The rupture process of the Peru intermediate and deep earthquakes

The seismicity of Peru is associated with the subduction process of the Nazca plate under South America and characterized by the occurrence of shallow, intermediate and deep earthquakes. In this study, we focus our attention on the rupture process of earthquakes (Mw>6.0 ) that occurred during the period 2018-2019 at intermediate depth (50<h<200 km) and deep depth (500<h<700 km). Focal mechanisms have been estimated from slip inversion of body waves at teleseismic distances (Kikuchi and Kanamori, 1991). We investigate possible differences in the moment rate functions at different focal depths using our results and those provided by SCARDEC database. Furthermore, an estimation of the radiated seismic energy (E_R) was provided from the direct integration of the velocity P wave recorded at teleseismic and regional distances, getting values between 10¹⁵ to 10¹⁶ J. The data were corrected by geometrical spreading, anelastic attenuation, and free surface effect. These results are interpreted in terms of the seismotectonics of the region