Rupture directivity effect and stress heterogeneity of the 2013 nantou blind-thrust Earthquakes, Taiwan

We investigated broadband evidence of the rupture directivity effect and estimated stress drop for the 2013 Nantou blind-thrust earthquakes (the 0327 and 0602 crustal events) from three individual analyses using empirical Green’s functions: deconvolution source time function analysis, source spectral ratio analysis, and broadband waveform modeling of a strong-motion generation area. Although these two adjacent events have similar focal mechanisms, the 0327 event shows only up-dip directivity to the west, with an estimated stress drop of 9.0 MPa, and the 0602 event displays significant rupture directivity to the southwest, with an estimated stress drop of 14.2 MPa. The obvious variance in the rupture behavior and stress drop of these two nearby events, which might be related to immature blind faulting, suggests that this region requires additional study of the stress heterogeneity to better assess the seismic hazard.