We investigated the effects of the propagation path and site amplification of shallow tremors along the Nankai Trough. Using far-field S-wave propagation from intraslab earthquake data, the amplification factors at the DONET stations were 5–40 times against an inland outcrop rock site. Thick (~5 km) sedimentary layers with VS of 0.6–2 km/s beneath DONET stations have been confirmed by seismological studies. To investigate the effects of thick sedimentary layers, we synthesized seismograms of shallow tremors and intraslab earthquakes at seafloor stations. The ratios of the maximum amplitudes from the synthetic intraslab seismograms between models with and without thick sedimentary layers were 1–2. This means that the estimated large amplifications are primarily controlled by thin lower-velocity (< 0.6 km/s) sediments just below the stations. Conversely, at near-source (≤ 20 km) distances, 1-order amplifications of seismic energies for a shallow tremor source can occur due to thick sedimentary layers. Multiple S-wave reflections between the seafloor and plate interface are contaminated in tremor envelopes; consequently, seismic energy and duration are overestimated. If a shallow tremor occurs within underthrust sediments, the overestimation becomes stronger because of the invalid rigidity assumptions around the source region. After 1-order corrections of seismic energies of shallow tremors along the Nankai Trough, the scaled energies of seismic slow earthquakes were 10-10–10-9 irrespective of the region and source depth. Hence, the physical mechanisms governing seismic slow earthquakes can be the same, irrespective of the region and source depth.

To discuss slip behaviors in shallow slow earthquake regions, we investigate source characteristics of shallow very low frequency earthquakes (VLFEs) southeast off the Kii Peninsula in the Nankai subduction zone. VLFEs are a kind of slow earthquakes and are clearly observed at frequencies below 0.1 Hz. A non-linear inversion technique for moment rate function estimation and the permanent ocean-bottom seismometer network provided us with precise locations and detailed kinematic source characteristics of shallow VLFEs. The high activity of shallow VLFEs around the western edge of the subducted Paleo-Zenisu ridge is similar to previous studies. A notable trend change in the along-dip dependency of shallow VLFE moment rates was found. Along the profile west side of the Paleo-Zenisu ridge, moment rates of shallow VLFEs increase with reaching the megathrust zone. Small-scale topographic fluctuations of the subducted oceanic plate exist along this profile, but large-scale seamount subduction has not been identified even from dense seismic surveys. Similar tendencies have been reported in tectonic tremors in the Nankai and Cascadia subduction zones. On the other hand, the opposite trend appeared along the profile with the Paleo-Zenisu ridge. Small shallow VLFEs were dominant near the summit of the Paleo-Zenisu ridge. Fracture networks or stress fields due to seamount subduction possibly impede large shallow VLFEs around the subducted seamount. Our results suggest that the large-scale heterogeneity of the upper surface of the subducted oceanic plate could control source characteristics of shallow slow earthquakes.

On 9 October 2023 (JST), mysterious tsunamis with a maximum wave height of 60 cm were observed in Izu Islands and southwestern Japan, although only seismic events of body-wave magnitudes mb 4–5 have been documented in the southwest of Torishima Island. To investigate the source process, we analyze tsunami waveforms recorded by an array network of ocean-bottom pressure gauges. A stacked waveform of 16 records suggests recurrent arrivals of multiple wave trains. Deconvolution of the stacked waveform by a tsunami waveform from the first event revealed over 10 source events that intermittently generated tsunamis for ~1.5 hours. The temporal history of this sequence corresponds to the origin times of T-phases estimated by an ocean-bottom seismometer, and the mb 4–5 seismic swarm, implying a common origin. Larger events later in the sequence occurred at intervals comparable to the tsunami wave period, causing amplification of later phases of the tsunami waves.

We investigated the effects of the propagation path and site amplification of shallow tremors along the Nankai Trough. Using far-field S-wave propagation from intraslab earthquake data, the amplification factors at the DONET stations were 5–40 times against an inland outcrop rock site. Thick (~5 km) sedimentary layers with VS of 0.6–2 km/s beneath DONET stations have been confirmed by seismological studies. To investigate the effects of thick sedimentary layers, we synthesized seismograms of shallow tremors and intraslab earthquakes at seafloor stations. The ratios of the maximum amplitudes from the synthetic intraslab seismograms between models with and without thick sedimentary layers were 1–2. This means that the estimated large amplifications are primarily controlled by thin lower-velocity (< 0.6 km/s) sediments just below the stations. Conversely, at near-source (≤ 20 km) distances, 1-order amplifications of seismic energies for a shallow tremor source can occur due to thick sedimentary layers. Multiple S-wave reflections between the seafloor and plate interface are contaminated in tremor envelopes; consequently, seismic energy and duration are overestimated. If a shallow tremor occurs within underthrust sediments, the overestimation becomes stronger because of the invalid rigidity assumptions around the source region. After 1-order corrections of seismic energies of shallow tremors along the Nankai Trough, the scaled energies of seismic slow earthquakes were 10-10–10-9 irrespective of the region and source depth. Hence, the physical mechanisms governing seismic slow earthquakes can be the same, irrespective of the region and source depth.

An unexpected major tsunami from the region near the Sofu Seamount was observed on 8 October 2023. The Sofu Seamount is located approximately 600 km from the coast of Japan. Due to far epicentral distances and the successive occurrence of seismic events, the conventional seismic analysis to reveal the accompanying seismic sequence cannot work well. We investigated high-frequency teleseismic P and regional T waves from the accompanying seismic sequence during the tsunamigenic events near the Sofu Seamount. Envelope shapes of teleseismic P and regional T waves were similar, indicating that T-wave envelopes also reflected source properties of seismic sequence. During seismic events near the Sofu Seamount, observed regional envelopes were characterized by weak body waves and large amplitude T waves with durations of 39-68 s. According to numerical simulations of seismic wave propagation using a realistic topography model, characteristics of T waves exhibit weak slope-angle and strong source-depth dependencies. Strong T waves with durations less than 60 s only appeared in results with sources at depths ≤ 0.5 km below the seafloor. We concluded that high-frequency radiation of the accompanying seismic sequence during the tsunamigenic events near the Sofu Seamount possibly occurred at shallower depths just below the seafloor. If seismic and tsunami sources coincide, shallower source depths might cause tsunamigenic uplifts. The observed peak seafloor uplifts and T-wave amplitudes during tsunamigenic events were scaled. This result suggests the possibility of tsunami forecasting based on T-wave amplitudes from submarine volcanoes.

Recently, a widespread and densely continuous-recording ocean-bottom seismograph network has been deployed in the Japan Trench subduction zone. Utilizing the offshore network data improves azimuthal station coverage for offshore earthquakes in the Japan Trench subduction zone. It has a potential to obtain centroid moment tensor (CMT) solutions more accurately than conventional analyses using onshore networks and a simple one-dimensional seismic velocity structure model. In this study, we conducted CMT inversion for subduction zone earthquakes that occurred between April 1, 2017, and March 31, 2024, with a moment magnitude range of 5.2–7.0. We used seismograms obtained from both the offshore and onshore networks. We calculated Green’s functions using a three-dimensional seismic velocity structure model. Our CMT solutions with thrust-type mechanisms mostly indicated depths and dip angles consistent with the plate interface. For earthquakes in the outer-rise region, our CMT solutions were characterized as normal-fault mechanisms. The joint use of the offshore and onshore networks reduced the estimation errors of the CMT solutions compared with the only use of the onshore network, although the optimal solutions were consistent. The dip angles for the thrust earthquakes determined by our analysis were more consistent with the dip angle of the plate boundary than those determined by conventional CMT analyses. Additionally, we found that the conventional CMT analysis could introduce a systematic bias in depth and magnitude determinations. This finding highlights the importance of an offshore seismograph network and a reliable seismic velocity structure model for CMT inversions.

Estimating the radiated energy of small-to-moderate (Mw < 5) events remains challenging because their waveforms are strongly distorted during wave propagation. Even when near-source records are available, seismic waves pass through the shallow crust with strong attenuation; consequently, high-frequency energy may be significantly dissipated. Here, we evaluated the degree of energy dissipation in the shallow crust by estimating the depth-dependent attenuation (Q-1) by modeling near-source (< 12 km) waveform data in northern Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. High-quality waveforms recorded by a downhole sensor confined by granite with high seismic velocity helped to investigate this issue. We first estimated the moment tensors for M1–4 events and computed their synthetic waveforms, assuming a tentative one-dimensional -model. We then modified the -model in the 5–20 Hz range such that the frequency components of the synthetic and observed waveforms of small events (Mw < 1.7) matched. The results show that the Q-value is 55 at depths of < 4 km and shows no obvious frequency dependence. Using the derived -model, we estimated the moment-scaled energy (eR) of 3,884 events with Mw 2.0–4.5. The median eR is 3.6×10-5 , similar to the values reported for Mw >6 events, with no obvious Mw dependence. If we use an empirically derived Q-model (~350), the median eR becomes a one-order underestimation (3.1×10-6). These results indicate the importance of accurately assuming the Q-value in the shallow crust for energy estimation of small events, even when near-source high-quality waveforms are available.

Slow earthquakes are mainly distributed in regions surrounding seismogenic zones along the plate boundaries of subduction zones. In the Central American subduction zone, large regular interplate earthquakes with magnitudes of 7–8 occur repeatedly around the Nicoya Peninsula, in Costa Rica, and a tsunami earthquake occurred off Nicaragua, just north of Costa Rica, in 1992. To clarify the spatial distribution of various slip behaviors at the plate boundary, we detected and located very low frequency earthquakes (VLFEs) around the Nicoya Peninsula using a grid-search matched-filter technique with synthetic templates based on a regional three-dimensional model. VLFEs were active in September 2004 and August 2005, mainly near the trench axis, updip of the seismogenic zone. The distribution of VLFEs overlapped with large slip areas of slow slip events. Low frequency tremor signals were also found in high-frequency seismogram envelopes within the same time windows as detected VLFEs; thus, we also investigated the energy rates of tremors accompanied by VLFEs. The range of scaled energy, which is the ratio of the seismic energy rate of a tremor to the seismic moment rate of accompanying VLFE and related to the rupture process of seismic phenomena, was 10-9–10-8. The along-dip separation of shallow slow and large earthquakes and the range of the scaled energy off Costa Rica are similar to those in shallow slow earthquakes in Nankai, which shares a similar thermal structure along the shallow plate boundary.

Slow earthquakes are mainly distributed in the vicinity of seismogenic zones of megathrust earthquakes and relationships between both types of earthquakes are expected. We examined the activity of very low frequency earthquakes (VLFEs), classified as one type of slow earthquake, around Japan because they have the potential to clarify detailed spatiotemporal slip behaviors at the plate boundaries. The distribution of the shallow VLFE activity rate is heterogeneous along trench axes and exhibits an anticorrelation relationship with the spatial distribution of the interplate coupling ratio, whereas deep VLFEs are distributed only in weakly coupled areas and the spatial variation of the activity rate is small. Furthermore, VLFEs are mainly hosted by low seismic velocity anomalies. Thus, slow earthquakes can be triggered by decreased effective stress due to the high pore fluid pressure within regions with weak interplate coupling and their activity can be an indicator of interplate slip behavior.

We detected shallow very low frequency earthquakes (VLFEs) off the Cape Muroto and Kii Channel in the Nankai subduction zone and estimated their moment rate functions. From the present and previously estimated catalogs, we investigated the along-strike variations of shallow VLFE activity along the Nankai Trough. The along-strike variations could be related to pore fluids and subducted seamounts. We defined the shallow VLFE swarms and investigated the scaling relationships of their cumulative moments, activity area, and durations in each region. Detected swarms were considered candidates for shallow slow slip events. A similar scaling relationship was observed between the cumulative moments and activity areas, irrespective of regions. It indicates similar stress drops in each region. However, the relationship between the cumulative moments and durations varied. This difference was explained by the along-strike variations in the fracture energies of shallow slow earthquakes.

Cross-correlation analysis was applied to long-term onshore broadband records from April 2004 to March 2021 to detect and relocate shallow very low frequency earthquakes (VLFEs) southeast off the Kii Peninsula, along the Nankai Trough, Japan. We then determined the moment rate functions of detected shallow VLFEs using the Monte Carlo-based simulated annealing method. According to this new comprehensive catalog, shallow VLFEs are widespread beneath the accretionary prism toe, but shallow VLFEs with large cumulative moments are localized around the western edge of the paleo-Zenisu ridge, which is subducted beneath southeast off the Kii Peninsula. Our results from long-term shallow VLFE catalog are well consistent with previous studies in this region, suggesting that heterogeneous structures and stress conditions due to the subducted paleo-Zenisu ridge promote the occurrence of shallow slow earthquakes. The relocated shallow VLFE epicenters illustrated three major episodes characterized by a similar activity area and five minor episodes characterized by different areas. The three major episodes exhibited slow frontal migration with different initiation locations, directions, and speeds, as well as several rapid reverse migrations. Episodes of minor activity were distributed in different locations within part of the area of major activity. Different patterns of shallow VLFE migration could reflect temporal changes in the pore-fluid distribution or stress conditions of the plate boundary.

Slow earthquakes are generally distributed in regions surrounding seismogenic zones along the plate boundaries of subduction zones. In the Costa Rica subduction zone, large regular interplate earthquakes with a magnitude of 7–8 occur repeatedly, and a tsunami earthquake occurred in the northern part in 1992. To clarify the spatial distribution of various slip behaviors at the plate boundary in the Costa Rica subduction zone, we detected and located very low frequency earthquakes (VLFEs) using a grid-search matched-filter technique with synthetic templates based on a regional three-dimensional model. VLFEs were activated in September 2004 and August 2005, and most of the VLFEs were located near the trench axis at a depth range of 5–10 km, the updip of the seismogenic zone. The spatial distribution of VLFEs complements the slip areas of large earthquakes and the tsunami earthquake. Low frequency tremor signals were also found in high-frequency seismogram envelopes within the same time windows of detected VLFEs; thus, we also investigated the energy rates of tremors accompanied by VLFEs. The range of scaled energy, which is the ratio of the seismic energy rate of a tremor to the seismic moment rate of accompanying VLFE, was 10-9–10-8. This value is similar to that in shallow slow earthquakes in the Nankai subduction zone. The similarity of characteristics and distribution of shallow slow earthquakes in the Costa Rica and Nankai subduction zones may be due to common tectonic features, such as age, temperature, or the presence of accretionary prisms.