Rupture process of the 2005 West Off Fukuoka Prefecture earthquake obtained from strong motion data of K-NET and KiK-net

Abstract We have investigated the rupture process of the 2005 West Off Fukuoka Prefecture earthquake by the multitime- window linear waveform inversion method using the strong ground motion data recorded at 11 K-NET and KiK-net stations. From the waveforms of the P-wave portion, it is indicated that the energy release in the first few seconds was markedly lower than the subsequent part, and this causes difficulty in identifying onset of the S-wave. To decide an appropriate time window for the waveform inversion, we estimate the S-wave onset using aftershock records. The inverted slip distribution shows a single asperity of 8 km × 6 km and its center located 8 km to the southeast and 6 km above the hypocenter. The asperity explains most of the large-amplitude signals in the observed waveforms. The turning point from the initial low-energy-release rupture to the main high-energyrelease rupture is estimated from the spatial variation of the observed initial rupture phase. It is found 3.3 s after the initiation of the rupture at about 4 km to the southeast of the hypocenter. Stress drop during the initial rupture is estimated to be in the same order of those of moderate size aftershocks, which indicates that the initial rupture is an ordinary dynamic rupture.