faults in the oceanic transform domain. Features like the low upper crustal velocity zone associated with the fossil fault trace also reveal some information about fault healing properties in this environment.