Dynamic Source Inversion of an Intraslab Earthquake: a Slow and Inefficient Rupture with Large Stress Drop and Radiated Energy

We introduce a method for imaging the earthquake source dynamics through the inversion of ground motion records based on a parallel genetic algorithm. The source model follows an elliptical patch approach and uses the staggered-grid split-node method to model the earthquake dynamics. A statistical analysis is used to estimate uncertainties in both inverted and derived source parameters. Synthetic inversion tests reveal that the rupture speed (Vr), the rupture area and the stress drop (Δτ) are determined within an error of ~30%, ~12% and ~10%, respectively. In contrast, derived parameters such as the radiated energy (Er), the radiation efficiency (η) and the fracture energy (G) have larger uncertainties, around ~70%, ~40% and ~25%, respectively. We applied the method to the Mw6.5 intermediate-depth (62 km) normal-faulting earthquake of December 11, 2011 in Guerrero, Mexico (Diaz-Mojica et al., JGR, 2014). Inferred values of Δτ = 29.2±6.2 MPa and η = 0.26±0.1 are significantly higher and lower, respectively, than those of typical subduction thrust events. Fracture energy is large, so that more than 73% of the available potential energy for the dynamic process of faulting was deposited in the focal region (i.e., G = (14.4±3.5)x1014J), producing a slow rupture process (Vr/Vs = 0.47±0.09) despite the relatively-high energy radiation (Er = (0.54±0.31)x1015 J) and energy-moment ratio (Er/M0 = 5.7x10-5). It is interesting to point out that such a slow and inefficient rupture along with the large stress drop in a small focal region are features also observed in the 1994 deep Bolivian earthquake.