Document Type : Research Article
Authors
1
M.Sc. student, Department of Geophysics, Faculty of Nano and Bio Science and Technology, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Geophysics, Faculty of Nano and Bio Science and Technology, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran
10.22067/geoeh.2024.88810.1500
Abstract
The western Herat Fault system is one of the most seismotectonically active regions in Afghanistan, experiencing four Mw>6 earthquakes in 2023. Given the significance of this region and the occurrence of successive seismic events, this study investigated the seismotectonic dynamics of the area based on seismicity parameters and fractal analysis. In this research, changes in the seismicity rate of the region based on changes in the seismic parameter (b-value) and the fractal dimension of fracturing and seismicity (D-value) were examined using available seismic data. The study area was divided into nine primary zones, and the necessary parameters were calculated for each zone. The largest fractal dimensions of the fault were calculated for the southeastern, central, and northwestern zones, and the highest seismic fractal dimension was related to the central and northwestern regions. The calculated values for the b-value in the center of the study area, coinciding with the Herat fault, indicate an increase in stress in this area, which may be a warning for a large earthquake in the future. The seismic moment rate represents the rate of change in the energy of the Earth’s surface, which is converted into seismic changes. The seismic moment rate for the entire study area was estimated to be (1.18×10^18 Nm 〖yr〗^(-1)). Considering the sum of fractal analyses and the calculation of seismic moments in the region, Zendeh-Jan, Injil, Ghurian, and Kushan districts can be considered candidates for future earthquakes. A comparison of the results obtained strengthens the view that western Afghanistan, as an evolving deformation zone, is susceptible to more seismic events.
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