Multiplet Focal Mechanisms from Polarities and Relative Locations: The Iznajar Swarm in Southern Spain

Abstract

In April 1998, a swarm of 1800 microearthquakes near the village of Iznajar (southern Spain) was recorded at the Granada basin short-period seismic network. Focal mechanisms from local P-wave polarities are poorly constrained and cannot characterize the seismotectonics of the series. Here we combine polarity information and multiplet relocation to address this issue. We use waveform cross correlation on P and S arrivals to identify events with highly similar seismograms, group our detections into multiplet clusters, and invert the cross-correlation time delays to obtain precise relative locations. Relative locations have errors of several tens to a few hundreds of meters horizontally and vertically, and define strike and dip of active fault patches with an accuracy of 20°–30°. We introduce the multiplet fault plane orientations into focal mechanism inversion, now yielding mostly well-constrained solutions, in addition to resolving the nodal plane symmetry. We observe mainly north-south left-lateral strike-slip faulting and a few north-northwest–south-southeast normal faulting solutions, illustrating the kinematic complexity of the swarm, and pointing to a local deformation style different from the nearby Granada basin.