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Abstract The geometries (i.e., dip angles) of active faults from the surface to the seismogenic zone are the most important factors used to evaluate earthquake ground motion, which is crucial for seismic hazard assessments in urban areas. In Osaka, a metropolitan city in Japan, there are several active faults (e.g., the Uemachi and Ikoma faults), which are inferred from the topography, the attitude of active faults in surface trenches, the seismic reflection profile at shallow depths (less than 2 km), and the three-dimensional distribution of the Quaternary sedimentary layers. The Uemachi and Ikoma faults are N–S-striking fault systems with total lengths of 42 km and 38 km, respectively, with the former being located ~ 12 km west of the latter; however, the geometries of each of the active faults within the seismogenic zone are not clear. In this study, to examine the geometries of the Uemachi and Ikoma faults from the surface to the seismogenic zone, we analyze the development of the geological structures of sedimentary layers based on numerical simulations of a two-dimensional visco-elasto-plastic body under a horizontal compressive stress field, including preexisting high-strained weak zones (i.e., faults) and surface sedimentation processes, and evaluate the relationship between the observed geological structures of the Quaternary sediments (i.e., the Osaka Group) in the Osaka Plain and the model results. As a result, we propose geometries of the Uemachi and Ikoma faults from the surface to the seismogenic zone. When the friction coefficient of the faults is ~ 0.5, the dip angles of the Uemachi and Ikoma faults near the surface are ~ 30°–40° and the Uemachi fault has a downward convex curve at the bottom of the seismogenic zone, but does not converge to the Ikoma fault. Based on the analysis in this study, the dip angle of the Uemachi fault zone is estimated to be approximately 30°–40°, which is lower than that estimated in the previous studies. If the active fault has a low angle, the width of the fault plane is long, and thus the estimated seismic moment will be large. |
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