Geology topics
Publications and source records attributed to S.A. Sipkin.
Moment-tensor solutions, estimated using optimal filter theory, are listed for 201 moderate-to-large earthquakes occurring from 1988 to 1989. ?? 1991.
The teleseismic long-period waveforms recorded by the Global Digital Seismograph Network from the two largest Superstition Hills earthquakes are inverted using an algorithm based on optimal filter theory. These solutions differ slightly from those published in the Preliminary Determination of Epicenters Monthly Listing because a somewhat different, improved data set was used in the inversions and a time-dependent moment-tensor algorithm was used to investigate the complexity of the main shock. The foreshock (origin time 01:54:14.5, mb 5.7, Ms 6.2) had a scalar moment of 2.3 × 1025 dyne-cm, a depth of 8 km, and a mechanism of strike 217°, dip 79°, rake 4°. The main shock (origin time 13:15:56.4, mb 6.0, Ms 6.6) was a complex event, consisting of at least two subevents, with a combined scalar moment of 1.0 × 1026 dyne-cm, a depth of 10 km, and a mechanism of strike 303°, dip 89°, rake −180°.
Moment-tensor solutions, estimated using optimal filter theory, are listed for 426 moderate- to large-sized earthquakes occurring from 1984 to 1987. ?? 1989.
Earthquakes range broadly in size. A rock-burst in an Idaho silver mine may involve the fracture of 1 meter of rock; the 1965 Rat Island earthquake in the Aleutian arc involved a 650-kilometer length of the Earth's crust. Earthquakes can be even smaller and even larger. If an earthquake is felt or causes perceptible surface damage, then its intensity of shaking can be subjectively estimated. But many large earthquakes occur in oceanic areas or at great focal depths and are either simply not felt or their felt pattern does not really indicate their true size. Today, state-of-the-art seismic systems transmit data from the seismograph via telephone line and satellite directly to a central digital computer. A preliminary location, depth-of-focus, and magntidue can now be obtained within minutes of the onset of an earthquake. The only limiting factor is how long the seismic wave stake to travel from the epicenter to the stations-usually less than 10 minutes.
The 51 global events that occurred from January 1980 to March 1984, which were chosen by the convenors of the Symposium on Seismological Theory and Practice, have been analyzed using a moment tensor inversion algorithm (Sipkin). Many of the events were routinely analyzed as part of the National Earthquake Information Center's (NEIC) efforts to publish moment tensor and first-motion fault-plane solutions for all moderate- to large-sized (mb>5.7) earthquakes. In routine use only long-period P-waves are used and the source-time function is constrained to be a step-function at the source (??-function in the far-field). Four of the events were of special interest, and long-period P, SH-wave solutions were obtained. For three of these events, an unconstrained inversion was performed. The resulting time-dependent solutions indicated that, for many cases, departures of the solutions from pure double-couples are caused by source complexity that has not been adequately modeled. These solutions also indicate that source complexity of moderate-sized events can be determined from long-period data. Finally, for one of the events of special interest, an inversion of the broadband P-waveforms was also performed, demonstrating the potential for using broadband waveform data in inversion procedures. ?? 1987.
Two methods are presented for the recovery of a time-dependent moment-tensor source from waveform data. One procedure utilizes multichannel signal-enhancement theory; in the other a multichannel vector-deconvolution approach, developed by Oldenburg (1982) and based on Backus-Gilbert inverse theory, is used. These methods have the advantage of being extremely flexible; both may be used either routinely or as research tools for studying particular earthquakes in detail. Both methods are also robust with respect to small errors in the Green's functions and may be used to refine estimates of source depth by minimizing the misfits to the data. The multichannel vector-deconvolution approach, although it requires more interaction, also allows a trade-off between resolution and accuracy, and complete statistics for the solution are obtained. The procedures have been tested using a number of synthetic body-wave data sets, including point and complex sources, with satisfactory results. ?? 1982.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.