Correlation of seismicity with geologic structures at the middle eastern Korean margin in the East Sea (Japan Sea) and seismic hazard assessment

Abstract

Back-arc rifting at the middle eastern continental margin of the Korean Peninsula took place in the early stage of separation of the SW Japan Arc from mainland Asia in the Cenozoic. As a result, the margin preserves structural elements of rifting seawards that include a narrow rift (Hupo Basin), a major syn-rift border fault (Hupo Fault), and an uplifted rift flank (Hupo Bank). We correlated current seismicity at the margin with the rifting structures and estimated the potential seismic hazards. The Hupo Basin, in its overall shape, is a half-graben created by back-tilting of the hanging wall toward the Hupo Fault. The trace of the Hupo Fault is composed of multiple segments arcuate seawards, suggesting nucleation of rift faults at multiple places. The Hupo Fault is vertical at a shallow depth, but hypocentral locations of earthquakes indicate that the Hupo Fault is listric down to the upper and lower crustal boundary. Stochastic estimations of the maximum possible magnitude of earthquakes at the margin encompassing the Hupo Basin and the Hupo Bank average to M-L 5.86. The estimated b-value of 0.63 is lower than that in the Korean Peninsula, which may suggest the dominance of thrust faulting with a strike-slip (or oblique) component on the listric and lower dipping portions of the faults at the margin.