Depth of focus (tectonics)

In seismology, the depth of focus or focal depth refers to the depth at which an earthquake occurs. Earthquakes occurring at a depth of less than 70 km (43 mi) are classified as shallow-focus earthquakes, while those with a focal depth between 70 km (43 mi) and 300 km (190 mi) are commonly termed mid-focus or intermediate-depth earthquakes.[1] In subduction zones, where older and colder oceanic crust descends beneath another tectonic plate, deep-focus earthquakes may occur at much greater depths in the mantle, ranging from 300 km (190 mi) up to 700 km (430 mi).[2][3]

The cause of deep-focus earthquakes is still not entirely understood since subducted lithosphere at that pressure and temperature regime should not exhibit brittle behavior. A possible mechanism for the generation of deep-focus earthquakes is faulting caused by olivine undergoing a phase transition into a spinel structure,[4] with which they are believed to be associated. Earthquakes at this depth of focus typically occur at oceanic-continental convergent boundaries, along Wadati–Benioff zones.[5]

Discovery

The evidence for deep-focus earthquakes was discovered in 1922 by H.H. Turner of Oxford, England. Previously, all earthquakes were considered to have shallow focal depths. The existence of deep-focus earthquakes was confirmed in 1931 from studies of the seismograms of several earthquakes, which in turn led to the construction of travel-time curves for intermediate and deep earthquakes.[6]

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See also

References
  1. Spence, William, Stuart A. Sipkin, and George L. Choy (1989). "Measuring the Size of an Earthquake." Earthquake Information Bulletin (USGS). 21 (1), 58–63.
  2. "M7.5 Northern Peru Earthquake of 26 September 2005" (PDF). National Earthquake Information Center. 17 October 2005. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  3. USGS. "M7.5 Northern Peru Earthquake of 26 September 2005" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  4. Greene II, H. W.; Burnley, P. C. (October 26, 1989). "A new self-organizing mechanism for deep-focus earthquakes". Nature. 341 (6244): 733–737. Bibcode:1989Natur.341..733G. doi:10.1038/341733a0.
  5. Marius Vassiliou, Bradford Hager, and Arthur Raefsky (1984): "The Distribution of Earthquakes with Depth and Stresses in Subducting Slabs", Journal of Geodynamics 1, 11–28.
  6. Spence, William, Stuart A. Sipkin, and George L. Choy (1989).  This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document: "Measuring the Size of an Earthquake". Earthquake Information Bulletin (USGS). 21 (1), 58–63.


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