Present-day Active Tectonics and Stress Regimes Beneath the
Intracontinental High Atlas Mountains, Morocco, Inferred from Regional
Seismic Moment Tensor Inversion.
Abstract
This study delves into the present-day seismotectonic conditions beneath
the intracontinental High Atlas Mountains, Morocco, with a focus on the
region of the significant Al Haouz earthquake on September 8, 2023. the
analysis encompasses over twenty moderate seismic events recorded since
2009, utilizing a database of high-resolution seismic recordings
(magnitudes ranging from 3.5 to 7) collected by networks established
between 2008 and 2024. The primary objective is to refine preliminary
earthquake relocation, initially based on P-wave arrival times, by
incorporating residual travel-time data from each hypocenter pair to
seismic stations. Results from these methods are nearly identical, with
the double-difference method yielding the most accurate outcomes.
Seismic activity in the region, with depths not exceeding 30 km, appears
Skin-Deep, consistent with observations from the latesst Al Haouz
earthquake, occurring at a depth of 31 km.
The present-day tectonic regimes along the High Atlas system (western
and central parts) are determined through inversion of regional seismic
moment and tectonic stress tensors. Focal mechanism solutions for
well-located earthquakes are calculated using P-wave first motion
polarities and regional moment tensor inversion. Subsequently, tectonic
stress tensor properties are derived through inversion of focal
mechanism parameters. Most seismic events analyzed exhibit focal
mechanisms characterized by pure reverse faulting or reverse faulting
with a strike-slip faulting component. The orientation of P, B & T axes
is 16/189, 39/036, and 08/104 respectively. Estimated stress tensor
parameters suggest σ1 axes trend N-S in the Western High Atlas and NW-SE
to NNW-NNE in the Central High Atlas. These tectonic regimes align well
with GPS velocities and neotectonic data, elucidating the tectonic
deformation process observed in the High Atlas, particularly in
concordance with characteristics of the Al Haouz earthquake beneath the
Western High Atlas area.
Keywords: Double Difference Location, First Motion Polarity, Focal
Mechanism, Tectonic Stress, Inversion, Western High Atlas, Central High
Atlas, Morocco.