10 - A geographic summary of deep earthquakes
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2013
Summary
Introduction
This chapter summarizes the geographic distribution of the world's deep earthquakes by presenting information about known or alleged deep seismicity for each of 27 geographic regions (Fig. 10.1) as well as a catch-all “other” region (region 28) and the Earth's Moon (region 29). For each region it discusses the geometry of the Wadati–Benioff zone, describes the pattern of focal mechanisms, briefly reviews the literature, and provides information about “significant” earthquakes, i.e., unusually large or well-studied events. In most of the 29 regions the occurrence of deep earthquakes is undeniable. However, in a few regions (e.g., region 1 near the Hjort Trench) deep earthquakes have been reported and the regional tectonics suggest their occurrence is possible, but their existence is unconfirmed.
Catalogs
In this chapter I regularly compare locations reported in several different catalogs; to avoid repetitive citations I abbreviate these as follows.
– “GR” designates the Gutenberg and Richter (1954) catalog for earthquakes occurring between 1904 and 1952. Because GR applied uniform standards to determine epicenters, focal depths, and magnitudes, this has been the most widely used catalog for information about large earthquakes occurring prior to 1952. For deep earthquake magnitudes Gutenberg (1945) devised a scale depending on body waves that produced values that corresponded with MS for shallow shocks. The 1954 version of this catalog was the final revision of several compilations that GR had published earlier (e.g., Gutenberg and Richter, 1938; 1939).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Deep Earthquakes , pp. 365 - 567Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006