Source parameters and seismic moment-magnitude scaling for Northwestern Turkey

Abstract The source parameters of 523 aftershocks (0.5 ML 5.9) of the 1999
Kocaeli earthquake are determined by performing a two-step spectral fitting procedure.
The source spectrum, corrected for both site and propagation effects, is described
in terms of a standard x-square model multiplied by an exponential term of
frequency. The latter term is introduced to estimate the high-frequency (f 12 Hz)
fall-off of the acceleration source spectra by computing the j parameter. The seismic
moments obtained range between 1.05 1014 and 2.41 1017 N m, whereas the
Brune stress drops are between 0.002 and 40 MPa. The j value varies between 0.00
and 0.08 sec, indicating a decay of the acceleration level at the higher frequency
part of the spectrum greater than that assumed by the x 2 model. Both the stress
drop and the j parameter show the tendency of increasing with aftershock magnitude.
No evidence of self-similarity breakdown is observed between the source radius and
M0. Finally, both the seismic moment and the moment magnitude are compared with
the local magnitude to derive new moment–magnitude relationships for the area.