Source parameters and ground motion of the Suez-Cairo shear zone earthquakes, Eastern Desert, Egypt

Three felt earthquakes with local magnitudes 4.0 (June 29th, 2000), 4.2 (July 07th, 2005) and 3.7 (October 30th, 2007) occurred to the southeast of Cairo along the Suez-Cairo shear zone. Being the most well recorded events by the Egyptian National Seismic Network (ENSN) in this area, they provide us an excellent opportunity to study the tectonics, the stress field, the source parameters, and the expected ground motion at Cairo. The focal mechanisms of the three events based on the first motion P-wave polarities indicate mainly normal faulting with a slight strike-slip component along nodal planes trending nearly EW and NW–SE. The three focal solutions imply a rejuvenation of the pre-existing EW and NW–SE faults due to a partly transfer of rifting deformation from the Red Sea-Gulf of Suez along these trends. Dynamic source parameters of these events are estimated from the P-wave spectra of the closest ENSN stations. The average values of the seismic moment, stress drop, rupture radius, and fault dislocation are estimated from six stations and interpreted in the context of the tectonic setting. These parameters in addition to the effects of site and path are used to synthesize the ground motion seismograms using stochastic modeling technique at the recorded stations and at some strategic sites. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010