Self-similarity in the Seismicity of the South-American Subduction Zone

The spatial distribution of hypocenters corresponding to intermediate and deep seismic ity along the South-American subduction zone has led to a description of the geometry of this subduction process. Changes in the angle of subduction have been detected, which led to a division of the subducted region into segments according to the flat or normal dipping of the oceanic slab.In this paper the seismicity corresponding to the different segments is analyzed in order to determine the kind of correlation with the slab configuration. Spatial analyses using a multifractal technique are performed and the self-similar behavior is quantified through the fractal dimension.Scale-invariant clusterings, with a high correlation between the spatial fractal dimension and the dipping angle of subduction have been found.