SPATIOTEMPORAL VARIATIONS OF SEISMICITY IN THE SOUTHERN PERU AND NORTHERN CHILE SEISMIC GAPS

The spatio-temporal variation of seismicity in the southern Peru and n orthern Chile seismic gaps is analyzed with teleseismic data (m(b) gre ater-than-or-equal-to 5.5) between 1965 and 1991, to investigate wheth er these gaps present the precursory combination of compressional oute r-rise and tensional downdip events observed in other subduction zones . In the outer-rise and the inner-trench (0 to 100 km distance from th e trench) region, lower magnitude (5.0 less-than-or-equal-to m(b) < 5. 5) events were also studied. The results obtained show that the gaps i n southern Peru and northern Chile do not present compressional outer- rise events. However, both gaps show a continuous, tensional downdip s eismicity. For both regions, the change from compressional to tensiona l regime along the slab occurs at a distance of about 160 km from the trench, apparently associated with the coupled-uncoupled transition of the interplate contact zone. In southern Peru, an increase of compres sional seismicity near the interplate zone and of tensional events (5. 0 less-than-or-equal-to M(b) less-than-or-equal-to 6.3) in the outer-r ise and inner-trench regions is observed between 1987 and 1991. A simi lar distribution of seismicity in the outer-rise and inner-trench regi ons is observed with earthquakes (m(b) < 5.5). In northern Chile there is a relative absence of compressional activity (m(b) greater-than-or -equal-to 5.5) near the interplate contact since the sequence of Decem ber 21, 1967. After that, only a cluster of low-magnitude compressiona l events has been located in the area 50 to 100 km from the trench. Th e compressional activity occurring near the interplate zone in both se ismic gaps represents that a seismic preslip is occurring in and near the plate contact. Therefore, if this seismic preslip is associated wi th the maturity of the pp, the fact that it is larger in southern Peru than in northern Chile may reflect that the former pp is more mature than the latter. However, the more intense downdip tensional activity and the absence of compressional seismicity near the. contact zone obs erved in northern Chile, may also be interpreted as evidence that nort hern Chile is seismically more mature than southern Peru. Therefore, t he observed differences in the distribution of stresses and seismicity analyzed under simple models of stress accumulation and transfer in c oupled subduction zones am not sufficient to assess the degree of matu rity of a seismic gap.