Spatial variations in the frequency-magnitude distribution of earthquakes at Mount Pinatubo volcano.

John J. Sánchez(1), Max Wyss(1), Stephen R. McNutt(1), and John A. Power(2)
(1) Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks
(2) Alaska Volcano Observatory, U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage, Alaska.

Eos Trans. AGU, 82(47), Fall Meet., Supl., Abstract U32A-0003

The frequency-magnitude distribution of earthquakes measured by the b-value is mapped in 3 dimensions at Mount Pinatubo, Philippines, down to a depth of 6 km below the summit. We analyzed 1892 well-located earthquakes with magnitudes ML >=1.4, recorded from May 7 through August 7 1991, and used both the weighted least squares and maximum likelihood methods. With the weighted least squares method, we found that generally b-values are higher than normal (b=1.0), with values between b=1.1 and b=3.6. The computed b-values are lower in the areas adjacent to the vent and directly underneath it, whereas high b-values are found in patches located E-SE, and NW of the vent. Two prominent regions of anomalously high b-values (b>2.4) are resolved, the first is located roughly 3 km E-SE of the vent, at depths between 3 and 7 km; the second is located roughly 3 km NW of the summit, at depths between 3 and 8 km. There is also some indication of a deeper high b-value anomaly NE of the summit at depths between 12 and 16 km. The statistical differences between selected regions of low and high b-values are established at the 99% confidence level. The b-value results agree fairly well spatially with those derived from earlier P-wave tomographic studies. No significant changes in b-values were found as a function of time. We speculate that the high b-value anomalies around Mount Pinatubo are regions of increased crack density, or alternatively high pore pressure, related to the presence of magma bodies nearby.