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At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources

Q for P waves in the sediments of the Virginia Coastal Plain

The seismic quality factor Q for P waves in Atlantic Coastal Plain sediments is estimated using data from the 2004 U.S. Geological Survey seismic survey in eastern Virginia. The estimates are based on spectral ratios derived from reflections and sediment-guided P waves in Late Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments within the annular trough of the Late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact structure. The estimates of Q for the frequency range of 10-150 Hz are from 75 to 100, with the best estimate of 80 based on multichannel stacking of spectral ratios from receivers in the offset range of 200-2000 m. This result is approximately a factor of 2 larger than the results previously reported for the Charleston, South Carolina, area, and it is approximately one-half of that recently reported for the Mississippi Embayment.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Three-dimensional P-wave velocity structure and precise earthquake relocation at Great Sitkin Volcano, Alaska

Waveform cross-correlation with bispectrum verification is combined with double-difference tomography to increase the precision of earthquake locations and constrain regional 3D P -wave velocity heterogeneity at Great Sitkin volcano, Alaska. From 1999 through 2005, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) recorded ∼1700 earthquakes in the vicinity of Great Sitkin, including two M L 4.3 earthquakes that are among the largest events in the AVO catalog. The majority of earthquakes occurred during 2002 and formed two temporally and spatially separate event sequences. The first sequence began on 17 March 2002 and was centered ∼20 km west of the volcano. The second sequence occurred on the southeast flank of Great Sitkin and began 28 May 2002. It was preceded by two episodes of volcanic tremor. Earthquake relocations of this activity on the southeast flank define a vertical planar feature oriented radially from the summit and in the direction of the assumed regional maximum compressive stress due to convergence along the Alaska subduction zone. This swarm may have been caused or accompanied by the emplacement of a dike. Relocations of the mainshock–aftershock sequence occurring west of Great Sitkin are consistent with rupture on a strike-slip fault. Tomographic images support the presence of a vertically dipping fault striking parallel to the direction of convergence in this region. The remaining catalog hypocenters relocate along discrete features beneath the volcano summit; here, low P -wave velocities possibly indicate the presence of magma beneath the volcano.

Alaska↗

The wister mud pot lineament: Southeastward extension or abandoned strand of the San Andreas fault?

We present the results of a survey of mud pots in the Wister Unit of the Imperial Wildlife Area. Thirty-three mud pots, pot clusters, or related geothermal vents (hundreds of pots in all) were identified, and most were found to cluster along a northwest-trending line that is more or less coincident with the postulated Sand Hills fault. An extrapolation of the trace of the San Andreas fault southeastward from its accepted terminus north of Bombay Beach very nearly coincides with the mud pot lineament and may represent a surface manifestation of the San Andreas fault southeast of the Salton Sea. Additionally, a recent survey of vents near Mullet Island in the Salton Sea revealed eight areas along a northwest-striking line where gas was bubbling up through the water and in two cases hot mud and water were being violently ejected.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Comparisons of shear-wave slowness in the Santa Clara Valley, California using blind interpretations of data from invasive and noninvasive methods

Many groups contributed to a blind interpretation exercise for the determination of shear-wave slowness beneath the Santa Clara Valley. The methods included invasive methods in deep boreholes as well as noninvasive methods using active and passive sources, at six sites within the valley (with most investigations being conducted at a pair of closely spaced sites near the center of the valley). Although significant variability exists between the models, the slownesses from the various methods are similar enough that linear site amplifications estimated in several ways are generally within 20% of one another. The methods were able to derive slownesses that increase systematically with distance from the valley edge, corresponding to a tendency for the sites to be underlain by finer-grained materials away from the valley edge. This variation is in agreement with measurements made in the boreholes at the sites.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

A 3000-year record of ground-rupturing earthquakes along the central North Anatolian fault near Lake Ladik, Turkey

The North Anatolian fault (NAF) is a ???1500 km long, arcuate, dextral strike-slip fault zone in northern Turkey that extends from the Karliova triple junction to the Aegean Sea. East of Bolu, the fault zone exhibits evidence of a sequence of large (M w >7) earthquakes that occurred during the twentieth century that displayed a migrating earthquake sequence from east to west. Prolonged human occupation in this region provides an extensive, but not exhaustive, historical record of large earthquakes prior to the twentieth century that covers much of the last 2000 yr. In this study, we extend our knowledge of rupture events in the region by evaluating the stratigraphy and chronology of sediments exposed in a paleoseismic trench across a splay of the NAF at Destek, ???6:5 km east of Lake Ladik (40.868?? N, 36.121?? E). The trenched fault strand forms an uphill-facing scarp and associated sediment trap below a small catchment area. The trench exposed a narrow fault zone that has juxtaposed a sequence of weakly defined paleosols interbedded with colluvium against highly fractured bedrock. We mapped magnetic susceptibility variations on the trench walls and found evidence for multiple visually unrecognized colluvial wedges. This technique was also used to constrain a predominantly dip-slip style of displacement on this fault splay. Sediments exposed in the trench were dated using both charcoal and terrestrial gastropod shells to constrain the timing of the earthquake events. While the gastropod shells consistently yielded 14 C ages that were too old (by ???900 yr), we obtained highly reliable 14 C ages from the charcoal by dating multiple components of the sample material. Our radiocarbon chronology constrains the timing of seven large earthquakes over the past 3000 yr prior to the 1943 Tosya earthquake, including event ages of (2?? error): A.D. 1437-1788, A.D. 1034-1321, A.D. 549-719, A.D. 17-585 (1-3 events), 35 B.C.-A.D. 28, 700-392 B.C., 912-596 B.C. Our results indicate an average interevent time of 385 166?? yr (1??).

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

On possible plume-guided seismic waves

Hypothetical thermal plumes in the Earth's mantle are expected to have low seismic-wave speeds and thus would support the propagation of guided elastic waves analogous to fault-zone guided seismic waves, fiber-optic waves, and acoustic waves in the oceanic SOund Fixing And Ranging channel. Plume-guided waves would be insensitive to geometric complexities in the wave guide, and their dispersion would make them distinctive on seismograms and would provide information about wave-guide structure that would complement seismic tomography. Detecting such waves would constitute strong evidence of a new kind for the existence of plumes. A cylindrical channel embedded in an infinite medium supports two classes of axially symmetric elastic-wave modes, torsional and longitudinal-radial. Torsional modes have rectilinear particle motion tangent to the cylinder surface. Longitudinal-radial modes have elliptical particle motion in planes that include the cylinder axis, with retrograde motion near the axis. The direction of elliptical particle motion reverses with distance from the axis: once for the fundamental mode, twice for the first overtone, and so on. Each mode exists only above its cut-off frequency, where the phase and group speeds equal the shear-wave speed in the infinite medium. At high frequencies, both speeds approach the shear-wave speed in the channel. All modes have minima in their group speeds, which produce Airy phases on seismograms. For shear wave-speed contrasts of a few percent, thought to be realistic for thermal plumes in the Earth, the largest signals are inversely dispersed and have dominant frequencies of about 0.1-1 Hz and durations of 15-30 sec. There are at least two possible sources of observable plume waves: (1) the intersection of mantle plumes with high-amplitude core-phase caustics in the deep mantle; and (2) ScS-like reflection at the core-mantle boundary of downward-propagating guided waves. The widespread recent deployment of broadband seismometers makes searching for these waves possible.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Uniform California earthquake rupture forecast, version 2 (UCERF 2)

The 2007 Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities (WGCEP, 2007) presents the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, Version 2 (UCERF 2). This model comprises a time-independent (Poisson-process) earthquake rate model, developed jointly with the National Seismic Hazard Mapping Program and a time-dependent earthquake-probability model, based on recent earthquake rates and stress-renewal statistics conditioned on the date of last event. The models were developed from updated statewide earthquake catalogs and fault deformation databases using a uniform methodology across all regions and implemented in the modular, extensible Open Seismic Hazard Analysis framework. The rate model satisfies integrating measures of deformation across the plate-boundary zone and is consistent with historical seismicity data. An overprediction of earthquake rates found at intermediate magnitudes (6.5 ??? M ???7.0) in previous models has been reduced to within the 95% confidence bounds of the historical earthquake catalog. A logic tree with 480 branches represents the epistemic uncertainties of the full time-dependent model. The mean UCERF 2 time-dependent probability of one or more M ???6.7 earthquakes in the California region during the next 30 yr is 99.7%; this probability decreases to 46% for M ???7.5 and to 4.5% for M ???8.0. These probabilities do not include the Cascadia subduction zone, largely north of California, for which the estimated 30 yr, M ???8.0 time-dependent probability is 10%. The M ???6.7 probabilities on major strike-slip faults are consistent with the WGCEP (2003) study in the San Francisco Bay Area and the WGCEP (1995) study in southern California, except for significantly lower estimates along the San Jacinto and Elsinore faults, owing to provisions for larger multisegment ruptures. Important model limitations are discussed.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Suggested notation conventions for rotational seismology

We note substantial inconsistency among authors discussing rotational motions observed with inertial seismic sensors (and much more so in the broader topic of rotational phenomena). Working from physics and other precedents, we propose standard terminology and a preferred reference frame for inertial sensors (Fig. 1) that may be consistently used in discussions of both finite and infinitesimal observed rotational and translational motions in seismology and earthquake engineering. The scope of this article is limited to observations because there are significant differences in the analysis of finite and infinitesimal rotations, though such discussions should remain compatible with those presented here where possible. We recommend the general use of the notation conventions presented in this tutorial, and we recommend that any deviations or alternatives be explicitly defined.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Is there a basis for preferring characteristic earthquakes over a Gutenberg–Richter distribution in probabilistic earthquake forecasting?

The idea that faults rupture in repeated, characteristic earthquakes is central to most probabilistic earthquake forecasts. The concept is elegant in its simplicity, and if the same event has repeated itself multiple times in the past, we might anticipate the next. In practice however, assembling a fault-segmented characteristic earthquake rupture model can grow into a complex task laden with unquantified uncertainty. We weigh the evidence that supports characteristic earthquakes against a potentially simpler model made from extrapolation of a Gutenberg–Richter magnitude-frequency law to individual fault zones. We find that the Gutenberg–Richter model satisfies key data constraints used for earthquake forecasting equally well as a characteristic model. Therefore, judicious use of instrumental and historical earthquake catalogs enables large-earthquake-rate calculations with quantifiable uncertainty that should get at least equal weighting in probabilistic forecasting.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Differential energy radiation from two earthquakes in Japan with identical M w : The Kyushu 1996 and Tottori 2000 earthquakes

We examine two closely located earthquakes in Japan that had identical moment magnitudes M w but significantly different energy magnitudes M e . We use teleseismic data from the Global Seismograph Network and strong-motion data from the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention's K-Net to analyze the 19 October 1996 Kyushu earthquake (M w 6.7, M e 6.6) and the 6 October 2000 Tottori earthquake (M w 6.7, M e 7.4). To obtain regional estimates of radiated energy E S we apply a spectral technique to regional (<200 km) waveforms that are dominated by S and Lg waves. For the thrust-fault Kyushu earthquake, we estimate an average regional attenuation Q(f) 230f 0:65 . For the strike-slip Tottori earthquake, the average regional attenuation is Q(f) 180f 0:6 . These attenuation functions are similar to those derived from studies of both California and Japan earthquakes. The regional estimate of E S for the Kyushu earthquake, 3:8 ?? 10 14 J, is significantly smaller than that for the Tottori earthquake, E S 1:3 ?? 10 15 J. These estimates correspond well with the teleseismic estimates of 3:9 ?? 10 14 J and 1:8 ?? 10 15 J, respectively. The apparent stress (T a = ??E s /M 0 with ?? equal to rigidity) for the Kyushu earthquake is 4 times smaller than the apparent stress for the Tottori earthquake. In terms of the fault maturity model, the significantly greater release of energy by the strike-slip Tottori earthquake can be related to strong deformation in an immature intraplate setting. The relatively lower energy release of the thrust-fault Kyushu earthquake can be related to rupture on mature faults at a subduction environment. The consistence between teleseismic and regional estimates of E S is particularly significant as teleseismic data for computing E S are routinely available for all large earthquakes whereas often there are no near-field data.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

A constant stress-drop model for producing broadband synthetic seismograms: Comparison with the next generation attenuation relations

Broadband (0.1-20 Hz) synthetic seismograms for finite-fault sources were produced for a model where stress drop is constant with seismic moment to see if they can match the magnitude dependence and distance decay of response spectral amplitudes found in the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) relations recently developed from strong-motion data of crustal earthquakes in tectonically active regions. The broadband synthetics were constructed for earthquakes of M 5.5, 6.5, and 7.5 by combining deterministic synthetics for plane-layered models at low frequencies with stochastic synthetics at high frequencies. The stochastic portion used a source model where the Brune stress drop of 100 bars is constant with seismic moment. The deterministic synthetics were calculated using an average slip velocity, and hence, dynamic stress drop, on the fault that is uniform with magnitude. One novel aspect of this procedure is that the transition frequency between the deterministic and stochastic portions varied with magnitude, so that the transition frequency is inversely related to the rise time of slip on the fault. The spectral accelerations at 0.2, 1.0, and 3.0 sec periods from the synthetics generally agreed with those from the set of NGA relations for M 5.5-7.5 for distances of 2-100 km. At distances of 100-200 km some of the NGA relations for 0.2 sec spectral acceleration were substantially larger than the values of the synthetics for M 7.5 and M 6.5 earthquakes because these relations do not have a term accounting for Q. At 3 and 5 sec periods, the synthetics for M 7.5 earthquakes generally had larger spectral accelerations than the NGA relations, although there was large scatter in the results from the synthetics. The synthetics showed a sag in response spectra at close-in distances for M 5.5 between 0.3 and 0.7 sec that is not predicted from the NGA relations.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Fragmentary evidence of great-earthquake subsidence during holocene emergence, Valdivia estuary, South Central Chile

A reconnaissance of Holocene stratigraphy beneath fringing marshes of the Valdivia estuary, where an M 9.5 earthquake caused 1-2 m of regional coseismic subsidence in 1960, shows only fragmentary evidence of prehistoric coseismic subsidence. In most of the 150 hand-driven cores that were examined, a distinct unconformity separates 0.5-1.5 m of late Holocene tidal and floodplain mud, peat, and sand from underlying middle Holocene subtidal mud and sand. At the Las Coloradas site, where stratigraphy is best preserved, two A horizons of marsh and meadow soils abruptly overlain by sand and mud probably record coseismic subsidence shortly followed by tsunamis. The amount of subsidence during the earthquakes proved difficult to reconstruct with a diatom transfer function because of differences between modern and fossil diatom assemblages. Maximum 14C ages on macrofossils from the two A horizons at the Las Coloradas site of 1.7-1.3 ka and 2.7-1.7 ka allow correlation of the younger horizon with either of two of six 14C-dated A horizons buried by tsunami sand or post-tsunami tidal sand 200 km to the south at Maull??n, and with a lake-wide mass wasting event in Lago Puyehue, 100 km to the southeast. Tidal records of prehistoric coseismic subsidence at Valdivia are scarce because of a sea-level fall of 3-8 m over the past 6000 years, erosion of marsh and meadow soils during subsidence-induced flooding of the estuary, and largely complete land-level recovery during cycles of coseismic subsidence and postseismic uplift.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Finite-fault analysis of the 2004 Parkfield, California, earthquake using P nl waveforms

We apply a kinematic finite-fault inversion scheme to P nl displacement waveforms recorded at 14 regional stations (&Delta;<2&deg;) to recover the distribution of coseismic slip for the 2004 Parkfield earthquake using both synthetic Green&rsquo;s functions (SGFs) calculated for one-dimensional (1D) crustal-velocity models and empirical Green&rsquo;s functions (EGFs) based on the recordings of a single M w 5.0 aftershock. Slip is modeled on a rectangular fault subdivided into 2&times;2 km subfaults assuming a constant rupture velocity and a 0.5 sec rise time. A passband filter of 0.1&ndash;0.5 Hz is applied to both data and subfault responses prior to waveform inversion. The SGF inversions are performed such that the final seismic moment is consistent with the known magnitude ( M w 6.0) of the earthquake. For these runs, it is difficult to reproduce the entire P nl waveform due to inaccuracies in the assumed crustal structure. Also, the misfit between observed and predicted vertical waveforms is similar in character for different rupture velocities, indicating that neither the rupture velocity nor the exact position of slip sources along the fault can be uniquely identified. The pattern of coseismic slip, however, compares well with independent source models derived using other data types, indicating that the SGF inversion procedure provides a general first-order estimate of the 2004 Parkfield rupture using the vertical P nl records. The best-constrained slip model is obtained using the single-aftershock EGF approach. In this case, the waveforms are very well reproduced for both vertical and horizontal components, suggesting that the method provides a powerful tool for estimating the distribution of coseismic slip using the regional P nl waveforms. The inferred slip model shows a localized patch of high slip (55 cm peak) near the hypocenter and a larger slip area (~50 cm peak) extending between 6 and 20 km to the northwest.

California↗

San Andreas fault geometry at Desert Hot Springs, California, and its effects on earthquake hazards and groundwater

The Mission Creek and Banning faults are two of the principal strands of the San Andreas fault zone in the northern Coachella Valley of southern California. Structural characteristics of the faults affect both regional earthquake hazards and local groundwater resources. We use seismic, gravity, and geological data to characterize the San Andreas fault zone in the vicinity of Desert Hot Springs. Seismic images of the upper 500 m of the Mission Creek fault at Desert Hot Springs show multiple fault strands distributed over a 500 m wide zone, with concentrated faulting within a central 200 m wide area of the fault zone. High-velocity (up to 5000 m=sec) rocks on the northeast side of the fault are juxtaposed against a low-velocity (<2000 m=sec) basin on the southwest side within the upper few hundred meters. Near-surface strands of the Mission Creek fault dip steeply southwestward and northeastward and merge at depth to form a narrower, steeply southwestward-dipping or near-vertical (80?? to 90??) fault zone. The Banning fault, in contrast, dips northeastward (45?? to 70??) toward the Mission Creek fault, and the two faults likely merge into a single San Andreas fault zone at depth, indicating a transtensional fault system. Mainshock hypocenters for two of the historically largest (M >6.0) earthquakes in the area (in 1948 and 1986) occurred at or near the depths (~10 to 12 km) of the merged (San Andreas) fault. Large-magnitude earthquakes that nucleate at or below the merged fault will likely generate strong shaking from guided waves along both fault zones and from amplified seismic waves in the low-velocity basin between the two fault zones. The Mission Creek fault zone is a groundwater barrier with the top of the water table varying by 60 m in depth and the aquifer varying by about 50 m in thickness across a 200 m wide zone of concentrated faulting.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Holocene vertical displacement on the central segments of the Wasatch fault zone, Utah

Compiled per-event vertical-displacement observations from 17 paleoseismic sites along the six central segments of the Wasatch fault zone (WFZ) highlight possible biases and trends in displacement along the fault. The displacement data are consistent with a model of characteristic-type slip, but anomalous and variable displacements indicate that significant natural variability in displacement occurs. When combined into a composite distribution of displacement, 79% of the data fit within a displacement envelope that shows displacement decreasing in a half-ellipse shape from 1.4-3.5 m near the segment centers to 0.6-2.5 m near the ends. Additionally, displacements normalized by the distance from the segment centers to ends decrease from means of 2.0-3.0 m near the segment centers to 1.3-1.9 m near the ends, consistent with characteristic-type slip termination. Although several paleoseismic sites exhibit repeated, similar displacements, the data are sparse and both low-valued (0.5-0.8 m) and high-valued (4.2-4.7 m) outliers suggest complex strain release, possibly resulting from segment interaction and/or noncharacteristic events. Although a global, normal-fault-type surface-rupture-length (SRL) average-displacement regression underpredicts observed WFZ displacements, the largest displacements per segment correspond well with a SRL maximum-displacement regression. This correlation, as well as moderate variability in SRL- and displacement-based moment magnitude, suggests that the anomalous displacements represent the intrinsic variability in characteristic displacement per segment. Thus, minor variations to the characteristic slip model to account for exceptional upper- and lower-bound displacements, e.g., a hybrid characteristic-variable slip model, may be appropriate for the WFZ. Additional paleoseismic data are necessary to address data gaps and biases, to facilitate more robust tests of earthquake-slip models, and to reduce uncertainty in SRL, displacement, and magnitude.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Comment on "Revisiting the 1872 owens valley, California, earthquake" by Susan E. Hough and Kate Hutton

Bakun (2009) argues that the conclusions of Hough and Hutton (2008) are wrong because the study failed to take into account the Sierra Nevada attenuation model of Bakun (2006). In particular, Bakun (2009) argues that propagation effects can explain the relatively high intensities generated by the 1872 Owens Valley earthquake. Using an intensity attenuation model that attempts to account for attenuation through the Sierra Nevada, Bakun (2006) infers the magnitude estimate (M w 7.4–7.5) that is currently accepted by National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC).

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Observing rotational and translational ground motions at the HGSD station in Taiwan from 2007 to 2008

Because of a lack of suitable instruments, rotational ground motions have not been observed until the last decade. Rotational measurements in the near field of earthquakes in Japan ( Takeo, 1998 ) indicate that rotational ground motions are many times larger than expected from the classical elasticity theory. After failing to obtain useful rotational ground motions (using similar rotational sensors as Takeo did), we deployed a far more sensitive rotational velocity sensor (R-1) at the HGSD station in eastern Taiwan. From 7 December 2004 to 12 November 2006, several hundreds of earthquakes were recorded during our Phase 1 operation. This was mostly a learning exercise to solve field operation problems; Phase 1 operations ended when our two R-1 sensors ceased to operate. A K2+R1 instrument was deployed in the spring of 2007 to start our Phase 2 operation. From 8 May 2007 to 17 February 2008, we observed 52 local earthquakes with good rotational velocity signals (with signal-to-noise ratio >∼5), together with excellent translational acceleration signals (with signal-to-noise ratio >∼10). Unfortunately, field operation was interrupted due to flooding of the HGSD station site in mid-February 2008; we just resumed normal operation in June 2008.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Recording rotational and translational ground motions of two TAIGER explosions in northeastern Taiwan on 4 March 2008

Two explosions were set off on 4 March 2008 at the N3 explosion site in northeastern Taiwan. The code name for the first shot with 3000 kg explosives is N3P and that for the second shot with 750 kg explosives is N3. To record these two explosions, 8 triaxial rotational sensors, 13 triaxial accelerometers, and 12 six-channel, 24 bit dataloggers with Global Positioning System receivers were deployed to continuously record several hours before and after the explosions. These instruments were installed at about 250 m (1 station), 500 m (11 stations), and 600 m (1 station) from the explosions. The 11 stations form a center array with station spacing of about 5 m. Except for one rotational sensor, onscale records were obtained. Although the N3P shot used four times larger amounts of explosives than those used for the N3 shot, the peak ground translational acceleration and rotational velocity at the 13 station sites from the N3P shot are only about 1.5 times larger than those for the N3 shot. We also observed large variations (by tens of percent) of translational accelerations and rotational velocities at the center array with station spacing of about 5 m. The largest peak rotational velocity was observed for the x component: 2.74 and 1.75 mrad/sec at a distance of 254 m from the N3P and N3 shots, respectively. The main purpose of this article is to document our recordings of rotational and translation motions from two explosions in Taiwan and to release the data online for open access. The translational acceleration data from this experiment have been analyzed by Langston et al. (2009) , and we plan to submit an article with analysis of the rotational velocity data in the future.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗