Fault-Plane Solution of the Earthquake of 19 March 2005 in Monatele (Cameroon)

Eric N. Ndikum, Charles T. Tabod, Alain-Pierre K. Tokam, Bernard Z. Essimbi

Department of Physics, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

DOI: 10.4236/ojg.2014.46021                

Abstract

An earthquake of magnitude Ml = 3.04 was detected on the 19 of March 2005 at 11:49:18.31 (local time) by seven broadband seismometers located around Cameroon (Central Africa). Its epicenter has been relocated and found to be in Monatele (Cameroon) with latitude 4°26.34' and longitude 10°59.62'. The fault-plane solution calculated using double couple fault-plane solutions based on P-wave polarity readings, also taking into consideration the dextral nature of the Sanaga Fault (SF) underlying this region of the epicenter, is a strike-slip fault with a normal faulting component. The beach ball representation of this fault-plane solution has strike, dip and rake values of 289, 70, -169 for the principal fault plane and 195, 80, -20 for the auxiliary fault plane.

Keywords

Earthquake, Monatele, Epicenter, Fault Plane Solution, Strike-Slip Fault, Normal Faulting, Component

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Incoporated Research Institution for Seismology (IRIS) (2005) On-Line Bulletin. http://www.iris.washington.edu/SeismiQuery/bin/eventsmag.pl
[2]	Euler, G.G., Wiens, D.A., Shore, P., Koch, F.W., Tibi, R., Nyblade, A.A. and Reusch, A.M. (2008) Shear Velocity Structure of the Cameroon Volcanic Line Region from Rayleigh Wave Phase Velocities. EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union, AGU Fall Meeting Suppl., 89, Abstract #S21C-1843.
[3]	Tokam, K.A.P., Tabod, C.T., Nyblade, A.A., Julia, A., Weins, D.A. and Pasyanos, M.E. (2010) Structure of the Crust beneath Cameroon, West Africa, from the Joint Inversion of Rayleigh Wave Group Velocities and Receiver Functions. Geophysical Journal International, 183, 1061-1076. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.2010.04776.x
[4]	Ngnotue, T., Ganno, S., Nzenti, J.P., Schulz, B., Tchaptchet, T.D.I. and Suh, C.E. (2012) Geochemistry and Geochronology of Peraluminous High-K Granitic Leucosomes of Yaoundé Series (Cameroon): Evidence for a Unique Pan-African Magmatism and Melting Event in North Equatorial Fold Belt. International Journal of Geosciences, 3, 525-548. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ijg.2012.33055
[5]	Klein, F.W. (2002) Hypocenter Location Program HYPOINVERSE. US Geological Survey Open File Report 02-171, Version 1.0.
[6]	Reasenberg, P.A. and Oppenheimer, D. (1985) FPFIT, FPPLOT and FPPAGE: FORTRAN Computer Programs for Calculating and Displaying Earthquake Fault-Plane Solutions. US Geological Survey Open-File Report 85-739, 109 p.
[7]	Dumont, J.F. (1986) Identification par Télédétection de L’accident de la Sanaga (Cameroun). Sa Position dans le Contexte des Grands Accidents D’Afrique Centrale et de la Limite Nord du Craton Congolais. Géodynamique, 1, 13-19.
[8]	Bisso, D., Mangeulle-Dicoum, E., Ndougsa, M., Tabod, C.T., Jandjock, N.P., Njinti, N., Tadjou, J.M. and Essono, J. (2004) Geophysical Determination of the Sanaga Fault Using Audio-Magnetotelluric Soundings in the Ebebda Region, Cameroon (Central Africa). Segmite International, 1, 46-49.
[9]	Poudjom, D.Y.H., Nnange, J.M., Diament, M., Ebinger, C.J. and Fairhead, J.D. (1995) Effective Elastic Thickness and Crustal Thickness Variation in West Central Africa Inferred from Gravity Data. Journal of Geophysical Research, 100, 22047-22070. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/95JB01149