Foreshocks and aftershocks of the Nevada earthquake of December 20, 1932, and the Parkfield earthquake of June 7, 1934*

1936 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-194
Author(s):  
James T. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Parkfield Earthquake

Elastic displacements in the near-field of a propagating fault

1969 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 865-908
Author(s):  
N. A. Haskell
Keyword(s):  
Fault Plane ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Dislocation Motion ◽  
Displacement Discontinuity ◽  
Wave Form ◽  
Strong Motion Station ◽  
Ramp Function ◽  
Wave Forms ◽  
Parkfield Earthquake

abstract Displacement, particle velocity, and acceleration wave forms in the near field of a propagating fault have been computed by numerical integration of the Green's function integrals for an infinite medium. The displacement discontinuity (dislocation) on the fault plane is assumed to have the form of a unilaterally propagating finite ramp function in time. The calculated wave forms in the vicinity of the fault plane are quite similar to those observed at the strong motion station nearest the fault plane at the Parkfield earthquake. The comparison suggests that the propagating ramp time function is roughly representative of the main features of the dislocation motion on the fault plane, but that the actual motion has somewhat more high frequency complexity. Calculated amplitudes indicate that the average final dislocation on the fault at the Parkfield earthquake was more than an order of magnitude greater than the offsets observed on the visible surface trace. Computer generated wave form plots are presented for a variety of locations with respect to the fault plane and for two different assumptions on the relation between fault length and ramp function duration.

Control of rupture by fault geometry during the 1966 parkfield earthquake

1981 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan G. Lindh ◽  
David M. Boore
Keyword(s):  
Main Shock ◽  
Fault Plane ◽  
San Andreas Fault ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Fault Geometry ◽  
Dynamic Rupture ◽  
San Andreas ◽  
Hill Station ◽  
Parkfield Earthquake

abstract A reanalysis of the available data for the 1966 Parkfield, California, earthquake (ML=512) suggests that although the ground breakage and aftershocks extended about 40 km along the San Andreas Fault, the initial dynamic rupture was only 20 to 25 km in length. The foreshocks and the point of initiation of the main event locate at a small bend in the mapped trace of the fault. Detailed analysis of the P-wave first motions from these events at the Gold Hill station, 20 km southeast, indicates that the bend in the fault extends to depth and apparently represents a physical discontinuity on the fault plane. Other evidence suggests that this discontinuity plays an important part in the recurrence of similar magnitude 5 to 6 earthquakes at Parkfield. Analysis of the strong-motion records suggests that the rupture stopped at another discontinuity in the fault plane, an en-echelon offset near Gold Hill that lies at the boundary on the San Andreas Fault between the zone of aseismic slip and the locked zone on which the great 1857 earthquake occurred. Foreshocks to the 1857 earthquake occurred in this area (Sieh, 1978), and the epicenter of the main shock may have coincided with the offset zone. If it did, a detailed study of the geological and geophysical character of the region might be rewarding in terms of understanding how and why great earthquakes initiate where they do.

Relaxation of the south flank after the 7.2-magnitude Kalapana earthquake, Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

1994 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-141
Author(s):  
John J. Dvorak ◽  
Fred W. Klein ◽  
Donald A. Swanson
Keyword(s):  
Rift Zone ◽  
Vertical Surface ◽  
Kilauea Volcano ◽  
Adjacent Segment ◽  
The South ◽  
Surface Displacements ◽  
Kīlauea Volcano ◽  
Parkfield Earthquake ◽  
Largest Aftershock ◽  
Large Earthquakes

Abstract An M = 7.2 earthquake on 29 November 1975 caused the south flank of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, to move seaward several meters: a catastrophic release of compression of the south flank caused by earlier injections of magma into the adjacent segment of a rift zone. The focal mechanisms of the mainshock, the largest foreshock, and the largest aftershock suggest seaward movement of the upper block. The rate of aftershocks decreased in a familiar hyperbolic decay, reaching the pre-1975 rate of seismicity by the mid-1980s. Repeated rift-zone intrusions and eruptions after 1975, which occurred within 25 km of the summit area, compressed the adjacent portion of the south flank, apparently masking continued seaward displacement of the south flank. This is evident along a trilateration line that continued to extend, suggesting seaward displacement, immediately after the M = 7.2 earthquake, but then was compressed during a series of intrusions and eruptions that began in September 1977. Farther to the east, trilateration measurements show that the portion of the south flank above the aftershock zone, but beyond the area of compression caused by the rift-zone intrusions and eruptions, continued to move seaward at a decreasing rate until the mid-1980s, mimicking the decay in aftershock rate. Along the same portion of the south flank, the pattern of vertical surface displacements can be explained by continued seaward movement of the south flank and development of two eruptive fissures along the east rift zone, each of which extended from a depth of ∼3 km to the surface. The aftershock rate and continued seaward movement of the south flank are reminiscent of crustal response to other large earthquakes, such as the 1966 M = 6 Parkfield earthquake and the 1983 M = 6.5 Coalinga earthquake.

Approximate method to estimate the short-period strong motion spectra on bedrock

1981 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 491-505
Author(s):  
Katsuhiko Ishida
Keyword(s):  
Earthquake Swarm ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Fourier Amplitude ◽  
Period Range ◽  
Pass Filter ◽  
Low Pass Filter ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Amplitude Spectra ◽  
Low Pass ◽  
Parkfield Earthquake

abstract The methodology to estimate the strong motion Fourier amplitude spectra in a short-period range (T ≦ 1 to 2 sec) on a bedrock level is discussed in this paper. The basic idea is that the synthetic strong motion Fourier spectrum F˜A(ω) calculated from smoothed rupture velocity model (Savage, 1972) is approximately similar to that of low-pass-filtered strong earthquake ground motion at a site in a period range T ≧ 1 to 2 sec: F˜A(ω)=B˜(ω)·A(ω). B˜(ω) is an observed Fourier spectrum on a bedrock level and A(ω) is a low-pass filter. As a low-pass filter, the following relation, A ( T ) = · a · T n a T n + 1 , ( T = 2 π / ω ) , is assumed. In order to estimate the characteristic coefficients {n} and {a}, the Tokachi-Oki earthquake (1968), the Parkfield earthquake (1966), and the Matsushiro earthquake swarm (1966) were analyzed. The results obtained indicate that: (1) the coefficient {n} is nearly two for three earthquakes, and {a} is nearly one for the Tokachi-Oki earthquake, eight for the Parkfield earthquake, and four for the Matsushiro earthquake swarm, respectively; (2) the coefficient {a} is related with stress drop Δσ as (a = 0.07.Δσ). Using this relationship between {a} and Δσ, the coefficients {a} of past large earthquakes were estimated. The Fourier amplitude spectra on a bedrock level are also estimated using an inverse filtering method of A ( T ) = a T 2 a T 2 + 1 .

scholarly journals Statistical physics models for aftershocks and induced seismicity

2018 ◽  
Vol 377 (2136) ◽  
pp. 20170397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly Luginbuhl ◽  
John B. Rundle ◽  
Donald L. Turcotte
Keyword(s):  
Induced Seismicity ◽  
Statistical Physics ◽  
Aftershock Sequence ◽  
Induced Earthquakes ◽  
Aftershock Activity ◽  
Gas Field ◽  
Natural Time ◽  
Parkfield Earthquake ◽  
Groningen Gas Field

A standard approach to quantifying the seismic hazard is the relative intensity (RI) method. It is assumed that the rate of seismicity is constant in time and the rate of occurrence of small earthquakes is extrapolated to large earthquakes using Gutenberg–Richter scaling. We introduce nowcasting to extend RI forecasting to time-dependent seismicity, for example, during an aftershock sequence. Nowcasting uses ‘natural time’; in seismicity natural time is the event count of small earthquakes. The event count for small earthquakes is extrapolated to larger earthquakes using Gutenberg–Richter scaling. We first review the concepts of natural time and nowcasting and then illustrate seismic nowcasting with three examples. We first consider the aftershock sequence of the 2004 Parkfield earthquake on the San Andreas fault in California. Some earthquakes have higher rates of aftershock activity than other earthquakes of the same magnitude. Our approach allows the determination of the rate in real time during the aftershock sequence. We also consider two examples of induced earthquakes. Large injections of waste water from petroleum extraction have generated high rates of induced seismicity in Oklahoma. The extraction of natural gas from the Groningen gas field in The Netherlands has also generated very damaging earthquakes. In order to reduce the seismic activity, rates of injection and withdrawal have been reduced in these two cases. We show how nowcasting can be used to assess the success of these efforts. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Statistical physics of fracture and earthquakes’.

scholarly journals Displacement on the San Andreas fault subsequent to the 1966 Parkfield earthquake

1968 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 1955-1973
Author(s):  
Stewart W. Smith ◽  
Max Wyss
Keyword(s):  
Shear Stress ◽  
Ground Motion ◽  
San Andreas Fault ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Aftershock Activity ◽  
Fault Surface ◽  
San Andreas ◽  
Parkfield Earthquake ◽  
Fault Displacement ◽  
Displacement Measurements

ABSTRACT Immediately following the 1966 Parkfield earthquake a continuing program of fault displacement measurements was undertaken, and several types of instruments were installed in the fault zone to monitor ground motion. In the year subsequent to the earthquake a maximum of at least 20 cm of displacement occurred on a 30 km section of the San Andreas fault, which far exceeded the surficial displacement at the time of the earthquake. The rate of displacement decreased logarithmically during this period in a manner similar to that of the decrease in aftershock activity. After the initial high rate of activity it could be seen that most of the displacement was occurring in 4–6 day epochs of rapid creep following local aftershocks. The variation of fault displacement along the surface trace was measured and shown to be consistent with a vertidal fault surface 44 km long and 14 km deep, along which a shear stress of 2.4 bars was relieved.

Microearthquake activity following the Parkfield, California earthquake of June, 1966

1969 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 603-613
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Fitch
Keyword(s):  
Main Shock ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Amplitude Distribution ◽  
B Value ◽  
Epicentral Area ◽  
San Andreas ◽  
Recording Station ◽  
Parkfield Earthquake ◽  
Secondary Aftershock ◽  
Secondary Fault

abstract A high sensitivity microearthquake recording station was established 10 km from the epicenter of the magnitude 5.5 Parkfield earthquake of June 28, 1966. Beginning 43 hours after the main shock, an hourly average of 22 microaftershocks was recorded for a period of 13 days. Events with magnitudes roughly equivalent to a Richter magnitude of −1.5 were recorded. The amplitude distribution suggests that there was a smaller percentage of small shocks in the Parkfield microaftershock series than has commonly been reported for Japanese and other California aftershock series. b values between 0.8 and 0.9 are commonly reported while the average b value for the Parkfield microaftershock series was 0.59. The distribution of S-P times for the microaftershocks is consistent with the epicentral area defined in other studies as a strip approximately 5 km wide astride a 35 km long trace of the San Andreas fault; however, some evidence suggests that the microaftershock activity extends beyond the zone defined by the larger aftershocks. The spatial distribution of microearthquake activity is shown to be strongly non-uniform within the aftershock zone. The microaftershocks, in general, did not cluster in time about the larger aftershocks (M > 2.0). Of 24 aftershocks with M greater than or equal to 2.0, only one event gave strong evidence of triggering a secondary aftershock series. Assuming that secondary foreshock and/or aftershock series imply the creation or reactivation of a secondary fault, one is led to the conclusion that secondary faulting was a rare occurrence in the Parkfield aftershock zone.

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