Triggered tremors beneath the seismogenic zone of an active fault zone, Kyushu, Japan

Non-volcanic tremors were induced by the surface waves of the 2012 Sumatra earthquake around the Hinagu fault zone in Kyushu, Japan. We inferred from dense seismic observation data that the hypocenters of these tremors were located beneath the seismogenic zone of the Hinagu fault. Focal mechanisms of the tremors were estimated using S-wave polarization angles. The estimated focal mechanisms show similarities to those of shallow earthquakes in this region. In addition, one of the nodal planes of the focal mechanisms is almost parallel to the strike direction of the Hinagu fault. These observations suggest that the tremors were triggered at the deeper extension of the active fault zone under stress conditions similar to those in the shallower seismogenic region. A low-velocity anomaly beneath the hypocentral area of the tremors might be related to the tremor activity.