Workshop details

Earthquake swarms are clusters of earthquakes that occur close together in both time and space. Unlike typical earthquake sequences where the largest magnitude event occurs first, swarm-like seismicity is characterized by the absence of a dominant mainshock at the beginning of the sequence. Swarm-like seismicity is recorded globally in tectonically active areas, is the main occurrence of seismicity close to volcanoes and accompanies industrial operation related to the exploitation of georesources. Foreshock activity as well as more complex seismic sequences characterized by multiple occurrences of large earthquakes are akin and can be associated to a broader definition of swarm-like seismicity.

Swarm-like sequences are driven by transient forcing, like fluid pressurization and redistribution, aseismic slip, magma migration, slow and fast deformation transients, and injection/withdrawal of fluids in industrial operation. Despite the widespread occurrence of swarm-like seismic sequences, the scientific community has not yet fully understood the underlying physics, which hampers our ability to forecast accurately the spatio-temporal evolution and energy release of such complex earthquake sequences.

While tectonic, volcanic, and induced earthquake swarms share common driving mechanisms, the study of these phenomena is typically compartmentalized within specific disciplines like seismology, volcanology, and anthropogenic seismicity. The scope of this workshop is to deepen our understanding of earthquake swarm physics, their occurrences, their natural habitat, and foster a systematic transfer of expertise and techniques for analyzing swarm sequences across disciplines. The workshop is a first step toward the establishment of a multidisciplinary and cohesive community of experts in swarm-like seismicity. Early career scientists are encouraged to participate.

We welcome studies on swarm-like earthquakes as well as complex seismic sequences, like foreshock activity and earthquake multiplets, in tectonic and volcanic areas, induced seismicity, laboratory earthquakes and numerical simulation of seismicity. The workshop is devised to cover the following scientific topics:

Sessions:

1. Analysis of seismicity from waveform to catalogs and beyond:

• Development and analysis of high-resolution earthquake catalogs (i.e. via machine learning, template matching, augmented via DAS data inversions etc)
  Earthquake source modeling and characterization via waveform analysis
• Statistical analysis of the observational patterns of seismicity (seismicity rate, frequency-magnitude distribution and b-values, earthquake scaling laws)
• Physical and statistical modeling of earthquake sequences
• Multidisciplinary studies that integrate strain, strain rate and stress analysis, fluid redistribution and geochemistry to constrain the underlying physical mechanism of complex seismic sequences and swarms

2. Physical processes leading to the occurrence of swarm-like seismicity:

• Models that constrain mechanical and rheological conditions behind the nucleation and occurrence of swarm-like seismicity.
• Data-driven models and inversions that characterize the nature of the transient forcing behind the occurrence of earthquake swarms and complex seismic sequences (such as deformation and multi-parameteric studies to investigate source processes like slow slip events, dike intrusion, magmatic unrests, fluid injection, etc.).
• Numerical models and laboratory experiments that simulate the occurrence of earthquake swarms and complex seismic sequences.

3. The crustal/rock habitat of swarm-like seismicity and complex sequence from independent observations:

• Geophysical imaging of the crustal/rock characteristics in areas prone to host such seismicity.
• Geophysical and geochemical analyses to investigate the role of fluids.

4. Seismicity and geology of the Pollino range.

• Historical and instrumental seismicity of the Pollino range and the near fault observatory
• Geology of the Pollino range
• Crustal properties of the area and link to the seismicity

• The 2010-2014 Pollino seismic swarm and the triggering mechanisms (fluid, slow slip etc)