waveform inversion

The accuracy of the focal mechanism solution mainly depends on the number of stations used and becomes problematic especially in the case of weak earthquakes and sparse networks. In our study, we retrieve the seismic moment tensor of the M=5 earthquake on 9 October 2023 (18:23:09 UTC, 21.783°E, 49.086°N, depth 11.5 km) in Eastern Slovakia from its records at only four seismic stations. Our seismic moment tensor inversion is based on the point source approach and the use of only direct waves calculated by the matrix method.

Understanding the source mechanisms of induced earthquakes is important to distinguish them from natural earthquakes. The main objective of our study consists in finding out which parameters of the source mechanism can be used most effectively to identify the induced earthquakes. A possibility is also being explored whether they can be retrieved from data of a limited number of stations or even just one.